Garden of senses
This post is also available in: Norwegian Bokmål
Sansehage på Losaeter is a therapeutic horticulture project working together with people with dementia, psychiatric problems and autism. Therapeutic horticulture is a very effective method used to reduce anxiety and depression, increase socialisation, build team-work, use the body, reduce memory loss, increase skill, give purpose as well as many other benefits to improve physical and mental health and well-being.
Project manager Tim Brogden.We have a 3- year working relationship with Villa Enerhaugen, a care home in Tøyen, Oslo for younger people with dementia. A group of residents comes every Tuesday rain, sun and snow for 3- hour sessions. We work together on bespoke projects as well as general maintenance work, we grow flowers, fruit and vegetables, following the growing cycle from seed to fruit. We also work on handwork, craft and art projects related to growing when the weather is too bad to be outside. We regularly harvest vegetables and make food together onsite and enjoy spending time together and relaxing.
The work with Villa Enerhaugen has, for two years, been funded by Sykhjemsetaten, before which it was a wholly voluntary project. We got a donation of perennial plants from the Friends of Oslo’s Botanical Garden in 2017 and in 2018 won the annual dementia prize for our work from the National Association for Public Health.
In 2019 Oslo is Europe’s Green Capital and we secured funding to work weekly with two more groups and have established a great working relationship with both Ellingsrud Care Home and Elvebakken skool over the course of the year.
We are very grateful to both Sykhjemsetaten and Oslo Green Capital for their support and for the contribution made by each and every person who has joined our growing project and to Losaeter for this opportunity.
Look us up on Facebook and see what we are up to.
This post is also available in: Norwegian Bokmål
