Green Care Farm

Abstract:  There are many pain points for people with dementia, their families and the professionals supporting them with direct care. Many people love the great outdoors and enjoy the healing benefits of being in nature. With minimal disease modifying medical treatments for dementia, there is a huge lack of respite options for caregivers and almost no outdoor or rural programs for people with dementia. What is a nature lover diagnosed with dementia to do? With origins in the Netherlands, Care Farms are popular all over Europe. This session will introduce Green Care Farms, Canada’s first-ever farm for dementia care. This model is a social enterprise that helps people with dementia be active outdoors and feel accomplished doing meaningful tasks while caregivers get a much needed break! We are grateful for many willing and eager staff and volunteer members. This presentation will discuss the experiences of multiple people involved in Green Care Farms: people with dementia, caregivers, staff, volunteers and community partnerships. With emphasis on our half-acre Sensory Garden, we will highlight how our built and natural environments promote psychosocial and physical wellbeing. Being outside, immersed in nature, is good for all of us and people with dementia deserve that too!

Speaker: Rebekah Churchyard MSW | CEO, Founder of Green Care Farms Inc.