Social programs for people with dementia: a conversation with Green Care Farms founder Rebekah Churchyard
Description
A Green Care farm is a combination of agricultural activities and a population that could benefit from time in the outdoors. Green Care Farms CEO and Founder Rebekah Churchyard provides outdoor day programs for people with dementia, connecting them with nature on a farm in Milton, Ontario. The program includes planning and planting sensory gardens, and growing food for the local food. She says that research shows that these types of programs can result in a delay in admission to long-term care, while building psycho-social wellbeing.
Rebekah holds a Master of Social Work in Gerontology, and works in Specialized Geriatric Services. Rebekah is also a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Psychotherapist. She relocated from Toronto back to Kitchener-Waterloo in 2020 on a mission to start Green Care Farms Inc.! In Toronto she gained extensive volunteer experience in charitable board governance and in municipal policy.
Rebekah served as President and Vice-President with the Toronto Council on Aging Board of Directors and as an Accountability Table member with the City of Toronto’s Seniors Strategy.
Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/
United States
