Calgary breaks ground on first-ever park for seniors with dementia in Canada
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The project has been in the works for four years, according to Sheila Taylor, foundation CEO, with plans to come to fruition by summer of 2026.
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It all began with a question asked to Taylor by a then-member of the foundation, Sarah Salus.
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'She asked, why are there no parks for people with dementia?' Taylor said, in her remarks at the ceremony, on the green plot outside the Great Forest Lawn 55+ Society centre in the community of Dover, where the park will be constructed.
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'And the second question. Could we ever build one?' she continued.
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'I said, I don't know but we could try.'
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The idea for the park received an overwhelming enthusiasm from the community, consultants, researchers, politicians — Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said this was a project that was a 'deeply personal' one for her.
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'Many of you know I share a home with my mother and after my dad unexpectedly passed away in 2023, I became her primary companion. And she very openly shares with me her experiences with aging,' Gondek said.
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While her mother does not live with dementia, she has been vocal about her worries of losing her cognitive abilities as she gets older, Gondek said. 'That's hard to watch and even harder to experience.'
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The area was chosen in part for its proximity to Bethany Riverview, a highly-specialized dementia care centre.
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Designs for the park cater specifically to those living with dementia and includes a range of safety and sensory features to support it, according to Taylor.
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'You're going to be able to hold on as you're walking around and everything will be really colour-coded so people can really feel like they know where they're going,' Taylor said. 'Extra seating for people with dementia, but also their caregivers. Lots of space for programming. There'll be features in the park that are very beautiful and that will inspire memories but also the senses.'
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The walkways through the park will shaped in loops, she added, to ensure a therapeutic experience for those living with Alzheimer's.
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This will be the first of Calgary's over 1,000 parks that cater specifically to seniors, she added. 'At the Parks Foundation, we always have an eye for innovation. We're always looking for ideas that have never been done or a creative take on a project.'
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