Creative Spaces - dementia and environment

Background

The Creative Spaces project was created in response to feedback and information gathered through consultation on the use and connection (or lack of connection) with outdoor green space by older people with dementia.

Those findings highlighted a need for older people with dementia to be re-connected with their community and to have greater opportunity to use outdoor environments. Creative engagement activities carried out with residents from a number of Cornwall Care homes indicated that increasing the connection between older people with dementia and the outdoor environment had a positive effect on those involved, including the care home staff and greenspace management staff who were involved in the activities.

The consultation also demonstrated that by involving older people with dementia in group activities they became more communicative and alert. Activities such as visits to a public garden or making collages based on garden landscapes triggered conversations, memories, stories, laughter, questions and the sharing of their knowledge and experiences. The most powerful moments involved older people with dementia who rarely spoke other than to say “yes” or “no” to care staff who were suddenly engaged in conversation with people who were strangers to them.

These consultations and engagement sessions demonstrated how much this group of people benefit from,

• being able to get outside more and,
• sharing more of their time and creative skills and knowledge with other people in their community.

It became clear that the redevelopment of the garden areas at Trevarna House, one of Cornwall Care's homes, would provide the ideal means by which staff and residents could be reconnected with the community around them and their outdoor environment. This could be successfully done through the use of using inter-generational work, community activities and the redevelopment of the landscape at a residential home.

The garden areas at Trevarna are under-used, uninviting and neglected spaces that are lacking in:

• opportunities for independent exploration by residents
• year-round sensory stimulation
• inviting landscapes that entice people outside
• connection with internal communal spaces
•  features that promote outdoor use and encourage extended time outside
• opportunities to re-connect with memories, places and people
• opportunities to engage with the wider community through activities and events
• character that reflects the local culture and heritage of St. Austell (most of the residents are Cornish and have lived in the area all their lives)

The project will help to reduce feelings of isolation for the residents of Trevarna House and improve understanding of dementia within the community, building confidence and self-worth.

Between April and June 2007 the Sensory Trust undertook consultation with local community groups to explore people’s views on the meaning and value of community. We explored views on communities past and present; how connected people feel with their local community, what they value, what changes they have seen within their communities and how these changes have affected them. We explored what people understand by community. Have communities changed for better or worse? What influences have altered the feel of the community? The consultation included sessions with a wide range of community groups including people with a range of disabilities (sensory and physical), people with learning difficulties and disabilities, economically disadvantaged communities, and communities of older people.

The consultation sessions highlighted some common themes; the value of being involved in your community; a sense of fear resulting from a lack of connection within a diverse and changing community; an overall feeling that people have less time to spend with one another; the importance of respect, consideration and understanding in a community. Specific responses included:

• Being outdoors is good for you – playing games, playing with other children, growing your own food, sharing it with others less fortunate or helping the local farmer bring his crop in
• Sharing tasks and activities is something people used to do in the community without expecting financial reward
• Communities used to be closer and more people knew each other; people would make you feel welcome if you came from outside the area

Another key finding was the self-esteem that people felt from being involved in the consultation process itself. Many people said they enjoyed being part of the conversation and having an opportunity to participate with others, and wished they could do it more.

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