Volunteers Sabrina (left) and Ava (centre) help host Green Care Farms' fifth anniversary harvest celebration as founder Rebekah Churchyard addresses attendees during the September 19 event at Andrews Farm Market & Winery in Milton, Ontario. Photo by Andrew Joseph
What a wonderful event!
As communities recognize World Alzheimer's Day 2026, Green Care Farms marked a major milestone: five seasons operating Canada's first care farm designed specifically for people living with dementia.
The celebration took place on September 19, 2026, at Andrews Farm Market & Winery in Milton, Ontario, bringing together 40 participants, families, volunteers, supporters, and community members to reflect on the program's growth and future.
The harvest-themed event featured a community dinner, tours of the organization's sensory garden, and opportunities for visitors to learn more about care farming. According to organizers, the gathering was intended both as a celebration of the season and as a recognition of the people who have helped build the program over the past five years.
Founded by Rebekah Churchyard, Green Care Farms was inspired by her grandparents' experience with dementia. Frustrated by the lack of meaningful outdoor programming available to her grandfather and the limited respite available to her grandmother as caregiver, Churchyard began researching alternatives. Her search led her to the concept of care farming, a model already established in several other countries.
Today, Green Care Farms operates a seasonal dementia day program one day a week from a half-acre fenced sensory garden located on the grounds of Andrews Farm Market & Winery. Participants spend time outdoors tending plants, harvesting produce, walking through the garden, observing wildlife, and socializing in a natural environment.
Churchyard said the farm setting provides something many traditional programs cannot: a sense of purpose.
The care farm model combines agriculture with therapeutic, health, or social programming. While care farms around the world serve a range of populations, Green Care Farms focuses specifically on supporting people living with dementia and providing respite for family caregivers.
A key feature of the Milton site is its enclosed sensory garden. The space allows participants to move freely while remaining in a safe environment, helping address a common challenge associated with dementia care. Instead of being confined indoors, participants are encouraged to engage with the natural world around them.
"If someone wants to walk, they can walk," Churchyard said. "My staff and I can see them. They're safe. They're not locked inside."
The farm environment also provides opportunities for sensory engagement through touch, smell, sight, and sound. Churchyard said these experiences can help stimulate memory and encourage participation, even among individuals who struggle with verbal communication.
"There are other senses beside hearing—taste, touch, sight, smell," Churchyard said. "When you engage those senses, you create new neurosynaptic connectivity. People can follow instructions even if they can't speak."
As Green Care Farms celebrates its fifth season, the organization continues to advocate for wider adoption of care farming. Churchyard's long-term goal is to see more farms incorporate therapeutic programming and to make nature-based dementia care accessible in communities across Canada.
For more information, visit www.carefarmscanada.com.