Residents at Glenview Community Services living with dementia will be the first in Tasmania’s to benefit from a
“sensory garden” to assist in their therapy, with the Betty Mathers Sensory Garden officially opening at the
Glenorchy aged care facility today.

The new garden appeals to the five senses to ensure the all residents can appreciate the beauty it will provide
touch, smell, sight, sound and taste

Glenview CEO Lucy O’Flaherty said the dementia sensory garden was made possible thanks to a generous
bequest by the late Betty Mathers, a strong supporter of the organisation and well-known contributor to the
Hobart community.

“Thanks to the generosity of Betty, the sensory garden will now be used to help care for our residents suffering
from dementia, as gardens such as this have been proven to be of huge benefit for those living with this
debilitating condition,” Ms O’Flaherty said.

“Sensory gardens have been shown to offer sensory stimulation for residents through heightened sight, smell,
taste, touch and hearing, leading to health benefits such as improved sleeping patterns, decreased verbal
agitation and increased longevity.

“We visited other sensory gardens around the country to explore their benefits and we were amazed by how
something as simple as plants and flowers can have such a profound impact on a person.

“Being outside in the fresh air will not only provide excellent therapy for our residents suffering from dementia,
it will also act as a calming and serene place for our other residents and staff to relax and enjoy.

“There are around 7,000 cases of dementia in Tasmania and another 800 are diagnosed every year, so we
expect this garden to be the first of many alternative therapies to be explored by the sector over the next few
years.”

Aged and Community Services Tasmania CEO Darren Mathewson said with Tasmania having the fastest
ageing population in the country, there was a growing need for investment in innovative projects such as
Glenview’s sensory garden to ensure the aged care sector stayed fresh and sustainable.

“There are some really exciting developments occurring in aged care in Tasmania at the moment, and we
need to keep trying new things and exploring new ways to make life as comfortable as possible for our older
population,” he said.

“This garden is a fantastic example of our aged care providers thinking ‘outside the square’ to deliver quality
services for residents, and I’m sure we’ll see many more projects like this in the future.”
Glenview CEO Lucy O’Flaherty