At 93, Doug Tucker has grown plenty of things over the years. Sunflowers were not one of them.

So when the BlueCare Elanora Retirement Village resident spotted the Great Sunflower Grow Off, BlueCare’s Giving Day sunflower competition that aims to raise awareness of dementia through sunflower activities, he decided to try something new.

A couple of months later, the seeds he planted have grown into towering sunflower plants, with more than a dozen flowers. 

Growing something new, together

“I’ve never grown sunflowers before,” Doug said.

For Doug and his wife Margaret, the project has become an enjoyable new hobby. But Doug also sees something bigger in the simple act of doing an activity together.

In his younger years, Doug worked in aged care and saw first-hand the impact of dementia. At the time, the condition was far less understood than it is today.

“I remember speaking to a woman living with dementia who looked at me and asked, ‘Who are you?’ It must be a terrible thing to not even know who you are or who other people are,” he said.

Doug believes activities that people enjoy can help create opportunities to socialise and build relationships, particularly for men. 

“Activities bring people together.”

He says shared activities can also provide a natural way to start conversations that might otherwise be difficult

“When you’re doing something together, it’s easier to chat,” he said.

“A conversation that’s uncomfortable can happen naturally when you’re doing something nice like watching sport, playing golf or gardening.”

Sunflowers creating connections

For Doug and Margaret, that connection has extended beyond their own garden.

Their sunflowers are planted beside a prominent pathway, where residents and visitors regularly stop to admire them.

Margaret said the flowers had become a simple way to connect with people they might not otherwise know.

“They add a bit of colour to your life every day and they are something universal that everyone can enjoy,” she said.

Doug believes that includes people living with dementia.

“Sunflowers are something everyone can enjoy – even someone with dementia who can’t remember and sees the world in a different way. They are attracted to them. They are something beautiful to look at,” he said.

 

By growing the sunflowers, it's turned the invisible heavy reality of dementia into a visible, beautiful truth.”

For Doug, the Grow Off has been more than a chance to grow something new. It has shown how a simple shared activity can create moments of connection, conversation and enjoyment .