calgary breaks ground on first-ever park for seniors with dementia in canada
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calgary parks foundation broke ground thursday on plans to build canada's first dementia inclusive park, the martin family legacy garden, in the dover community. the project is expected to be completed by summer 2026.
artist's renderings courtesy parks foundation/via postmedia calgary
calgary parks foundation broke ground on canada’s first-ever dementia inclusive park on thursday.
the southeast project has been in the works for four years, according to sheila taylor, foundation ceo, with plans for the martin family legacy garden to come to fruition by summer of 2026.
it all began with a question asked to taylor by a then-member of the foundation, sarah salus.
“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.
“and the second question. could we ever build one?” she continued.
“i said, i don’t know but we could try.”
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.
“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.
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.
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, who this week announced she’ll be stepping down from the foundation in august.
“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.”
the walkways through the park will shaped in loops, she added, to ensure a therapeutic experience for those living with alzheimer’s.
calgary parks foundation broke ground thursday on plans to build canada’s first dementia inclusive park, the martin family legacy garden, in the dover community.
artist's renderings courtesy parks foundation/via postmedia calgary
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.”
ward 9 coun. gian-carlo carra called the park a “keystone moment where two big threads of work” that have defined his own career as city councillor have come together.
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“the first one is representing east calgary … and the second is that i am a city builder by trade,” he said. “this is an incredible piece of land and feels incredible under the sunlight that we’re experiencing today. but the reality is, this is not a well-used space. this space isn’t doing the heavy lift it should be doing.”
funding for the park, which will cost $4 million, comes from a bevy of partners and donors, including the city, the province, non-profits, community associations and individuals.
costs and funding, taylor said, are often among the biggest hurdles to adding a new feature or a design to a park. “we work with communities everyday who would love to have these features in their spaces, but they’re more costly,” she said.
according to barb ferguson, executive director of program support at alzheimer’s calgary, there are over 20,000 people living in calgary with dementia, which she said will triple in number by 2050.
“and there’s also 10 to 12 people who are impacted by one person’s diagnosis of dementia,” she said.
the organization conducted a public poll that found only 33 per cent of people believe its common for those with dementia to lead an active life. “people with dementia can still be active inspite of their diagnosis. we also know it’s so important to be out in nature and that’s research-backed. it helps slows the progression of dementia,” she said.
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“so this park is going to serve so many purposes. it’s going to show people in our communities that people with dementia are still active, engaged and deserving of inclusion.”
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