Cumberland’s Uplands Village Upgrading Gardens With Grant

The Uplands Village Retirement Community will repair and upgrade its outdoor garden through a $20,000 grant from the Pat Summitt Foundation.

The Pat Summitt Foundation funds nonprofits that specialize in serving patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Uplands Village Sales and Marketing Director Trena Waldo said the funds will purchase raised beds for the campus herb garden and new outdoor lighting. She said it will also fund statues to make the area more appealing to residents during the growing season.

“We knew that reaching out to the Pat Summitt Foundation for this grant would be instrumental to continue for them to maybe relive some of those treasured memories of being outside planting their gardens, planting their flowers, to communicate in new ways,” Waldo said.

Waldo said the community has had a garden in place since the campus opened in 2016, but years of weather have left the space in disrepair. She said the space would also be a calming area for staff and volunteers to spend time with residents.

“We know residents enjoy meaningful interactions outside, that it reduces the feeling of stress,” Waldo said. “And from being inside all day, they don’t get to have the natural sunlight.”

She said a reimagined space for residents to drink coffee and chat with visiting loved ones would create a more stress-free environment. She said an outdoor area that promotes peace would likely encourage residents to find new ways to communicate and connect with neighbors, strengthening the sense of community.

“They can be encouraged to plant, tend, and do whatever they choose, because our memory care, you know, it is a place where they can learn and continue to have a meaningful life and meaningful interactions,” Waldo said.

Waldo said, fortunately, the community has a full-time maintenance team filled with certified electricians who can handle the new lighting installation. She said the volunteers, staff, and even residents love to give back with projects like this, so much of the work can be completed in-house and begin right away.