Tasmanian dementia researchers look to gardening to improve quality of life
A University of Tasmania research program is using community gardening to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia. Participants engage in nature-based activities that foster mental well-being and social connection.
Why it matters
This highlights innovative, non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care that emphasize holistic health.
Peter Maloney lives with dementia and, with the support of his wife Madeleine, is participating in a gardening program in Hobart's northern suburbs. ( ABC News: Clancy Balen )
A volunteer gardening program for people living with dementia has been set up in Hobart with the aim of combining practical nature-based activities with research to improve participants' quality of life.
The program is one of several "labs" in the state's south that are being run by the University of Tasmania's Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre.
The program has been funded to run until June 2027.
Link copied Share Share article Peter Maloney lives with dementia, but in recent times he has felt a positive change in himself.
"I suppose rather than focusing on what's gone, my mind has shifted to what's there," Mr Maloney said.
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