Garden Route Therapy

Garden Tour: Aging and Veterans Care facility at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Guide: Philip Spring (H.T.T.), responsible for the horticultural therapy program

(Left) This is a secure garden space in a courtyard area especially designed for patients with dementia who also have challenging behaviors. It is fully wheelchair accessible and includes a beautiful gazebo to offer protection from the sun. There is plenty of seating available, inviting family members and staff to accompany patients in the relaxing environment. Two solariums, located at opposite sides, provide year round indoor viewing of the outdoor space and much needed sunlight during the winter months. Raised beds surround the deck and allow for limited gardening activities where there is interest. Most patients in this section are involved in more passive types of horticultural therapy benefiting from the outdoor environment.

(Right) The open garden area includes a waterfall formed with large flats of rock brought in from Tobermory, Ontario. The water feature, complete with moss, transports visitors temporarily from the concrete hospital environment into a natural setting that stimulates all senses.

Raised beds allow patients to garden comfortably from their wheelchairs. The square design above also includes supported standing room in between the three beds. It is important that all parts of the established bed be only an arm’s length away.

(Right) The traffic areas surrounding these beds are intended to accommodate two wheelchairs.

Throughout the garden private spaces have been established for retreat and include creative points of interest such as a sundial and various sculptures and ornaments. The Zen entrances below opens up onto a secret garden patio.

Words of advice from Mr. Spring: This type of garden is different from a personal home garden or show garden and as horticultural therapists we need to keep in mind that nobody is fooled into believing there are pixies at work overnight rearranging their planting efforts from the daytime. Many patients do not only want a say in the form the garden takes they also want to be actively involved in carrying out the garden activities. This means being given the invitation to plant out a bed as they see best fit.