Name: Gardening programs for individuals with dementia: insights from Lifeview
Uploaded: 2023-07-03T05:30:09.100Z
Duration: 479.13
Description: In this video, Stephen Milsted, the Executive Manager of Hospitality at Lifeview, shares insightful information about Lifeview's mission and provides real-life examples of how individuals, both with and without dementia, are experiencing improved lives through the gardening program called "Planting with a Purpose," initiated by Lifeview.

Steven Mildsted Edited .mp4

Steven Mildsted Edited_.vtt

Subtitles

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It was born out of a, an

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idea that there was, in

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my 16 years in aged care,

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there's been, every home

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has empty land, just about.

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And it was about the, I

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noticed they had raised

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garden beds, but nothing

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was grown in them.

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So for me it was about

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thinking about, well,

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what would change that?

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And I thought, we need to

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have a purpose to do this.

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So it was about

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planting with a purpose.

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That's how it came about.

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I also know that people,

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regardless of the levels

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of dementia, but people

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love to be in the garden.

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They love to be outdoors.

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They love to have purpose

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in what they're doing to

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see things grow from the

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start with this, whether

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it be a seed or a seedling

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into harvesting or setting

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of flowers like the wall

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garden that we've done.

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And what we're noticing is

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that we have noticed, there've

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been some people who have

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got really strong behaviors.

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You bring them out the

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gardening and give 'em a tool

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and they start working in

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the garden and the benefits

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are just there, you just

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instant, you just see them.

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It wasn't necessarily designed

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for dementia specific.

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It was de designed for the

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whole of the home, the whole

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of the organization to be

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able to have a purpose in

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what they're doing and have

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a purpose in the gardening.

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I'll give the example in

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my presentation today where

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there was a lady called Pat.

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She was a new resident.

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She was confused,

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she was upset.

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She didn't know where

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she was, she was fearful.

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And I got alongside the part

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and had a chat with her.

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And in the conversation

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I found out that

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she likes gardening.

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So I said, come,

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come and take my arm.

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And I took her down to

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where the gardens were.

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And I said, this is the

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residents gardens and if

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you are a resident here, you

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are quite well welcome to

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come and plant and tend and

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do those sorts of things.

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And she got really excited.

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So it went, went from

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fearful to one of

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excitement and anticipation.

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I then introduced her to

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a couple of other ladies

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within the home who were

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part of that planting

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with a purpose program

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in that particular home.

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And straight away

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she made connection.

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Within a week, she had said to

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her daughter, can I stay here?

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Can I, can I just stay here?

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And her daughter said, yes,

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of course you can, Ma'am.

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And that was a real

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example of the effect

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that it has on people.

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It gives them purpose, it

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gives them connectivity.

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It, it, it helps them to

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understand they've got

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this love for gardening

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or they've got love to

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be able to be involved.

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And you see them out there

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in groups and they're

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chatting and things are

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just happening naturally.

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And I think that's, Sometimes

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in the, in, in aged care,

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we like to think things as

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a, as a, from a clinical

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perspective, but there's

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a natural perspective

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of it that people just

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like to get together.

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They like to have a bit of

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fun, and if it's gardening

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well, they like to plant,

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they like to see flowers,

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they like to see harvest

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at the end of of summer.

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They like to pick and

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eat strawberries, you

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know, raspberries,

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things that we grow.

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Somebody asked me, you

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know, did we have data

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about, the effects or

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the positive effects?

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I don't have data

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in necessarily, but

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anecdotally I know that.

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The quality of life that it

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brings, these extra people.

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I mentioned the lady called

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Nancy who lost a trowel

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and it, and she was that

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upset because she felt that

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she couldn't be connected

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to the garden anymore.

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I bought a new troll and

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all of a sudden a similar,

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authentic, a troll made such

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a big difference, you know?

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And I think that's,

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that's the thing.

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It's about be

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making a difference.

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Be being a, being a

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person who wants to make a

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difference in aged care, but.

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And we've done it by

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planting with a purpose.

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We've got one, one person I

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mentioned in my presentation

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today who was a seed analyst

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for the CSIRO, and she

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has advanced dementia with

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aggressive tendencies.

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So when she's starting to

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get agitated, we put, we put

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some punts of, soil seeds

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and she'll start planting

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seeds and it calms her down.

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We'll get seedlings and

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she'll plant seedlings

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from one little pot to

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another, and then we'll

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just change around and

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she'll continue doing that.

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But you, it just calms

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the, the person we, with

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our raised garden beds.

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There, there people can

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reach 'em, whether they

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happen to be in a princess

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chair or a wheelchair.

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There's no boundaries.

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They, they don't even have to.

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Physically do anything,

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but being part of that

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group and being part of

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the community, it, it gives

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them, it gives them a sense

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of wellbeing, which we

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find is really important.

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I think first of all,

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you've just gotta have a

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will to be able to start.

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Gardening's not complicated.

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If you have a, if you have

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a sense of, yes, we need to

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kick this off, 90% of homes

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in Australia would have land.

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Whether it be a courtyard or

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whether it be a, a sitting

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area, that can be converted,

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you just gotta invest.

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Not a lot, but certainly

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invest a little bit

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of, money to be able

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to buy these, products.

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But the investment, true

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investment comes from the

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staff, your management,

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setting that as, as part

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of your purposes or part

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of your vision from, from

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a management position, so

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that it will be driven by

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staff, chefs, social support.

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By management, you

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know, higher up who are

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saying, we think this is

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a good, good thing to do.

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We can see the benefits in

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terms of wellness for the

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residents, quality of life,

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for the residents, and to

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be able to invest in that.

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The investment's not

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massive, but the outcome

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is just unfoundable.

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It's, it's just the,

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I, I find it hard to

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put it in words, but.

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When you see the residents and

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the smiles and you see them

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out there, watering gardens,

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tending to the seedlings,

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harvesting, zucchinis, squash,

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tomatoes making, as I said,

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we are making, relishes

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now and to make the own

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relishes, and that's a home.

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And we say that, you know,

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this is the residence home.

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Well, part of the home

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is for so many people,

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particularly that generation,

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was to tend the garden to,

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to go outside in the summer

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and pick your own tomatoes

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and a bit of basil and,

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and those sorts of things.

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That's what it's about.

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In essence, that's

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what it's about, and

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it doesn't take much.

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A little bit of planning

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and just a desire to

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make a difference.

Expert Insight

In this video, Stephen Milsted, the Executive Manager of Hospitality at Lifeview, shares insightful information about Lifeview's mission and provides real-life examples of how individuals, both with and without dementia, are experiencing improved lives through the gardening program called "Planting with a Purpose," initiated by Lifeview.

Dementia

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Stephen-Milsted.jpg

Stephen Milsted

Executive Manager Hospitality

 Inspirtaion behind lifeview

Success stories and anecdotes from Lifeview's gardening program

The key benefits that individuals with dementia have from participating in gardening activities

Ensuring a gardening program that is inclusive and accessible for residents with varying levels of dementia

Advices for care facilities or organizations interested in implementing a gardening program for individuals with dementia