I discovered this truly fascinating National Geographic article via Twitter, and just had to share it. Everyone knows that Japanese gardens are beautiful and calming, but I had no idea that they had such an effect on patients suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.
Alzheimer’s, the disorienting and completely debilitating disease that plagues mostly senior citizens at an advanced stage of their life, is a terribly sad condition that too many people are diagnosed with. It’s sad. However, reading about the soothing effects that these Japanese gardens have on people suffering from the disease is very interesting.
Seiko Goto, a professor of landscape architecture at Rutgers University, who spearheaded a survey of residents at the New Jersey assisted living center that made this discovery, is quoted in the article as saying
“Many of these patients don’t know who they are,” she said. “Many get confused at a certain time of day. Yet immediately upon being in the garden they calmed down, even if they were in the midst of screaming.
That’s a testament to the power of the Japanese gardens, if anything else.
I just felt compelled to pass this story on when I read it, as it’s pretty remarkable that the gardens can ease the troubled minds of Alzheimer’s patients for a given set of time, even if that experience is merely temporary.
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