WHAPLODE Drove garden designer Kim Grove has launched a guide to help make gardens safer for people with dementia.
Kim is a former nurse turned garden designer who won a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Gold Medal for her Birmingham border at BBC Gardener’s World Live 2011.
The guide includes lots of tips and ideas on how many areas of the garden can be adapted so people with dementia can use them safely.
Kim said: “With the number of people developing dementia set to rise to more than one million within the next decade, gardens are going to become important places to help people retain their memory, keep them fit and active, and to maintain their independence and wellbeing.
“However, without change, gardens can be unsafe places for some people with dementia.
“For instance, pathways often lead to gates that can encourage a person to wander and ponds can be a huge worry.”
Gardens for People with Dementia: A guide to make them safe and suitable is available to download online from http://tinyurl.com/7x2347l at a cost of £5.99.