Imagine a place that can do the impossible – spark memories for the over six million Americans living with Alzheimer’s. These aren’t your typical gardens, they’re therapeutic gardens; carefully designed environments that offer stimulation and comfort to those who need it.
The pandemic has changed our relationship with our homes, possibly permanently. One of those changes is the desire to maximize our outdoor living spaces.
After being cooped up indoors due to shelter-in-place orders, buyers are reemerging and making outdoor space a priority in order to flex their green thumb.
Just like many other community operations, landscaping today has to do more with the same resources. While it’s important to offer curb appeal that makes every resident and visitor feel at home and welcomed, landscaping needs to work within a community’s budget—that’s both for establishment and maintenance, today and for the long term.
Learn how to bring home the om. As interest in outdoor spaces that can help heal and satisfy physical, emotional, and spiritual needs expands, make sure you understand the mix of features that make up these restful, inspirational oases.
by David Aquilina, Strategic Storyteller “Research confirms what we know from experience. Spending time outdoors, getting fresh air, and enjoying natural beauty improve health and enhance quality of life.” Roxann Bambach, Administrator McAuley Convent (Merion Station, Penn.) For the elderly with memory loss, important benefits include decreased agitation and anxiety, better quality of sleep, and opportunities for social interaction, exercise and experiences that engage the senses. This understanding inspired Bambach and her colleagues at the McAuley Convent to envision the transformation of an ordinary turfgrass landscape into the Tranquility Garden. It is a safe and beautiful landscape for Sisters of Mercy residing or recovering at this retirement community. Jack Carman, FASLA, RLA, Design for Generations, LLC (Medford, N.J.), a landscape architect who specializes in creating therapeutic outdoor environments that encourage people to experience nature, designed the garden. The Tranquility Garden includes a circular walkway and patio seating areas paved with a permeable paving material. The design features eight different varieties of ornamental trees and 16 different types of shrubs. The planting beds feature 28 perennials and three types of ornamental grasses. Carman was guided by a basic set of design principles for gardens intended for the elderly with dementia: Safety and Security – First and foremost, minimize potential hazards. Steps and changes in elevation are avoided because of the risk of trips and falls. Surfaces are non-slip and nonreflective. Enclosing the garden with a high fence ensures that no one can wander away from the safety of the garden. No sharp, thorny or poisonous plants are present. Design for Multiple Activities – “We designed for a variety of activities, including quiet contemplation and prayer, walking, gardening, outdoor classes, socializing, and dining,” said Carman. Outdoor furniture, with seating for individuals and groups, is sited in areas of sun and shade, and the tables feature umbrellas. The raised rolling planters enable the sisters to enjoy gardening while staying seated. Staff can easily roll the planters aside when space is needed for activities such as outdoor chair aerobics. Engaging Features – Gardens for people with memory loss have elements that draw attention and engage the senses. Carman included two fountains and wind chimes. Plant selection emphasizes color and strong scents (such as fragrant viburnum shrubs and perennials including fragrant angel cornflower and English lavender). Viewable from Indoors – There are times even on sunny, warm days when some may prefer to stay indoors. When they do not want go outside, the Sisters can still enjoy viewing the garden from the windows of their rooms as well as through the large glass doors that lead out to the garden from the activity room. Garden Walk – The circular walkway is easy to navigate. It is wide to accommodate wheelchairs, single walkers and those strolling side by side. The walkway and seating areas have a non-slip surface. For the Tranquility Garden, it also had to be permeable. Local government approval of the project required no impervious surfaces or increase in stormwater runoff. To include a walkway and patio seating areas, Carman had to use a permeable paving material. He selected Porous Pave XL from Porous Pave, Inc. (Grant, Mich.), a highly porous and durable pour-in-place paving material made from 50 percent recycled rubber chips and 50 percent kiln-dried aggregate mixed on site in a mortar mixer with a liquid binder. In contrast to permeable pavers, the entire surface of the installed product is permeable. With 27 percent void space, it infiltrates more stormwater than permeable pavers. The recycled rubber content makes it slip resistant, according to ASTM D-2047 standards, and in compliance with ADA requirements. “This fulfilled our requirements for slip-resistant, permeable pavement. In addition, it is poured-in-place as one continuous surface without expansion joints, which adds an extra measure of safety,” said Carman. “The texture of the material when cured, and the available color options, enabled us to complement the landscape.” Brian Geesey, Rock & Block Design (Reading, Penn.) poured two inches of the paving material on a base of compacted ¾-aggregate installed by Eric’s Nursery and Garden Center (Mt. Laurel, N.J.). The project was completed in July 2017. “We have worked with it on other projects,” said Bryan Geesey, owner, Rock & Block Designs. “It gives you a uniform, level and seamless surface across areas of new installation on an aggregate base.” How do the Sisters of Mercy assess the results? “When I see Sisters sitting in the garden and saying their prayers at 6 a.m. as the sun rises, when I see them gathered outside for exercise, when I see a staff member or visitor walking with a Sister along the circular path, I see the garden fulfilling our shared vision,” said Bambach. Project Team Owner: The Sisters of Mercy, Roxann Bambach, Administrator Landscape Architect: Design for Generations, LLC, Jack Carman, FASLA, RLA Landscape Contractor: Eric’s Nursery and Garden Center, Christopher Kendzierski, LLA, Landscaping Manager Pavement Installation Contractor: Rock & Block Design, Brian Geesey Permeable Pavement: Porous Pave, Inc. Permeable Pavement Representative: Splash Sales and Marketing, Inc., Jim Daulerio Republished from Landscape Architect and Specifier News, pp 14, 16, and 88
By Jack Carman, FASLA, RLA, CAPS and John Kennedy, CDM Photo Credit: Jack Carman, , FASLA, LLA, PP “Food glorious food” as Oliver sings in the play of the same name. We plan our lives around our meals. It may even seem that we finish breakfast and start to think about what we want to eat for lunch. Keeping people engaged in what they eat is important. The opportunities to grow and use a variety of foods for meals can be offered in a range of communities, whether it is a retirement community, day care program, school or other setting where meals are served. The rise in popularity of locally grown foods has been highlighted in books by people such as Michael Pollan, programs on the Food Network and in magazine articles. There is a great interest in knowing where your food comes from as well as ways to prepare these food for meals. A good first step in helping people understand better is to start coordinating the foods that you may want to grow with the kitchen staff of the community. The possibilities of different foods to consider include herbs, vegetables and even some flowers. Demonstration cooking can be a great way to engage people in the meals that are prepared for them. The “Chefs Garden Series” at the Chicago Botanic Garden teaches people how to cook with garden-fresh ingredients throughout the summer. Noted chefs prepare recipes in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden’s open-air amphitheater (left). This can be done by inviting chefs from restaurants in your area to prepare special meals that they are known for. The article “5 Must Haves for Repositioning a Senior Living Community” highlights Culinary Activities as the second most important item to consider (Jason Oliva, Senior Housing News, June 10, 2014). Dining programs should provide different settings, such as outdoor eating areas, bistros and coffee bars. Choice and flexibility in the daily menu is also an important consideration. And, yes, it’s safe to grow your own produce. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services “residents can benefit from having a variety of fresh foods for their consumption, as long as the dangers of foodborne illness are mitigated to the greatest extent possible through the facility” (CMS Ref: S&C: 11-38-NH, Sept. 7, 2011). Any resistance to use of using foods harvested from the gardens should be discussed within the community. Many times it is a lack of understanding of what is involved for food safety that can be easily resolved. There are many resources available, such as GAP Good Agricultural Practices, which can be found at: http://www.gaps.cornell.edu/index.html. GAP is a collection of standards developed by industry and governments to grow and process produce safely. Connecting with ‘the kitchen’ is an important part of the equation. Some residential settings offer the ability of a family to prepare their own meals. The Family House at the Gift of Life Donor Program in Philadelphia has a small garden off of the dining area where herbs are grown (right). There is also a grill for cookouts. These elements are offered to encourage family members staying at the Family House to spend time outdoors in nature, which is a way to help reduce the stress they may be feeling while a loved one undergoes a medical procedure. Preparing meals that all can share is an important step for increased socialization as well as building community. Chef Ryan Pomeroy of Foulkeways and Regional Executive Chef for Morrison Senior Living states that the involvement in raising fresh vegetables and herbs is becoming more common as the baby boomers move into retirement living and expect to continue cooking. He recalls a resident that had approached him about a recipe she was contemplating making. She was planning to entertain friends in her apartment. One of the recipes she was preparing called for fresh tarragon. Not knowing exactly what this was or where to get it, she contacted Chef Ryan. He knew exactly what to do and they located the tarragon growing in the herb garden. She cut what she needed for her recipe and off she went. A herb garden (below) was recently installed next to the renovated Meadow Cafe dining area at Foulkeways Continuing Care Retirement Community in Gwynedd, PA. The indoor areas look directly out onto the herb garden, as does the outdoor terrace seating. The kitchen staff takes full advantage of the use of the organically grown herbs that are freshly picked for meals. The residents see what is being used in the preparation of their meals. An education program, “Time with Herbs”, offers tips on using the herbs and flowers that are grown in the garden. Chef Ryan hopes to expand the herb garden to an all-out vegetable garden noting that administration has been very positive about the involvement of the chefs and the kitchen. Chef Ryan grew up in a gardening family. When he was younger, he had his own plot of tomatoes, peppers and other summer vegetables to tend. He notes that he had lost touch with gardening in the early part of a busy career as a chef. When he settled down, he and his family started gardening again, which is again a key part of his life with his children. He added that when he arrives home after a day of work he sometimes spends 10 minutes or more pulling weeds before joining his family. This is his personal therapy to help unwind after a busy day. Chef John Branella, the Executive Chef at the Evergreens in Moorestown, NJ, conducts regular monthly cooking programs with residents and prospective residents who are visiting as guests of the community to get a taste of life should they decide to move in. One recent demonstration included making homemade ice cream using honey from local hives to create a honey chocolate bourbon pecan pie ice cream. Other flavors included NJ fresh blueberries and a double French vanilla. During the summer months he features tomatoes and includes New Jersey grown tomatoes as well as fruit grown in the gardens at the Evergreens. Other items include fresh sliced tomatoes and basil pesto. The basil plants are raised from seed and grown in the community’s greenhouse (bottom left) and cared for by the residents (bottom right). This interaction of the garden and cooking should take on a regional vernacular. The Episcopal Home in Louisville, KY incorporates seasonal food activities in the meal program. Chef Robert Henry creates true southern dinners of fried green tomatoes and corn on the cob that is raised in the community. Other vegetables raised include zucchini, squash and cucumbers. They are able to grow herbs that can be used year round, due to their region and climate. Many of the residents of the community participate in tending to the gardens. Beth Phillips, RD is the dietitian at the Evergreens and is responsible for all clinical nutrition and also supports the independent living dining program. Beth remarked that she feels that there is a great positive for the residents to see vegetables growing in the garden. “Just like your own backyard”, she went on to say that this helps strip away the institutional feeling and creates a more homelike atmosphere. This helps to reduce the stress that can be inherent in a community setting. In turn this can help improve appetite, offer reasons to increase socialization and provide opportunities to connect with the larger community through gardening. Creating relationships between the culinary staff and the residents of a community is vitally important if the programs are to succeed. The community horticulturalist, an avid resident gardener or horticultural therapist can be the catalyst in these relationships between kitchen and client. Understanding what can be grown and how it is to be used is one of the conversations that should kick off community garden and cooking programs.
Lenhardt Rodgers Architecture + InteriorsPublished at: http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=1c07700faa3653707babae8f7&id=5834b019ba&e=09abcb19c1
Submitted by Design for Generations, LLC Challenge: The bulkhead, a combination of steel frame and wooden pilings, had failed, making it impossible for residents to enjoy one-half of the garden area at The Atrium at Navesink Harbor senior living community in Red Bank, New Jersey. The design and development of the gardens has been a key component to helping residents maintain wellness in nature, and the bulkhead problems had affected the River Garden, the oldest and largest of The Atrium’s gardens. Situated along the Navesink River, the River Garden offers a commanding view, not only of changing seasons, but also of scenes that change almost on an hourly basis. Something is always happening along the river, and a well-planned design could ensure more would be happening in the River Garden as well. Solution: In 2007, when construction of a new bulkhead began, the entire garden area had to be redesigned and rebuilt. The area in the center was compacted soil/fill; gravel was brought in and compacted before the concrete was poured. Topsoil for the planting beds was also imported. Many features from the previous garden were restored, and new features, such as a putting green and shade structures for gatherings, were incorporated. Walking paths were expanded, and the area now can host additional activities such as gardening, cookouts, movies, “happy hour,” and many other social events. Although there is already an area where residents can grow their own plants, they have asked for more space to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers, so raised planters will soon be incorporated into the garden area for residents’ use and enjoyment. The esplanade apple trees, which grow along the perimeter of the garden, were once used only for decoration and screening. Today, the apples are being harvested for use in the kitchen. The area may also be used for other activities, and discussions are underway about some other programs that are not specifically focused on gardening. Shuffleboard is popular, but space is somewhat limited, so the use of portable shuffleboard surfaces is being considered. New garden ideas develop as people move into the community, bringing with them new interests and experiences. The River Garden has been designed to be flexible and incorporate new interests, making it a great example of how to face the challenges of incorporating wellness elements in an outdoor garden setting. Read the entire article here.
How about taking your work outside to sit at a table, under a tree, the birds singing, a gentle breeze and the gentle sound of a water fountain – while you are at the office? This is not a dream – it is a reality. Businesses are providing gardens for people to work. The research validates the importance of incorporating the natural environment for productivity and restoration. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “Going outside for short breaks – or stimulating the outdoors with foliage or images of nature – can reduce worker stress and list moods…Taking a nature walk can increase short-term memory capacity by some 20%.” To read more about the benefits of creating gardens in the workplace, refer to the 11-21-12 article “Bringing Work to the Great Outdoors”: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424127887324712504578130892553682984-lMyQjAxMTAyMDIwMTEyNDEyWj.html
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Design For Generations, LLC
Jack Carman F.A.S.L.A.
92 Tallowood Drive
Medford NJ 08055
Voice – 609-953-5881
Fax – 609-953-1625
jack@designforgenerations.com
www.designforgenerations.com
