Accredited Designer Debbie Carroll to host Dementia Action Week workshops

Designing for care: relationship-centred design transforms usability of care home gardens

Following support from Step Change Design, care homes and garden designers will collaborate to integrate 'relationship-centred design' into care homes, providing engaging gardens to the homes and their residents.

In support of Dementia Action Week (#DAW2023), Accredited Designer Debbie Carroll will be hosting two workshops centred around garden design in care settings.

Debbie Carroll has more than 20 years of experience, with particular experience creating actively used care-setting gardens. In 2013 she undertook a self-funded large-scale research project into why gardens in care settings, particularly for residents living with dementia, were not more actively used, even when they follow the latest design guidelines.

Upcoming workshops

‘Why aren’t care home gardens more actively used?

A half-day workshop for garden designers, landscape architects and outdoor specialists who are working in a care setting or other institutional-type settings and who want to ensure that their work will lead to higher engagement levels for residents, particularly those living with dementia.

"We introduce our approach to working with care settings as a result of our finding that we call ‘relationship-centred design’. Through many real-life stories and anecdotes, we explore the insights from our study that supports this new approach to providing effective and appropriate support to care clients."

Date: 18 May 2023
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Place: Poppleton Community Centre, Main Street, Nether Poppleton, York YO26 6JT

RHS Wisley ‘ Designing Actively used Gardens for People with Dementia’

This course is part of the London College of Garden Design, in partnership with RHS Wisley.

This interactive event will cover the key findings of a garden designer's research project, with a focus on real-life stories and group discussions. It will explore the role of organisational culture and how it can be developed to improve engagement with outdoor spaces.

Participants will learn about a 'checklist tool' to evaluate the potential benefits of new garden elements and activities. Additionally, the event will provide an overview of a new approach to garden design called "relationship-centred design", which promotes collaboration between designers and care settings.

Date: 19 August 2023
Time: 10am - 4pm
Place: RHS Garden Wisley, RHS Hilltop – The Home of Gardening Science

To find out more about these workshops and to book your place, click here.