Wellbeing through Community Gardening
2
The Pitch
Problem statement
There are currently 944,000 people with dementia in the UK. 209,600 people will develop dementia in the UK this year - that’s one every three minutes - with the projected total rising to over 1 million by 2030. People living with dementia have been significantly impacted by COVID-19, with 82% reporting an increase in their symptoms, including memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and agitation or restlessness. The benefits of outdoor social and therapeutic horticulture are well documented, including improvements in emotional state, physical health, verbal expression, memory/attention, wellbeing, independence, self-esteem, social interaction and a sense of belonging (Greening Dementia 2013).
Solution
The goal of the project is to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia and their carers. Community gardening will bring them together, provide opportunities to meet, connect with nature, share gardening knowledge, learn new skills, make friends, build confidence, and improve the local environment. The project will enhance participants’ physical and mental health and wellbeing, keep them physically fit and active, improve mobility, mood and self-esteem, provide opportunities to develop peer support networks and reduce the loneliness and isolation experienced due to COVID-19. Funding will be spent on a trained facilitator to support beneficiaries in their gardening activities.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Alive has over 10 years' experience in reaching and engaging older people with dementia in meaningful activities. Our trained and experienced Social and Therapeutic Horticulture facilitators are expert in supporting people living with dementia to enjoy and reap the benefits of gardening with like-minded people. We provide adaptive gardening equipment and accessible activities to address any barriers of age, ability or mobility. Our award-winning co-production process ensures that activities are co-designed and co-produced by participants themselves to meet their needs and be in line with their interests. Evaluation/feedback from our community gardening groups demonstrate our success.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Community Gardening Facilitator costs: £26,250pa + oncosts @ £3,150 = £29,400 x 0.2FTE x 3/12 (1 day/week for 3 months) = £1,470 | £1,470 |
| Allotment Facilitator costs: £24,333pa + oncosts @ £2,920 = £27,253 x 0.1FTE x 3/12 (0.5 day/week for 3 months) = £681 | £681 |
| Session resources - soil, plants, seeds etc: £14.50/week x 12 weeks x 2 groups = | £349 |
Beneficiaries
70 people
Expected impact
Our community gardening groups will provide opportunities for people with dementia living in the community to connect with nature and get involved in gardening, which they otherwise may not have, and enable them to enjoy the following benefits without the stress or responsibility of having to keep a garden maintained. Expected impacts for participants are: • Improved physical health: participants will undertake more exercise, keep active and improve their physical health. • Improved wellbeing: participants will meet new friends, interact and socialise with others more, reducing their social isolation and loneliness. Family/carers will develop support structures with others in the same situation, also improving their wellbeing. • Community development: participants will work together, share skills, and feel part of their community. They will have a greater sense of purpose and feel more connected, establishing stronger social and support networks within their community.
Track record
Evaluation evidence shows that Alive's work significantly improves older people’s wellbeing. For example: - 100% of people report that our activity sessions lift the moods of participants, and that the sessions encourage interaction, with 85% giving it the highest available rating. - 100% report that, as well as aiding relaxation, our sessions are highly successful in encouraging social interaction, with 75% giving it the highest rating. Testimonials: "It's medicinal. If you don't have things like this, you'll get depressed, and low, and end up in hospital and that will cost them a fortune. They need things like this to keep people going”, "It's good to be doing something together with other people", "You make people's hearts sing with joy up here" - participants. “I haven’t seen H so excited and engaged since he came out of hospital 3 weeks ago. And this is the first time I’ve seen him walking without a stick for ages” - wife of participant.