Reconnecting with nature
Alzheimer's Rooftop Garden
Gardens4Good Rooftop Garden for Alzheimer's Patients
The Gardens4Good project brings together European citizens to co-create and co-steward rooftop gardens for positive social impact. We leverage previously unused spaces to create gardens on the roofs of buildings housing fragile populations, such as Alzheimer retirement homes & social apartments, providing the residents with intergenerational educational activities that lead to a sense of purpose, creativity & inclusion, as well as increased consumption of healthy, locally-produced foods.
France
Local
Paris
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
2024-12-01
Yes
New European Bauhaus Connect NEB programme 2024
No
No
As a representative of an organisation
The Gardens4Good association reunites fragile European citizens together to co-create and co-steward local rooftop gardens for social impact. We transform previously unused spaces into rooftop gardens on buildings housing marginalized citizens, such as retirement homes & social apartments, preserving and restoring nature.
Our Connect NEB project focused on an Alzheimer’s Nursing Home in Paris, transforming their rooftop and a previously dangerous terrace into a safe space and a bountiful garden. Using design-for-all principles, we co-created the garden with the residents, leveraging the upcycling of local nature-based materials for cost efficiency and to maximize circular ecosystems.
The garden has had numerous positive impacts on the residents, including reduced social isolation, improved overall health and well-being of the Alzheimer’s patients, and increased family visits.
In addition, we partnered with the local schools to conduct intergenerational educational activities, leading to a sense of purpose, creativity & inclusion, while at the same time reconnecting both young and old with nature and encouraging consumption of healthy seasonal foods for all.
The project also had a positive impact on the local environment through the recycling of local organic matter into compost, preventing several hundred kilos of waste from being burned and/or sent to landfills. On top of this, the garden improved carbon capture, rain-water management and energy efficiency of the nursing home, contributed to the aesthetic greening of the city, and increased biodiversity and the production of new local food sources for the underprivileged.
This project, which has engaged local citizens of all ages and cultures, and thanks to the support of the Connect NEB program, has served as a model which is already being replicated across both Paris and other cities in Europe.
Our Connect NEB project focused on an Alzheimer’s Nursing Home in Paris, transforming their rooftop and a previously dangerous terrace into a safe space and a bountiful garden. Using design-for-all principles, we co-created the garden with the residents, leveraging the upcycling of local nature-based materials for cost efficiency and to maximize circular ecosystems.
The garden has had numerous positive impacts on the residents, including reduced social isolation, improved overall health and well-being of the Alzheimer’s patients, and increased family visits.
In addition, we partnered with the local schools to conduct intergenerational educational activities, leading to a sense of purpose, creativity & inclusion, while at the same time reconnecting both young and old with nature and encouraging consumption of healthy seasonal foods for all.
The project also had a positive impact on the local environment through the recycling of local organic matter into compost, preventing several hundred kilos of waste from being burned and/or sent to landfills. On top of this, the garden improved carbon capture, rain-water management and energy efficiency of the nursing home, contributed to the aesthetic greening of the city, and increased biodiversity and the production of new local food sources for the underprivileged.
This project, which has engaged local citizens of all ages and cultures, and thanks to the support of the Connect NEB program, has served as a model which is already being replicated across both Paris and other cities in Europe.
Inclusion
Circular
Biodiversity
Community
Ecosystem
We took great care when planning to make the project both environmentally and financially sustainable. Prior to applying for Connect NEB, we did a market study of several rooftop gardens. Most were extremely high-tech and cost a minimum of 100K€ to install. Given our goal is a garden on every rooftop, we knew from the start we had to find a way to keep the cost low if we wanted to scale.
This drove us to integrate circularity into the heart of the project, with the goal of upcycling as many local materials as possible for its construction. This included collaborating with the local supermarkets & outdoor food markets to collect by foot every week their discarded fruit & veg trays, which we stacked and upcycled into 100+ planters for the garden. Thanks to a local startup which gathers materials leftover after trade shows, we were able to obtain for free both wood and natural textiles, which we repurposed to protect both the inside and outside of the planters from UV rays and humidity. This allowed us to create a prototype of the first circular and 100% sustainable rooftop garden box, which has lasted well over the past 14 months and held up to the elements to this day.
Instead of purchasing Tons of soil, we partnered with the City of Paris garden unit to gather leaves, grass clippings and woodchips from the local parks, transporting everything back and forth every day on foot to the nursing home. This organic matter was then mixed with food scraps from the nursing home kitchen and left to ferment over the winter in order to create a rich, compost soil for the spring planting.
In addition, we took care to chose plants which flowered at different periods of the year, and also left specific spaces for pollinators through the garden, increasing the local biodiversity. Because everything was done on foot and sourced locally, the project generated an overall positive impact on the local environment by reducing pollution, improving carbon capture and aesthetic greening.
This drove us to integrate circularity into the heart of the project, with the goal of upcycling as many local materials as possible for its construction. This included collaborating with the local supermarkets & outdoor food markets to collect by foot every week their discarded fruit & veg trays, which we stacked and upcycled into 100+ planters for the garden. Thanks to a local startup which gathers materials leftover after trade shows, we were able to obtain for free both wood and natural textiles, which we repurposed to protect both the inside and outside of the planters from UV rays and humidity. This allowed us to create a prototype of the first circular and 100% sustainable rooftop garden box, which has lasted well over the past 14 months and held up to the elements to this day.
Instead of purchasing Tons of soil, we partnered with the City of Paris garden unit to gather leaves, grass clippings and woodchips from the local parks, transporting everything back and forth every day on foot to the nursing home. This organic matter was then mixed with food scraps from the nursing home kitchen and left to ferment over the winter in order to create a rich, compost soil for the spring planting.
In addition, we took care to chose plants which flowered at different periods of the year, and also left specific spaces for pollinators through the garden, increasing the local biodiversity. Because everything was done on foot and sourced locally, the project generated an overall positive impact on the local environment by reducing pollution, improving carbon capture and aesthetic greening.
As co-creation is one of the principal goals of Connect NEB, it was vital to us that the garden be built both by and with its users.
The first month of the project was spent co-designing the garden together with the nursing home staff and its residents, both through art projects and consultative sessions. We also implemented weekly interactive workshops for the elderly residents, with each session revolving around the local seasons and adapted to the residents’ abilities and capabilities, ranging in the early phase from helping us build the planters to walks to the park for to gather leaves for those who were mobile.
In the primary phase, Residents were also co-stewards of the garden with us through the preparation of the soil, planting of seeds, watering of plants and their favorite part of course – the harvest.
In addition, the garden was also a source of inspiration for the nursing home’s activity coordinators, who took at advantage of the availability of seasonal fruits & vegetables to create weekly cooking activities. For example, the residents helped prepare vegetables for the nightly soup, making fruit jams or tarts, or drying herbs for future tea tasting sessions. Many of the staff members come from non-French backgrounds, so these cooking activities have also been a way for them to share some of their own culture with the residents.
Lastly, the garden area, which had previously been unused due to its poor state and dangerous environment for the Alzheimer’s patients, has now become a wonderful new space which both the staff and residents use on a regular basis, and we are particularly proud to have created a safe, enclosed place for those with Alzheimer’s to visit.
The first month of the project was spent co-designing the garden together with the nursing home staff and its residents, both through art projects and consultative sessions. We also implemented weekly interactive workshops for the elderly residents, with each session revolving around the local seasons and adapted to the residents’ abilities and capabilities, ranging in the early phase from helping us build the planters to walks to the park for to gather leaves for those who were mobile.
In the primary phase, Residents were also co-stewards of the garden with us through the preparation of the soil, planting of seeds, watering of plants and their favorite part of course – the harvest.
In addition, the garden was also a source of inspiration for the nursing home’s activity coordinators, who took at advantage of the availability of seasonal fruits & vegetables to create weekly cooking activities. For example, the residents helped prepare vegetables for the nightly soup, making fruit jams or tarts, or drying herbs for future tea tasting sessions. Many of the staff members come from non-French backgrounds, so these cooking activities have also been a way for them to share some of their own culture with the residents.
Lastly, the garden area, which had previously been unused due to its poor state and dangerous environment for the Alzheimer’s patients, has now become a wonderful new space which both the staff and residents use on a regular basis, and we are particularly proud to have created a safe, enclosed place for those with Alzheimer’s to visit.
Given the target population was a nursing home, with residents and staff of all ages/origins, situated in one of the less advantaged neighborhoods in Paris, it was important to integrate both diversity and inclusivity goals into the project to maximize impact.
From the beginning, we knew we would have to work to rehabilitate the space to ensure it was accessible for residents of all physical abilities. We renovated the terrace surface for longevity and safety, and added planks & railings to ensure residents would not fall into the gardening spaces. We also designed the garden with wheel-chair accessibility in mind, leaving space to safely circulate throughout.
The Nursing Home is also a Pride certified, so one of our activities including repainting a chair for the garden in rainbow colors, with the assistance of the residents, to confirm all are welcome.
Regarding well-being, we observed positive social effects on several residents, who prior the garden spent most of their time alone in their rooms, and who now interact more with the staff and other residents thanks to the garden.
Per the staff, here has also been an increase in the number of visits from families, as well as the length of their visits, as the garden gives them a beautiful and safe place to spend time with their loved ones. The grandchildren are also excited now to come to the nursing home because it means they can be outside, hunt for berries and visit the garden’s rabbit, versus previously only having the option of crowding in the resident’s room.
Lastly, we built intergenerational activities into the project by involving students from the local schools. Due to their diverse backgrounds and family incomes, many of the students had never tasted fruits like raspberries or blueberries before, and it was gratifying to expose them to new healthy foods. Several were surprised at learning how certain fruits and vegetables grew, and expressed interest in exploring gardening as a future career.
From the beginning, we knew we would have to work to rehabilitate the space to ensure it was accessible for residents of all physical abilities. We renovated the terrace surface for longevity and safety, and added planks & railings to ensure residents would not fall into the gardening spaces. We also designed the garden with wheel-chair accessibility in mind, leaving space to safely circulate throughout.
The Nursing Home is also a Pride certified, so one of our activities including repainting a chair for the garden in rainbow colors, with the assistance of the residents, to confirm all are welcome.
Regarding well-being, we observed positive social effects on several residents, who prior the garden spent most of their time alone in their rooms, and who now interact more with the staff and other residents thanks to the garden.
Per the staff, here has also been an increase in the number of visits from families, as well as the length of their visits, as the garden gives them a beautiful and safe place to spend time with their loved ones. The grandchildren are also excited now to come to the nursing home because it means they can be outside, hunt for berries and visit the garden’s rabbit, versus previously only having the option of crowding in the resident’s room.
Lastly, we built intergenerational activities into the project by involving students from the local schools. Due to their diverse backgrounds and family incomes, many of the students had never tasted fruits like raspberries or blueberries before, and it was gratifying to expose them to new healthy foods. Several were surprised at learning how certain fruits and vegetables grew, and expressed interest in exploring gardening as a future career.
The impact on the target group, Alzheimer's residents, has been overwhelmingly positive. We have had direct feedback from the nursing home doctors regarding the overall health of the residents, and several have been able to reduce their anti-depressant medications due to the boost in mood from the gardening activities. We have also had reports from the health care staff that it stimulated the appetite of several residents, who previously struggled with eating.
It has also improved the quality of the workplace for the staff, many of whom participated in the project along with the residents, and it has also given them a place to take the residents to encourage movement and exercise.
We have also had regular positive feedback from the local community, including many neighbors from the highrise buildings surrounding the nursing home. They have been delighted to follow along with the garden’s construction from their home, and report being very happy to have such a beautiful garden as part of their view. It has also inspired several to start their own balcony gardens for both flowers and food production, and many of the nursing home staff have also started their own food garden at home.
We are very pleased to have been able to integrate a strong intergenerational aspect into the project. Over the course of the program, we received 10+ visits from local schools, ranging from ages 4 to 14, for a total of 300 children.
We developed a series of age-appropriate quizzes to help the students learn about gardening and fruits and vegetables, and the garden tours were led by the nursing home residents.
In total, we had 4500 visits during the summer months and 1000 visits during the winter months.
It has also improved the quality of the workplace for the staff, many of whom participated in the project along with the residents, and it has also given them a place to take the residents to encourage movement and exercise.
We have also had regular positive feedback from the local community, including many neighbors from the highrise buildings surrounding the nursing home. They have been delighted to follow along with the garden’s construction from their home, and report being very happy to have such a beautiful garden as part of their view. It has also inspired several to start their own balcony gardens for both flowers and food production, and many of the nursing home staff have also started their own food garden at home.
We are very pleased to have been able to integrate a strong intergenerational aspect into the project. Over the course of the program, we received 10+ visits from local schools, ranging from ages 4 to 14, for a total of 300 children.
We developed a series of age-appropriate quizzes to help the students learn about gardening and fruits and vegetables, and the garden tours were led by the nursing home residents.
In total, we had 4500 visits during the summer months and 1000 visits during the winter months.
The Gardens4Good team was responsible for the primary project implementation, including the co-design phase with the Alzheimer’s residents and the construction, plantation and maintenance of the garden.
The nursing home director & staff brought their knowledge of the elderly residents and their mental/physical capabilities to the design and implementation of the seasonal workshops.
We consulted with the Municipal Institute of Disabled Persons in Barcelona, Spain, to exchange and learn best practices from their multiple rooftop garden projects.
The City of Paris also supported the project via 3 departments: the architectural council which issues permits for rooftop gardens, the elderly council of the 13th district and the department in charge of Paris Green Spaces, which provided organic matter, seeds, plants, etc for the garden. The City of Paris also provided the use of the nursing home rooftop for this POC.
In addition, they supported with the dissemination of this project via participation in our June 5th open house (Mayor of the 13th and Paris City Council Advisor on Elderly populations), as well as publication of a social media posting and an article in the Paris citizen magazine. They also support the dissemination of this project by giving regular tours of the garden to other nursing home directors and other Paris city officials to inspire others to replicate the concept.
Lastly, it was not planned, but because the garden was so well-received and we had so much interest from the neighboring buildings who had been following the garden from their apartments for months, we hosted an open house for the rooftop garden on June 5th, 2024. The open house included a speech from the Local Mayor, the Paris Elderly Council Chief of Staff, the Retirement home Director, the Chief Farming Officer and a representative of EIT Community/NEB, and had over 150 attendees from city officials to local citizens to family members of the residents.
The nursing home director & staff brought their knowledge of the elderly residents and their mental/physical capabilities to the design and implementation of the seasonal workshops.
We consulted with the Municipal Institute of Disabled Persons in Barcelona, Spain, to exchange and learn best practices from their multiple rooftop garden projects.
The City of Paris also supported the project via 3 departments: the architectural council which issues permits for rooftop gardens, the elderly council of the 13th district and the department in charge of Paris Green Spaces, which provided organic matter, seeds, plants, etc for the garden. The City of Paris also provided the use of the nursing home rooftop for this POC.
In addition, they supported with the dissemination of this project via participation in our June 5th open house (Mayor of the 13th and Paris City Council Advisor on Elderly populations), as well as publication of a social media posting and an article in the Paris citizen magazine. They also support the dissemination of this project by giving regular tours of the garden to other nursing home directors and other Paris city officials to inspire others to replicate the concept.
Lastly, it was not planned, but because the garden was so well-received and we had so much interest from the neighboring buildings who had been following the garden from their apartments for months, we hosted an open house for the rooftop garden on June 5th, 2024. The open house included a speech from the Local Mayor, the Paris Elderly Council Chief of Staff, the Retirement home Director, the Chief Farming Officer and a representative of EIT Community/NEB, and had over 150 attendees from city officials to local citizens to family members of the residents.
The primary skills needed are foremost professional gardening and project management skills to ensure the successful launch of the project. Secondary skills are elderly & vulnerable persons knowledge, biodiversity experts, webmaster & content manager to disseminate the project & its results.
The leader of this project has completed a training in organic vegetable farming, and brings five years of experience in permaculture gardening. The leader is passionate about working with vulnerable populations and ensuring access to healthy foods for all.
Members of the Planète Potager Association donated their time and resources to assist with the building and maintaining the garden and with the call administration and final report, as well as the social media postings.
The City of Paris Elderly council of the 13th district and the department in charge of Paris Green Spaces, were great supporters, providing organic matter, seeds, plants, etc. The City of Paris also provided the use of the nursing home rooftop for this project, and assisted with the dissemination via their website, citizen magazines, newsletters, etc.
The nursing home director & staff brought their knowledge of the elderly residents and their capabilities to the design and implementation of the seasonal workshops and weekly activities.
We were very fortunate to have the support of such a broad array of experts which helped ensure the success of the project, but of course cannot forget the Alzheimer's residents of the nursing home and their contributions, and this is something we want to highlight as it is common to underestimate fragile populations and their ability to participate in citizen engagement initiatives. There may be adaptations which need to be made, but they are on the whole still very willing to contribute to projects such as these, and their diverse backgrounds can, and do, bring very novel ideas and suggestions.
The leader of this project has completed a training in organic vegetable farming, and brings five years of experience in permaculture gardening. The leader is passionate about working with vulnerable populations and ensuring access to healthy foods for all.
Members of the Planète Potager Association donated their time and resources to assist with the building and maintaining the garden and with the call administration and final report, as well as the social media postings.
The City of Paris Elderly council of the 13th district and the department in charge of Paris Green Spaces, were great supporters, providing organic matter, seeds, plants, etc. The City of Paris also provided the use of the nursing home rooftop for this project, and assisted with the dissemination via their website, citizen magazines, newsletters, etc.
The nursing home director & staff brought their knowledge of the elderly residents and their capabilities to the design and implementation of the seasonal workshops and weekly activities.
We were very fortunate to have the support of such a broad array of experts which helped ensure the success of the project, but of course cannot forget the Alzheimer's residents of the nursing home and their contributions, and this is something we want to highlight as it is common to underestimate fragile populations and their ability to participate in citizen engagement initiatives. There may be adaptations which need to be made, but they are on the whole still very willing to contribute to projects such as these, and their diverse backgrounds can, and do, bring very novel ideas and suggestions.
Most garden initiatives are community garden plots, and while they are popular and increase social cohesion, they are not a viable route for increasing health outcomes as they do not actually produce large quantities of food. This is because each plot owner works independently, often with limited knowledge and thus limited production. In addition, many owners abandon their plot after a year or two due to low results versus time invested, which is a known weakness of community gardens.
For this reason, we made the decision to name our Chief Farming Officer as the primary owner of all major project decisions, eliminating the problems experienced in community gardens and greatly increasing production capabilities.
As mentioned above, another one of our major goals was to prove it was possible to build a rooftop garden with a low budget, as long as you have residents and citizens willing to donate their time and efforts.
The highest costs from a garden come from labor and material installations, but these costs can be reduced to near zero if you have a group of motivated people willing to use their time to seek out materials which can be upcycled both into planters and future substrate. Another major benefit of this approach means the garden will continue after its initial NEB funding, as there will be no more material nor labor investments needed, versus other projects which stop after the funding period has ended.
Removing money from the equation has allowed us to fully focus on creating positive impact for the Alzheimer’s residents, as well as forced us to think creatively about how to repurpose a maximum of local materials.
With this project, we have shown this garden concept can be successful with a low material cost (no-tech), vs other existing rooftop projects, which, while impressive, include the use of technologies which render urban gardening projects extremely expensive and thus limits their ability to provide affordable foods.
For this reason, we made the decision to name our Chief Farming Officer as the primary owner of all major project decisions, eliminating the problems experienced in community gardens and greatly increasing production capabilities.
As mentioned above, another one of our major goals was to prove it was possible to build a rooftop garden with a low budget, as long as you have residents and citizens willing to donate their time and efforts.
The highest costs from a garden come from labor and material installations, but these costs can be reduced to near zero if you have a group of motivated people willing to use their time to seek out materials which can be upcycled both into planters and future substrate. Another major benefit of this approach means the garden will continue after its initial NEB funding, as there will be no more material nor labor investments needed, versus other projects which stop after the funding period has ended.
Removing money from the equation has allowed us to fully focus on creating positive impact for the Alzheimer’s residents, as well as forced us to think creatively about how to repurpose a maximum of local materials.
With this project, we have shown this garden concept can be successful with a low material cost (no-tech), vs other existing rooftop projects, which, while impressive, include the use of technologies which render urban gardening projects extremely expensive and thus limits their ability to provide affordable foods.
The Nursing home project site houses 100 residents and 87 staff, and all have been positively impacted by the project through the co-creation and co-stewardship of the garden, its workshops and the food produced.
As a first step, we established a Garden Committee, which included the President of the Association, the Chief Farming Officer, the Director of the Retirement Home, the Activity Coordinator Lead and two elderly residents. Gardens4Good volunteers and the retirement home activity coordinated work together on a weekly basis to engage the local target group (the elderly residents) in the workshops. The Gardens4Good workshops were included on the monthly activity calendar and in the newsletter which all families received.
The elderly residents were involved in co-designing the garden from the beginning, from the creation of the upcycled planters, the recuperation of local organic matter and voting on the design of the garden, to actively participating in the planting of every single seedling and plant. They also participated nearly daily in the maintenance of the garden, by helping the Chief Farming Officer water the seedlings and plants, both indoors and outdoors, and with the harvests.
During the colder/rainy periods, we have developed several indoor activities, including garden-themed art projects and garden quizzes, to continue to stimulate the residents mental and physical health even when it was not possible for them to go outdoors.
This multi-faceted co-created approach, combining physical, mental, artistic and intergenerational activities, contributed greatly to the success of the project.
As a first step, we established a Garden Committee, which included the President of the Association, the Chief Farming Officer, the Director of the Retirement Home, the Activity Coordinator Lead and two elderly residents. Gardens4Good volunteers and the retirement home activity coordinated work together on a weekly basis to engage the local target group (the elderly residents) in the workshops. The Gardens4Good workshops were included on the monthly activity calendar and in the newsletter which all families received.
The elderly residents were involved in co-designing the garden from the beginning, from the creation of the upcycled planters, the recuperation of local organic matter and voting on the design of the garden, to actively participating in the planting of every single seedling and plant. They also participated nearly daily in the maintenance of the garden, by helping the Chief Farming Officer water the seedlings and plants, both indoors and outdoors, and with the harvests.
During the colder/rainy periods, we have developed several indoor activities, including garden-themed art projects and garden quizzes, to continue to stimulate the residents mental and physical health even when it was not possible for them to go outdoors.
This multi-faceted co-created approach, combining physical, mental, artistic and intergenerational activities, contributed greatly to the success of the project.
As the garden will continue on after the project’s completion, we will continue to give tours to any other organizations or government officials who want to come and be inspired. We will also continue to post on social media, so that our followers can continue to learn more about gardening and be inspired to start their own garden.
Even the Connect NEB program has just finished, we are fortunate to already have one concrete example of replication. Another association who visited our garden during the open house inauguration was so inspired by the project, that they contacted a local primary school (200m from the nursing home) to offer to turn part of the school’s courtyard into a garden and to teach children about environmental sustainability. This new garden was co-designed with the children as part of a 7 week curriculum, and included two visits to our garden for inspiration, sharing of seedlings & cuttings, and also a visit from the nursing home residents to the school garden to see the finished result.
The association is now actively proposing this same offering to other schools in Paris, and already has another garden project planned in the 18th district of Paris for January 2025. We will continue to be an advisor for them in all of their future projects.
We also recently met with a city councilman in Sweden who is interested in replicating our concept for Alzheimer’s patients in their local nursing home, and he has asked us to be our advisor on their project.
Lastly, we will welcome a delegation from Barcelona for two days in February in order to share more about our approach and give them a detailed tour of the garden. Everything we are doing is open-sourced and available for others to adopt/adapt to meet their needs.
Even the Connect NEB program has just finished, we are fortunate to already have one concrete example of replication. Another association who visited our garden during the open house inauguration was so inspired by the project, that they contacted a local primary school (200m from the nursing home) to offer to turn part of the school’s courtyard into a garden and to teach children about environmental sustainability. This new garden was co-designed with the children as part of a 7 week curriculum, and included two visits to our garden for inspiration, sharing of seedlings & cuttings, and also a visit from the nursing home residents to the school garden to see the finished result.
The association is now actively proposing this same offering to other schools in Paris, and already has another garden project planned in the 18th district of Paris for January 2025. We will continue to be an advisor for them in all of their future projects.
We also recently met with a city councilman in Sweden who is interested in replicating our concept for Alzheimer’s patients in their local nursing home, and he has asked us to be our advisor on their project.
Lastly, we will welcome a delegation from Barcelona for two days in February in order to share more about our approach and give them a detailed tour of the garden. Everything we are doing is open-sourced and available for others to adopt/adapt to meet their needs.
World Health Organization (WHO) research states 20-35% of elderly Europeans experience loneliness and social isolation, which can have a serious impact on longevity, physical and mental health, and quality of life.
The WHO has also estimated that roughly 1/4 European adults over the age of 65 are at high risk of malnutrition across various settings, and are in need of better health outcomes linked to their diet. Despite the body of evidence describing the personal and clinical consequences of malnutrition and its economic impact on the health care system, malnutrition in the old remains a considerable problem with reported high frequencies, especially in situations of dependency, such as retirement homes. This has been attributed to poor awareness and lack of time or education in medical as well as nursing staff, but recognition and treatment of malnutrition in older adults is undeniably a challenge even when identified early.
The power of this project is that not only does it show it is possible to build a sustainable, inclusive, intergenerational garden, but it also has a direct impact on the well-being of local citizens and residents, helping them regain a sense of belonging and reconnecting them to nature.
It also exposes a wide population (elderly, working class, employees, children, etc) to the principles of circularity, ecosystems and biodiversity, and offers them an opportunity to take part and learn.
There are also multiple positive impacts for the environment, including architectural greening, building energy efficiency, rainwater management, improved local biodiversity and reduced carbon footprint due to the valorization of both waste and organic matter which would have otherwise been burned or sent to landfills.
This project directly impacts the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Food security/Zero Hunger (SDG2), Good Health & Wellbeing (SDGC), Reduced Inequalities (SDG10) and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).
The WHO has also estimated that roughly 1/4 European adults over the age of 65 are at high risk of malnutrition across various settings, and are in need of better health outcomes linked to their diet. Despite the body of evidence describing the personal and clinical consequences of malnutrition and its economic impact on the health care system, malnutrition in the old remains a considerable problem with reported high frequencies, especially in situations of dependency, such as retirement homes. This has been attributed to poor awareness and lack of time or education in medical as well as nursing staff, but recognition and treatment of malnutrition in older adults is undeniably a challenge even when identified early.
The power of this project is that not only does it show it is possible to build a sustainable, inclusive, intergenerational garden, but it also has a direct impact on the well-being of local citizens and residents, helping them regain a sense of belonging and reconnecting them to nature.
It also exposes a wide population (elderly, working class, employees, children, etc) to the principles of circularity, ecosystems and biodiversity, and offers them an opportunity to take part and learn.
There are also multiple positive impacts for the environment, including architectural greening, building energy efficiency, rainwater management, improved local biodiversity and reduced carbon footprint due to the valorization of both waste and organic matter which would have otherwise been burned or sent to landfills.
This project directly impacts the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Food security/Zero Hunger (SDG2), Good Health & Wellbeing (SDGC), Reduced Inequalities (SDG10) and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).
The impact on the target group, Alzheimer's residents, has been overwhelmingly positive. The medical staff of the Nursing Home has observed an improvement in the the overall well-being of the residents, and several have been able to reduce their anti-depressant medications due to the boost in mood from the gardening activities. We have also had reports from the staff that it stimulated the appetite of several residents, who previously struggled with eating.
In addition, we also noticed positive social effects on several residents, who prior the garden spent most of their time alone in their rooms, and who now interact more with the staff and other residents thanks to the garden. There has also been an increase in the number of visits from families, as well as in the length of their visits, as the garden gives them a lovely place to spend time with their loved ones. The grandchildren are also excited to come to the nursing home because it means they can be outside, hunt for berries and visit the garden’s rabbit, versus previously only having the option of crowding in the resident’s room.
It has also improved the quality of the workplace for the staff, many of whom participated in the project along with the residents, and it has also given them a place to take the residents to encourage movement and exercise.
We have had regular positive feedback from the local community, including many neighbors from the highrise buildings surrounding the nursing home. It has also inspired several to start their own balcony gardens for both flowers and food production, and many of the nursing home staff have also started their own food garden at home.
In addition, many of the schoolchildren who have visited the garden come from diverse social & economic backgrounds , and have expressed their delight in trying new fruits and vegetables and learning how they are grown. Some older children are now even considering gardening as a future career path!
In addition, we also noticed positive social effects on several residents, who prior the garden spent most of their time alone in their rooms, and who now interact more with the staff and other residents thanks to the garden. There has also been an increase in the number of visits from families, as well as in the length of their visits, as the garden gives them a lovely place to spend time with their loved ones. The grandchildren are also excited to come to the nursing home because it means they can be outside, hunt for berries and visit the garden’s rabbit, versus previously only having the option of crowding in the resident’s room.
It has also improved the quality of the workplace for the staff, many of whom participated in the project along with the residents, and it has also given them a place to take the residents to encourage movement and exercise.
We have had regular positive feedback from the local community, including many neighbors from the highrise buildings surrounding the nursing home. It has also inspired several to start their own balcony gardens for both flowers and food production, and many of the nursing home staff have also started their own food garden at home.
In addition, many of the schoolchildren who have visited the garden come from diverse social & economic backgrounds , and have expressed their delight in trying new fruits and vegetables and learning how they are grown. Some older children are now even considering gardening as a future career path!
