Dallas Seitz, a Professor of Psychiatry and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, is helping to advise on the development of a historic dementia park in Calgary, a Parks Foundation Calgary project. As a key contributor from the medical community, Seitz aims to create a safe and inclusive outdoor space for individuals living with dementia and their families.
“The outdoors can have real benefits for people’s mental health and physical health and that, of course, includes people with dementia,” says Seitz.
However, traditional outdoor settings frequently fail to meet the specialized demands of those suffering from dementia, especially in the advanced stages. The dementia park intends to address this gap by offering an area specifically created for people with dementia, allowing them to enjoy nature safely while also encouraging social contact and lowering stigma.
The vision for the park extends beyond individual enjoyment.
Seitz says, “The grander hope and idea with this is it may also serve as a hub to start to bring together programs and activities or more social events centred around the park and the facilities there, that’ll provide some some additional benefits aside from just the park facilities themselves.”
Several major design characteristics set this park apart from traditional outdoor areas. Picnic tables and an amphitheatre will promote group gatherings and social activities. The park’s well planned seats and pathways make it accessible to people of all abilities, including those with mobility challenges. Certain areas allow for safe exploration, lowering the chance of wandering into unsafe zones. As well as features that stimulate all five senses, such as bird melodies, fragrant flowers, and sensory installations, that appeal to different phases of dementia.
Seitz explains that dementia is an umbrella term for brain changes that affect thinking, memory, language and problem-solving.
“Memory would be one of the common changes with dementia, but also affects other areas like language, perception, things like problem-solving.”
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, especially among elderly people. The park’s architecture reflects an awareness of its visitors’ various cognitive skills, making it an appealing setting throughout their dementia journey.
“Alzheimer’s disease, which makes up the majority of dementias, is sometimes combined with other things like changes to the blood vessels in the brain,” say Seitz. “But Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, and it typically does have some early difficulties with memory as part of its short-term memory so people forget parts of conversations they might have had with a family member or details of recent events.”
The local community has been a vital part of the park’s growth from the beginning. Seitz recalls the first community gatherings three years ago where caregivers and dementia patients provided valuable comments and expressed strong support for the project. Collaborations with the Alzheimer’s Society and the Parks Foundation helped to improve the design and win the City of Calgary sponsorship.
“We got lots of great feedback and enthusiasm again from the community at that point, and then our partners at the Parks Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Society started to have some discussions with the city and their organizations,” says Seitz.
The project is now in the fundraising stage, with $3 million raised toward a $3.75 million goal. Once completed, the park will serve as a symbol of community collaboration and a shared commitment to improving the lives of those afflicted by dementia.
Additionally, the park seeks to be a social hub allowing caregivers and families to connect with others in similar situations and attend community activities.
“Whether someone is initially diagnosed with dementia or most dementias progress over time, people’s needs change and it should be a fit, regardless of where you are on that dementia journey,” says Seitz. “I hope, with time people will know this is also probably a place they can go and connect with other people.”
