Consider all the things older adults lose access to when they need to move into supportive care. Green Care Farms, a participant in the Grebel Peace Incubator since 2021, is dedicated to promoting purpose and belonging to people with dementia through therapeutic gardening programs. For the past four years, they have piloted a day-program on a farm located in Milton, Ontario.
Rebekah Churchyard, the founder of Green Care Farms, was inspired to create a space for dementia patients after her grandfather was diagnosed with early onset dementia at the age of 63. Being outside safely became a big issue for her grandfather and is a challenge for many other individuals with dementia as well. Care farms exist all over Europe, but before Green Care Farms started in 2021, Canada did not have any care farms. This prompted Rebekah to begin her own care farm for a creative solution outside the public sector.
There are many ways for the public to get involved with the farm. For example, through open houses that run in March and April, community days where people from around the region volunteer on the farm, and the Harvest Dinner to celebrate the end of the season.
The farm’s Harvest Dinner has been held on or near World Alzheimer’s Day on September 21. Given that this date also coincides with the UN International Day of Peace, the dinner has been regularly featured in the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement’s Peace Week Community Calendar. Guests at this year’s Harvest Dinner enjoyed soup made from produce grown on the farm with the help of people with dementia. The Centre for Peace Advancement’s Director and Coordinator were able to attend this event and commented on the beautiful environment, delicious soup, and fun activities such as human bingo, scavenger hunt, and a raffle that made the evening memorable.
This event also provided the opportunity to celebrate and honour the contributions of the amazing team of volunteers who contribute to the operations and programs of Green Care Farms.
At the heart of Green Care Farms is a day program that fosters a sense of purpose, belonging, and responsibility for people with dementia. The activities at the farm are also designed around the needs, abilities, and goals of their members. These activities may include planting, plant care, garden planning, plant sensory exploration, and more!
Rebekah recently expressed that instead of growing through a franchise model, she wants others across Canada to open their own care farms in response to their unique communities. Rebekah teaches educational courses and offers coaching services on how to start a care farm and hopes to see a care farm for people with dementia in every community in Canada. This effort has already sparked the opening of new care farms in Meaford and in Brant County, Ontario.
The concept of therapeutic gardening for individuals with dementia is unfamiliar to most people, and because of this, many inquire about visiting the farm to just take it in. Although it is an amazing activity for the public to come to the farm for Harvest Dinners and other public events, Rebekah emphasizes how the farm is not a zoo, and individuals with dementia are not on display. People with dementia are human beings with their own autonomy.
Overall, the initiative and passion shown by Rebekah Churchyard and the team at Green Care Farms is incredible. Canada is in dire need of more spaces for people with dementia to be outside safely, and Green Care Farms is helping catalyze the future of care farms in Canada.