Monday, Mar. 23, 2009

Dementia patients blossom with flower arrangements

Adult day care center utilizes nontraditional therapy

The red and white carnations lining the table challenge the hands and warm the hearts of clients at Palmetto SeniorCare each Monday afternoon.

With the precision of skilled gardeners, the dementia and Alzheimer’s patients prepare flower vases that will adorn the landscape of the adult day care program in downtown Columbia.

Even in the face of the disease, theirs is a colorful world.

“Flowers are my heart,” said Ruby Gadson. “You have to work with them. You can’t just leave them there.”

The Columbia resident is one of several women involved in the weekly flower arrangement activity, one of many programs offered by the facility, an extension of Palmetto Health Richland. It has gained national recognition for its nontraditional approach to caring for the patients.

Each Monday, dementia and Alzheimer’s patients clip, sort and arrange flowers that have been donated by nearby Branham’s Florist.

Palmetto SeniorCare staff members said the activity offers a sense of consistency while helping to keep participants’ minds sharp.

“It’s in their long-term memory so they’re going to know how do it,” said Andrea Jones, a recreational therapist.

The proof of that could be seen across the table, where the women carefully created colorful arrangements. It’s a job Gadson wasn’t taking lightly.

“These are my friends,” Gadson said, tending to the flowers in front of her. “I talk to mine. I say to them ‘get up there and grow.’”

Mary Green has worked with flowers since she was a child, and still gets joy from caring for them.

“I love the color of them, and I love the smell of them,” she said.

Once the arrangements are completed, the vases are placed in the windows around the activity room. Two days later, the women change out the water, and the following week, the activity starts again.

It’s a process medical experts believe offers long-term benefits for those with Alzheimer’s disease. The irreversible condition results in a progressive gradual decline in the ability to think and remember, as well as to function physically.

It is estimated that by 2030, there will be 90,000 people in South Carolina with Alzheimer’s or related disorders.

However, higher levels of physical activity have been associated with reduced risks of mental impairment.

“You can’t go wrong,” Jones explained of the weekly activity. “It makes them happy.”

Jason Smith, the manager of Branham’s Florist, said the shop is thrilled to provide some of that joy.

“They appreciate it, and it makes them happy, Smith said. “As long as everybody is happy, that’s the way we look at it.”

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