Creating a Dementia-Friendly Garden

Landscaping a garden to make it more dementia-friendly is relatively easy. Landscaping can be a great solution for all sorts of physical and cognitive problems. Dementia, for example, affects the way people perceive their surroundings. The following tips should help you with landscaping in your garden without causing harm to anyone with dementia.

Avoid complex designs

First, avoid unnecessary, over-complex and confusing elements in your garden. To do this you might want to take a step back from your garden for a while. If you are using the garden regularly, you may not be completely objective about what has been built. Make sure that paths are clearly visible without dead ends or hidden dangers such as raised stepping stones that could trip someone up. It's also important to have paths that don't lead to unpleasant surprises such as sharp objects or lawn edges which could injure people living with dementia.

Keep surfaces simple

One of the easiest ways to make your garden more dementia-friendly is to build things that are easy for people with memory problems to identify and use. For example, consider using simple granite paving as an alternative to cobblestone paths in your garden. Complex surfaces that cast shadows or which are uneven can confuse people with dementia, making it difficult for them to navigate. Instead, use smooth curbed stone and flagstone paving designed specifically for use on paths and terraces.

Add seating

The best way to make a garden more dementia-friendly is to build at least one seating area with enough space for people who have trouble standing up. Choose an area that is well away from any other parts of the garden because people living with dementia can be frightened by noise and movement. If you have created a few different types of seating areas, you can try giving each one a different name. Use phrases such as 'the mossy seat,' 'the outdoor table,' or 'the red bench.'

Choose colours carefully

It is also important to consider what colours you are using in your garden when building a memorial garden for people living with dementia. For example, dark or gloomy colours may make people feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Alternatively, using too many bright, strong colours may distract people with dementia into staring at individual elements of the garden. A good guideline is to choose one strong colour for the majority of the decorating and focus on using other types of materials such as wood for furniture, bridges and benches. This will help people focus on the parts of your garden that are most important.

If you would like to find out more about the types of landscaping supplies you can use when constructing a dementia-friendly garden, contact a local company today.