Taking Care of the Caregivers (Video)

The Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center has created a video on their amazing new program called "Catching Your Breath" that's held at Matthaei Botanical Gardens each month. The programs are designed to promote health and well-being for family caregivers and adults living with memory loss or dementia.

According to its website, the MADC was "established at the University of Michigan Health System, through affiliation with the Department of Neurology . . . and aims to a) conduct and promote research on Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders; b) ensure state-of-the-art care for individuals experiencing cognitive impairment or dementia; and c) enhance the public’s and health professionals’ understanding of dementia through education and outreach efforts."

For more information about Catching Your Breath, read a story in the winter 2013 Matthaei-Nichols newsletter or visit the MADC website.

Photo Exhibit at Matthaei Botanical Gardens to Celebrate African American Gardens

Places for the Spirit

Traditional African American Gardens
An exhibit of photographs by Vaughn Sills

January 18–March 10, 2013
Matthaei Botanical Gardens
Free admission; open daily 10 am-4:30 pm; Wednesday until 8 pm

Two free public lectures by Vaughn Sills, Jan. 29. See below to sign up.

Experience an exhibit of black-and-white fine-art photographs of African American folk gardens and their creators. Author Vaughn Sills, an associate professor of photography at Simmons College in Boston, traveled throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina in search of these evocative gardens, and her photographs capture a vanishing element of the American landscape.

Vaughn Sills writes: "In my search for gardens I drove through small towns and cities and along country roads, stopping when I saw a certain kind of beauty. As I look at my photographs now and try to define what compelled me, I see a sense of both order and mystery, with a visual and soul-satisfying contrast between open space and dense arrangements of plant life. In many of the gardens I was drawn to the myriad objects placed to reflect light, to create structure, to delight and, it seemed, to entertain. I soon learned that all of this beauty was far more than entertainment, for beyond that there was meaning of the greatest import.

"These gardens hold a place for spirits: the gardeners provide the means to communicate with ancestors, fend off harm, and offer security to those who enter."

Free public lectures by the author: All invited to "The Roots of Trust" a free public lecture at Matthaei Botanical Gardens by Vaughn Sills on Jan. 29. The author will discuss the importance of establishing trust with the creators of the gardens in her photographs. Limited seating available; reserve your place today.

Sponsored by University of Michigan College of Engineering and University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum.

A part of the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts winter 2013 "Understanding Race" Theme Semester.

Above: Pearl Fryer's Garden, Bishopville, N.C.  Right: Vaughn Sills.

Date Palm Is Blooming in the Conservatory

The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, is blooming in the conservatory at Matthaei Botanical Gardens.  See photo below.

The date palm is another species of plant that is "dioecious" - that is, an individual plant is male or female.  Thus if a plant is male it has only male flowers and if female it has only female flowers. Our plant is a male. To have fruits produced we would have to have a female plant in the conservatory which would have fruits if pollinated by this male.  Male plants never produce fruits.

Technically, the photo is of the inflorescence made up of hundreds of male flowers.

Taking Care of the Caregiver

An innovative program from the University of Michigan Health System aims to address the needs of care-partners of adults living with memory loss

Matthaei Botanical Gardens is the setting for a new monthly wellness program developed by the Michigan Alzheimer’s DiseaseCenter (MADC). The free stress-reduction program, called “Catching Your Breath,” allows caregivers to refresh and recharge in the restorative atmosphere of the Gardens.

We’re all familiar with stress and the toll it takes on our well-being. For caregivers of adults living with memory loss, stress is an even greater factor in their lives as the demands of the care they provide pull them ever further from their own emotional and physical needs.

Despite the considerable contributions care-partners make to loved ones suffering from memory loss they remain an underserved and often overlooked group in the spectrum of care. And the care they provide takes its toll; research shows that caregivers experience much higher levels of stress than non-caregivers, and caregivers report feelings of anger, guilt, or helplessness as a result of providing care.

Catching Your Breath is a way to support care-givers and the ways they take care of themselves, explains MADC program coordinator Laura Rice-Oeschger, LMSW. “Caregivers experience more stress, doubt, and fear,” Rice-Oeschger says. “Catching Your Breath introduces the idea of self-care for caregivers in an atmosphere that’s welcoming and nonjudging and about letting go.”

Each Catching Your Breath session is unique and may include instruc­tions and guidance in meditation practices; mindful perspectives such as mindful eating, walking, and breathing; visualization; art projects; and book or poetry readings. Spring and summer 2012 guest speakers facilitated discussions for maintain­ing balance and cultivating wellness while caregiving, and for the Novem­ber session Rice-Oeschger coordinat­ed a discussion and activity around preparations for wellness during the holiday season to help members create a holiday stress-management plan. “For any new members,” Rice-Oeschger explains, “the practices and discussion are simple and open. For folks who are returning, it’s an op­portunity to deepen the commitment to self-care and revisit old skills.”

A Holistic Approach

Catching Your Breath is part of MADC’s larger mission to improve the life experiences of caregivers, their families, and those who have cognitive impairment, says Dr. Henry Paulson,  Professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School and the Director of Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

MADC’s three-pronged mission includes research, care, and education for the public and health care professionals alike about the causes and treatment of dementia, and Catching Your Breath “is an exciting new component of our growing effort to help caregivers understand and deal with the issues they might face as this complex, chronic disease goes through its many phases,” Paulson notes.

Inspiring and enriching people’s lives through contact with nature forms a core mission of Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum, and the Catching Your Breath program speaks to that principle, says Matthaei- Nichols’ Director Robert Grese. “Catching Your Breath recognizes the restorative value of nature and beautiful gardens in people’s lives, particularly for those dealing with much emo­tional stress,” he says. As medical care shifts to recognize the need to treat the whole person as well as to provide support for family members who serve as caregivers, adds Grese, places like the Conser­vatory, gardens, or nature trails become more important as settings that provide respite.”

Working with MADC also underscores how the Arb and Gardens continues to find new ways to collaborate with other units at the University, says Grese. “Catching Your Breath is a perfect fit, in part because of the medical campuses’ proximity to the Arboretum and the Gardens but also because it’s natural that we should look for ways to improve physical access to our properties and institute programs here that engage medical staff, patients, and their families.”

For more information about Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center or Catching Your Breath visit the MADC website or call 734.936.8764. Interested in attending a session in 2013? Catching Your Breath winter / spring 2013 schedule:

Jan. 16, 6:30–8 pm

Feb. 13, 10–11:30 am

March 20, 6:30–8 pm

April 17, 10–11:30 am

Feast - World Dinner Party at Matthaei

Your table is waiting at Matthaei Botanical Gardens on Friday, December 14. We're hosting Feast - A World Dinner Party, a special holiday dinner prepared by University of Michigan chefs. Feast - A World Dinner Party highlights ingredients from the food plants that appear in our conservatory exhibit that runs November 14 through January 6, 2013.

Treat yourself to fig and goat cheese tartlet with pomegranate-agave syrup; prickly pear salad with hearts
of palm, arugula, and grapefruit; chicken with galangal, bay laurel, curry, and loquat served with
basmati rice; and more.

Event also includes a guided tour of the exhibit from 6-7 pm, 'mocktails’ in the Conservatory, and a chef’s cooking demonstration.

Buy your tickets today - limited availability.To view a menu and to purchase tickets visit our online registration site for the dinner:

City Water Soon to Be a Fixture at Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Visitors to Matthaei lately have encountered big trucks, earth-moving equipment, and the beep of back-up signals mingling with bird calls. It's all for good, as contractors and workers this October have been busy hooking the Gardens up to city water.

First, contractors had to bore under Dixboro Rd. to reach the water main located on the west side of the street. That work is now finished and we await the final pressure and sanitation tests for a green light to hook the city water up to the building plumbing.

When that happens, the Gardens will benefit from some much-needed fixture upgrades, including new drinking fountains with fill stations; dual flush toilets; new sinks and faucets; new sink and counter top in the kitchen off the main hallway; and more. There will also be three fire hydrants installed along with a required fire service road in the back of the facility.

Difficult to say exactly when the work will be completed but certainly this fall and likely by the end of November.

Stay tuned, and stop by for a sip of our new water and a look at the makeover!

The Art of Nature

This weekend, students in “Landscape as Environmental Media” (Natural Resources & Environment 587) are creating art installations at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. The installations will be up through next week (10/8) at least. Some of the students on the teams worked as summer interns and caretakers at Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. Posters and models explaining the work are on display in the west lobby at Matthaei. Don’t miss these fascinating---and ephemeral---studies that make use of our landscapes as a canvas for examining the elements of nature.

Group 1: Inside Out: Explores the idea of bringing indoor elements outdoors. Location: Willow Pond Island. Students: Dan Buckley, Emily Gehle, Sydney Johnson, Robert Primeau, and Nolan Sandberg.

Group 2: Leafy Paths: Inspired by the paths that leaves and seeds take as they fall to the surfaces of water. Concentric circles symbolize the ripples that leaves and seeds create when they touch the water. Location: Sam Graham Trees and Trail; bridge across Fleming Creek just north of the trail pavilion. Students: Chen Lu, Lumin Wang, Angela Cesere, and Peter Widin.

Group 3: Erosion Unraveled: Shows the history of erosion along the southern end of Fleming Creek that runs along Sam Graham Trees Trail. Location: Sam Graham Trees and Trail, near rock vanes in Fleming Creek. Students: Jenny Hebert, Oren Brandvain, Ying Li, and Robert Cabral.

Group 4: Embedded Life: Spheres painted in plant-inspired hues signify the plants and creatures that create the diversity of the meadow. Location: Sam Graham Trees and Trail overlook/council ring. Students: Sarah Brey, Li Chen, Sarah Clark, Chang Yan.

Group 5: Milkweed Pods: A tribute to the common milkweed, an iconic symbol of our native ecology. Location: Sam Graham Trees and Trail, just north of entrance drive. Students: Lizzy Baskerville, Amy Motzny, Sam Sikanas, and Lauren Yelen.