Meaford Green Care Farm
​
On the top of Scotch Mountain in Meaford, Ontario, our dream for a care farm began when we read an article about Rebekah Churchyard and her hard work in starting the first care farm in Canada for people with dementia. She named it Green Care Farms and has been operating successfully now for three years. She and her team have inspired us to use her model on our farm.
​
We are John and Jessica Zufferli. We bought our farm in Meaford in 2017.
We fell in love with our farm the minute we drove up the lane. What was also immediately apparent was that we needed to find a way to reach out to people who might benefit from sharing in the beauty of this property.
The combination of losing John’s mother to dementia, learning about Rebekah’s experience, and our own retirement, crystallized our desire to share this farm by developing a green care farm for people with dementia in our community.
Left/Top: John and his mom, Joanne many years ago in her beloved backyard.
Right/Bottom: John and Joanne in her later stages of dementia.
John’s sweet mother, Joanne, lived for over a decade with dementia. It was difficult for the family and his father was the primary, and often sole, care provider. Joanne was a very avid gardener, even having her gardens featured in magazines and local tours in Sudbury, Ontario.
We aim to honor her memory as well as help others thrive in an outdoor environment while doing meaningful work. We have a section of our 100 acre farm that we have dedicated to our Green Care Farm.
​
In these "Before" pictures, it might be hard to imagine a beautiful, therapeutic, and relaxing Green Care Farm; however, we have worked very hard and were supported by our great community to provide this nurturing space for people with dementia.
​
We have built raised garden beds, updated our bunkie (which has a bathroom and small kitchen). We have also prepared the land for a vegetable garden, planted a Sensory Garden, and built shaded seating, as well as a harvest table for lunches and breaks.
​
See our finished pictures under Our Farm - Gallery section!
​
​
Welcoming area and entrance to the future sensory garden
Site of the planned “lookout” to the back fields; seating and deck planned
Vegetable garden plots with either raised beds or in ground plantings
Future site of the harvest table for lunch; the Bunkie for access to washroom and small kitchen
​
​
We are very honored to serve this wonderful community.
Hope to see you soon!