The therapeutic benefits of greenery made available to people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, in spaces designed to be both safe and stimulating within “Il Paese Ritrovato”, the first Italian village dedicated to the care of these conditions, established in Monza in 2018. This is the concept behind the project by a research group from Milano-Bicocca with the evocative name “Nature That Heals”, proposed within the University’s crowdfunding programme, BiUniCrowd.
The initiative stems from the synergy between La Meridiana Social Cooperative, botanists and doctors from the University of Milano-Bicocca, and a multidisciplinary team including landscape architects and educators, and has already received the valuable support of a2a.
The project involves the creation of a sensory greenhouse and a garden, spaces co-designed with the residents of the village themselves, to ensure a personalised therapeutic environment. After an initial phase of participatory design of the sensory greenhouse, construction and setup will follow, with monitoring and data collection up to the twelfth month.
The initiative aims to promote the psychophysical wellbeing of the residents through sensory and gardening activities. Thanks to this project, it will also be possible to support scientific research into improving quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s and to offer the wider community a safe, stimulating, and inclusive space.
To make all this possible, the project seeks support through a fundraising campaign on Ideaginger.it, the platform with the highest success rate in Italy. The first goal is to raise €10,000, but every additional donation will be reinvested to further expand and enhance the initiative.
Each donation will receive a reward, including: a customised botanical thank-you e-card; “Let Love Grow”, an envelope containing seeds—symbols of growth and hope—with advice from botanists; the dedication of a plant at Il Paese Ritrovato along with a botanical walk in the Royal Gardens of Monza; and a mention on the donors’ panel.
“Thanks to the involvement of residents and their families,” emphasises Rodolfo Gentili, botanist and research team leader, “the project will not only offer a therapeutic environment, but also collect scientific data to better understand the impact of green spaces on the psychophysical wellbeing of people with dementia.”
The “Nature That Heals” team, alongside Gentili, includes Sandra Citterio and Lara Quaglini, both botanists, who will assist with data collection, and the design of the garden, greenhouse, and crowdfunding campaign. Giuseppe Bellelli and Paolo Mazzola, geriatric doctors from the Department of Medicine and Surgery, will oversee scientific support and biomedical data collection and analysis during the co-design phase. From La Meridiana, contributors include Mariella Zanetti (geriatrician), Luca Pozzi (educator and head of the Green Area at “Il Paese Ritrovato”), and Claudia Giorgetti (communications expert). The team also includes a project manager for Monza and Milan, and a landscape architect specialising in green space design.