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Creating a Sensory Garden for A.H.D.P.A (associaçâo humanitária dos doentes de parkinson e alzheimer)

A sensory garden is a space that includes not only sensory garden plants, but also elements that evoke all five senses (sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell) over all many sensory gardens are designed to make gardening more accessible to people of all abilities and backgrounds. They are often created for therapeutic purposes too.

Any garden can be a sensory garden. Sensory gardens were initially developed for people who are hard of hearing, visually impaired, or experience mobility issues. The concept has changed quite a bit since the first sensory gardens were created. Today they are focused on inclusivity, inviting and providing elements that stimulate individual senses at once for all present.

Many today are areas developed especially for children. With more awareness around autism, these gardens provide a sensory experience are especially important, specifically in public outdoor spaces. These spaces provide calm, soothing sensations for people with autism. We can use the excellent examples of numerous public spaces to help us determine how to incorporate sensory information in our domestic spaces too. All gardens provide sensory experiences, but garden ideas with sensory at their heart will have a concentration of different elements that stimulate the five basic senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. These garden’s are sometimes stimulating, sometimes calming and offer tangible, visceral experience’s that can evoke emotions and aid relaxation.

While sensory garden plants are for everyone, they are particularly beneficial to children, and those you are disabled or suffering with mental health problems. At any point, an element that can cover more than one of the senses provides more than one that incorporates a single sense.

We have set out a road map showing the areas where we want to offer help over a 2-3 year period. We will begin with an awareness campaign, followed by arranging training workshops and seminars for carers.

We will then focus on the installation of the sensory garden and the Alzheimer’s cafe. Our dedication to achieve our goals is steadfast but we need your support.

Café Memória will provide a safe and understanding environment for Alzheimers patients and their families to come together and socialise. This will help with the isolation that families and patients with Alzheimers often feel.