Tara Graham-Cochrane

Tara's role at Dementia Training Australia

Tara specialises in the design of healing and therapeutic landscapes to support the health and wellbeing of people living with dementia.

She is the Director of DesignWELL Landscape Architects, and the author of Gardens That Care: Planning Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia.

Tara Graham-Cochrane has found that “the difference we make through running DPD workshops is immediately evident when you see attendees have ‘light bulb’ moments. Suddenly why a resident does something in a certain way makes sense, it is something in the environment causing the response. Staff immediately feel empowered with a solution to help that resident, which is a huge win-win for both parties”.

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What you do at DTA

I'm the S.A. consultant for the DTA Environments team. I educate the aged care sector about the impact of the environment surrounding residents and how it can be better activated to support wayfinding, wellbeing and quality daily living. I'm also a landscape architect, so enabling residents to be able to get outdoors and enjoy connecting with nature is a prime focus of my role.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

Enabling aged care staff to find ways to make a difference in the quality of life of the residents they care for.

How would your colleagues describe you?

The Garden Guru

What’s a usual 'day in the office' like for you?

Travelling somewhere across the State and delivering a half-day face to face educational workshop to a group of aged care staff at their aged care home. We talk, then we walk around their environment identifying together what they can do to make a difference in the lives of the residents they care for. It's very warming to see the staff's passion when they see how even the simplest change to the colour or layout of a room can make a resident's life so much easier and fulfilled.

What’s your favourite font and why?

Cavolini. It is a font that emulates free spirit.

Something on your bucket list that you’d care to share?

Going hot air ballooning over the Barossa Valley.