"Designing for Alzheimers patients is a lot like designing for children.   You have to take safety first - falling is a major problem.   Eating poisonous plants is another danger.   Also making sure that they are secure and won't wander away.
Like children, they love beauty and have a deep need for it...
more than the rest of us, because they cannot get out on their own to find beauty elsewhere, or even remember beautiful things they have seen.
All they have is what is right in front of them." - Excerpt from Design Considerations for Alzheimers patients section.

Gardening has always been a healing activity - the plants, the sun, the breeze, just being out in it.

Design that takes into consideration the special needs of people recovering from illness and those in mourning over the loss of a loved one is very important to me.

In these pages of healing and memorial gardens, I point out some of the most important considerations before undertaking a special project like this through the personal examples of building an Alzheimers garden for my Grandmother in Louisiana, as well as my own 'stroke garden', and the thoughts I have on memorial gardens after the death of my best friend two years ago.

I have interspersed practical advice with personal anecdotes and stories because these are personal issues for me - not theory.

Remember to take into consideration the needs of the caretaker when designing a special garden for any person that is disabled from their condition. A beautiful garden is nothing without maintenance, and caretakers (especially if the caretaker is a family member) are often already over-loaded with work. They will undoubtedly appreciate your asking before bringing over a new tree or shrubs that will need watering everyday until they become established.

Please turn to these pages for more suggestions on building your own healing or memorial garden, or building one for someone else.

Alzheimers Garden - A garden for my Grandmother in Louisana.

Stroke Garden - Building a garden for stroke recovery.

Memorial Gardens - Suggestions for memorial gardens