Arabic version: برنامج بستنة في هوبارت يدعم الأشخاص المتعايشين مع الخرف

According to ABC News, a volunteer gardening program in Hobart’s northern suburbs is combining nature-based activities with research intended to improve quality of life for people living with dementia and their care partners.

Peter Maloney, who lives with dementia, attends the Chigwell Community Garden for several hours each week with support from his wife, Madeleine. Participants and volunteers take part in gentle gardening in a calm, low-pressure setting, while activities can also include walking among garden beds or sitting and watching birds.

Mr Maloney said the program had shifted his focus from what had been lost to what remains available. Madeleine Maloney said time in nature had helped her husband notice more things and become happy and content. She said the program had also helped ease anxiety that the couple initially felt about dementia.

The Chigwell program is run by the University of Tasmania’s Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre and funded by Primary Health Tasmania through the Venture Out Living Lab project. Co-designed and run by Conservation Volunteers Australia, it is one of four labs in southern Tasmania, although Chigwell is the only site with a dedicated dementia gardening program.

Other labs at the Tasmanian Bushland Garden, Derwent Valley Community Garden and Warrane Community Garden provide dementia-inclusive activities including self-guided walks and nature-based art groups. A fifth lab is being built at UTAS’s Sandy Bay campus. The Chigwell lab is funded until June 2027, with hopes that demonstrated benefits could support renewed funding and similar programs elsewhere.