Green-fingered Sally brings sensory experience to residents

A Sensory Delight for Residents

Volunteer Sally Haylock has transformed the garden of the dementia care wing at Westall House, Horsted Keynes, into a truly all-round experience for the senses. Sally was thrown a surprise tea party in May this year to thank her, and we spoke to her about why she volunteers and how she feels part of the Abbeyfield family.

“My husband was living with dementia and was admitted to Westall House in April 2023, when I found it too difficult to care for him myself. From my regular visits I got to know the other residents and the activities coordinator, Lynn Mayfield, fairly well.

“From time to time, if Lynn was going to be away, I would offer to run the weekly bingo session, and perhaps one or two other things to help out.

“On one of my visits, I noticed that the garden of the Rosemary Wing (for residents with dementia) was extremely dull, and not at all suited to the needs of the residents who used it. Gardening is one of my big loves, so I suggested I might be able to make a difference. They gave me permission to renovate the two main beds.

“When I first saw the beds they were almost exclusively full of ferns, with just a couple of other shrubs – in other words, quite colourless, boring and the same all year round. I wanted to demonstrate that I could make a difference, so got to work on transforming them.

“With the first bed, I stripped all the ferns out. Not wanting to waste them, I gave them to the Maintenance Manager, Pete Baldwin, to use in another part of the garden. The soil, though, was particularly poor in the bed, and it later transpired that the builders had left all the rubble that they were meant to have cleared away after building the Rosemary Wing. They laid only a thin layer of soil on top, which would make it very difficult for anything to grow.

“When I eventually managed to dig down and put in all the new soil and compost, I planted a mixed bed to ensure that there would be something for the residents to see, smell and touch all year round. This has worked well so far, with Christmas roses in the winter; daffodils, forget-me-nots and tulips in the spring; and plenty of other colourful plants in the summer. I also planted tulips and daffodils in pots for the spring and, more recently, a mix of geraniums, fuschias, petunias and other flowers for the summer months, which are placed so that residents can see them even if they are indoors.

“For the second bed, I have planted only roses – a variety of pinks mostly, as this seems to be the residents’ favourite colour, and some which have good smells and unusual looking flowers. We again recycled the ferns elsewhere, but when I started to dig I didn’t get very far before I hit some MOT (ground-levelling material), which the builders again should have removed. Fortunately, I had a friend with a digger who was able to get rid of it, and the bushes have all taken very well so far.

“My husband has recently moved on to a nursing home as his needs have increased, but I didn’t want to leave the garden unfinished, so I decided to see it through. I enjoy going to Westall House still, it feels like a large family. I often bring my 10-year-old grandson with me – he enjoys spending time with the residents, and they love spending time with him too.

“It’s nice to feel like my contribution is valued and appreciated by the staff; Lynn in particular, and I feel part of the team. The cream tea they threw for me was a complete surprise! I was walking round the garden with one of the residents when Lynn came out, called everyone together and revealed a plaque on the wall that read ‘Sally’s garden’, which was a really lovely honour.

“The residents might not remember the names of the plants, but when they see them, the experience of connecting with nature makes them happy. Even those who cannot get outside can enjoy it by looking out the window. As I said at the cream tea, as long as the residents enjoy it then I’m happy.”

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