Nestled between apple and cherry tree orchards on a half-acre of rural land between Milton and Guelph, Ont.
While common in Europe, few care farms exist in Canada. The model can serve young people with intellectual differences, those living with mental health concerns, mental illness, addictions, and folks who need a bit of support to build skills and an opportunity to belong to a productive community. You need the blue skies and the open fields. For people with dementia, working in the fields with ample support has been shown to reduce cognitive decline, stress and agitation, loneliness and physical pain while improving mood, self-esteem, energy and functional independence.
Churchyard should know. One man who had worked as a labourer for 45 years took time each Sunday evening to gather tools and other items, he thought would be useful for the workday. He may have had difficulty remembering dates and names, but he finally felt he had a purpose again.
He had something to do. Churchyard wishes a care farm had been an option for her grandfather, Ron Goodall, who was diagnosed with early-onset dementia when she was A farmer and teacher, he was happiest riding his tractor or trimming trees on the family Christmas tree farm, the ultimate retirement project.
As his dementia progressed, it became harder for him to spend time outdoors safely. When boredom and frustration set in, he tried a few day programs but absolutely hated them. Tragically, her grandparents passed away within just four months of each other in Caregiving had worn her grandmother down. But soon, he was gone too. The experience pushed Churchyard to ask how nature could help people with dementia and their caregivers.
