The My home, my garden story project aims to explore the role of gardens in the everyday lives of people with dementia who are living at home. Research in care home settings highlights the significance of outdoor spaces for the well-being of people living with dementia, but also that gardens are often underused. This reflects a disconnection between garden design and the everyday experiences of people living with dementia, as well as staff concerns about risks.
There is little research on the continued role of gardens in the everyday lives of people with dementia who are living at home. A better understanding of how, when and why people with dementia living at home use their gardens may help improve support and design for the use gardens in community and care contexts.
Pilot study - research methods
We conducted pilot research with 6 households including people living with dementia and family members during March-July 2020. This included: