BOSTON: Care farms are now being created to service dementia residents, disadvantaged adults, the learning difficulties youth market, autism/Aspergers, and returned service personnel/stressed police/firemen/ambulance officers.

Well-being is being improved in an oasis of calm.

Social enterprise Appleseed was set up in October by Greg Sadler and Steven Lerpiniere, to offer people with mental health problems, job seekers, ex-offenders and those living in sheltered housing a chance to boost their health and happiness.

The initiative, which took two years planning, sees a group of 10 visit a 17-acre smallholding each Friday for 12 weeks.

Donning their gumboots and heading out into the fresh air, volunteers plant seeds, tend to the chickens and work on conservation projects.

With the first cycle coming to a close, formerly empty land has been transformed to the beginnings of a thriving farm, complete with poly tunnel and chicken enclosure.

The initiative began with a desire to give those in need another option to get back into work…

This trend is covered in detail in the Seniors Housing Trends Text Book Series