University architecture students have proposed a series of designs for a garden planned to trigger the sensory experiences of people with dementia.
The proposals form part of plans for a new professional dementia wing to be incorporated into the Casa Leone home for the elderly in St Julian’s. The project is a joint venture between the Church and the University of Malta’s Faculty for the Built Environment. The home is one of five being run by the Church.
Masters’ students from the University’s Department of Architecture and Urban Design came up with the designs for their course work in the unit ‘Realities in Architecture’, run by architect Alexia Mercieca.
They undertook detailed research of the home and its residents to enrich the proposals with features tailored to benefit the home’s residents.
“What I push for the most is that proposals are culturally appropriate,” Ms Mercieca said. “We can’t look at gardens in other countries and just copy them, we have to look at gardens fitting into our context, our environment and our memories.”
Many proposals incorporate sensory elements, using materials to create authentic textures such as rough stone, including water and religious symbols, as well as planting indigenous plants, such as herbs, that could trigger tactile memories like scent that could help to improve the residents' cognitive abilities.
Church spends about €1 million on operational costs of homes
“Being culturally appropriate in dementia is very important because it’s the things we remember and the things we relate to again,” Ms Mercieca said.
The Church cares for 340 residents in five homes, with 181 of the beds purchased by the government and the rest mostly subsidised by the Church itself.
The project is part of the Church’s efforts to modernise its care facilities, an area which it continues to invest in heavily, said André Vassallo Grant, director of Church Homes for the Elderly.
“We know dementia is increasing in Europe and in Malta and so we view creating a professional dementia wing for our residents as an investment in their care and wellbeing,” Mr Vassallo Grant said.
Malta currently has 7,000 patients suffering from dementia with the figure expected to double by 2050.
The Church spends about €1 million on the operational costs of its homes and is searching to secure more funding for the project, he added. The dementia wing would cost about €1 million.
“Of course, the Church will always take care and invest in its residents but we also depend on the generosity of the Maltese people and the private sector.”