Edinburgh to get UK's second outdoor centre for people with dementia after success of pioneering initiative in Cairngorms
A new outdoor centre for people with dementia is to be launched next month in the grounds of Edinburgh's Lauriston Castle.
Studies suggest that contact with the natural world can offer comfort, stimulation and a sense of freedom and meaning for people living with dementia.
And the centre will offer a wide range of nature-based pastimes and sessions such as gardening, reminiscence, outdoor relaxation, all designed to support participants as their needs evolve over time.
It will be only the second outdoor dementia centre in the UK and it has been inspired by the success of the first, at Badaguish in the Cairngorms National Park.
Gillian Councill, of Alzheimer Scotland, which is behind the project, said: “We are delighted to announce the development of our second Outdoor Brain Health & Dementia Resource Centre at Lauriston Castle. Following our successful experiences at Badaguish, we understand the profoundly positive impact such spaces have."
The Badaguish centre opened two years ago as one of the National Park’s 20 projects making up the Cairngorms 2030 programme, made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
And it has become a hub for all sorts of activities and workshops inspired by the natural environment and changing seasons.
Ms Councill said as their abilities reduced, people with dementia were less likely to get outside. "We were speaking to a lot of people who had spent their whole lives doing things in the outdoors and spending time in nature. People were saying they loved to go for walks but were worried they might get lost in the woods or were just generally finding things a bit more difficult. So we made it our goal to create a space where people could be supported to spend time in nature again.
"Gardening is a really good activity because it's so accessible - people can engage in it in lots of different ways, from really getting stuck in and digging to very light touch, like smelling herbs."
There are also music and art sessions inspired by nature and an all-ability cycling session, with a fleet of adapted bikes.
And the therapeutic benefits of nature are not restricted to the participants themselves, with sessions also offering loved ones a welcome chance to take time for themselves, often going for walks with other carers.
Similar activities are likely to feature in the programme at Lauriston Castle, but Ms Councill said it would depend what people wanted. "We've talked about maybe gentle outdoor yoga, for example, but it's important to let the programme evolve based on demand locally."
In addition to the outdoor activities, the new centre has the renovated Lauriston Lodge and the neighbouring Forget-Me-Not garden. The main room in the lodge has been decorated in a mid-century style that will likely be familiar to many of the people who will use the centre, and will help spark memories and conversations. The dementia-friendly design also extends to a red phone box and bus stop in the garden.
And there is a glass-sided summer house which will allow them to look out on nature even when the weather is not good enough for venturing too far outside.
Ms Councill said: “Our new site is poised to become a haven where people will be able to immerse themselves in the restorative power of nature.”