Like any ordinary couple, Stuart and Denise were looking forward to a long and happy retirement; spending time in the garden, playing with the grandchildren, perhaps taking a few holidays.
Then six years ago at 57 Denise was diagnosed with dementia and their plans were shattered. Now Denise is dependent on Stuart for all her needs, cannot express herself and barely understands the world around her.
Denise and Stuart were both keen gardeners and when Denise used to come to Thrive once a week they both felt the benefit…
The gentle physical and mental exercise provided by gardening aids sleep and stimulates the senses - particularly smell - which often promotes people to share memories. Dementia reduces our capacity for thought, memory and reasoning and can affect social skills too; so our programmes help people to re-connect with their friends and family before, during and after gardening through shared experiences.
"Coming to Thrive was fantastic. She got the social interaction she needed, exercise from being outside, and the fact that she was doing something meant she didn’t get bored and slept much better at night," said Stuart.
"Being a full time carer is tough" said Stuart "It is sad" he said "Your social life and friends almost disappear …….it sounds dramatic, but life is hell. Doing things without help is hard – that’s why Thrive was so great."
It costs just £35 for someone like Denise to come to Thrive and £16,000 to run a Thrive Dementia Programme for a year. There are 820,000 people living with dementia in the UK today.
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