A farm created for and with nursing home residents in Belgium

Under the name ‘Jardin des Curèyes’, a farm yard has been set up in the garden of a nursery home in Theux, Belgium. While being the beneficiaries of the initiative, older residents were also the designers and actors of the project, which they had been following right from the beginning.

Apart from the 15 residents actively involved in the daily tasks of the farm, the entertainment it offers contributes to the wellbeing of all residents and is also attractive to their younger visitors (children and grandchildren).

“When we are with the animals, we don’t think of anything else”, says one resident. Another one considers his daily visit in the yard as a “relaxing moment” that helps him “feel less lonely”.

Partnerships with schools are also being developed promoting intergenerational exchanges.

Next to the farm, the nursing home is also planning to start a vegetable garden.

More details in this article/video (in French)