STOP AND SMELL
The Flowers Garden-based program supports people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers By Lauren Baggett and Laurel Clark
It’s a quintessential spring morning at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia. The sun is starting to peek out from behind a patchwork of pale gray clouds, warming the air. It’s an idyllic setting for another session of Meet Me at the Garden. This pilot program, delivered by the education teams at UGA’s Cognitive Aging Research & Education (CARE) Center and the State Botanical Garden, wants to “expand the bubble” of persons living with dementia and their caregivers through interactive education and sensory activities.
Tony, a Meet Me at the Garden participant, sits on a raised bed at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
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COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2023 MAGAZINE
Four pairs of people with dementia and their caregivers signed up to participate in this pilot program, attending four sessions over four months. Each two-hour session has a learning theme – today’s is all about greens – and a CARE Center team member, cheerfully referred to as a Garden Guru, supports each pair throughout the session by answering questions and serving as a personal guide.
