THE late author Marina Schinz, who knew a thing or two about plants, once wrote “Gardening is an exercise in optimism”.
A group of gardeners in Aranda in the ACT would have no argument about that.
Every week, rain, hail or shine, the 15 men and women meet at the Greening Australia nursery in Kubura Place and spend some time enjoying a cuppa and a chat before heading into the garden to weed tube stock or propagate plants.
They are all volunteers, all have dementia, and this is their way of giving back to the community.
The Greening with Meaning program is a partnership between Alzheimer’s Australia ACT and Greening Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that protects and restores native vegetation.
The program began when Alzheimers Australia’s ACT Younger Onset Dementia Key Worker program was asked to help a man who wanted to be part of a gardening group.
The man, with younger onset dementia, started helping with volunteers at the Greening Australia workshop and it wasn’t long before others expressed interest and a group of people of all ages with the disease was formed.
Now the 15 get together every Tuesday and have become as highly valued as any other volunteers at Greening Australia.
The program works with people aged 65 and under. But the Greening with Meaning group has expanded to include older people with dementia and has allowed some socially isolated members to make new bonds.
“It’s about social engagement and peer support,” said Lorraine Wadler, who manages the program.
“It’s a calm, relaxing, therapeutic environment and it promotes increased self-esteem and confidence by showing the community how valued and useful they are.”
Volunteer co-ordinator Donna Blundell, who is native seed and nursery supervisor at Greening Australia, said the program had been a great success.
“They love coming and they know they are doing something valuable,” she said.
- National Dementia Helpline: 1800-100-500, act.fightdementia.org.au
