Evelin Escobedo

GFI Fellow - Class of 2017

Undergraduate Student, Environmental Science
UCLA

PROJECT

Using Gardens to Improve the Well-being of Patients with Dementia

DESCRIPTION

Evelin will be building a small garden at WISE & Healthy Aging, a nonprofit social services organization in Santa Monica, in order to observe the use of gardens as a means of improving the well-being of dementia patients by stimulating brain activity and encouraging positive interaction with nature. She will be leading gardening classes for the older adults, as well as helping to grow plants for the patients to eat as healthy snacks. Throughout the year, she will also help to identify different professors, courses and topics within the life sciences that can be included in the growing food studies minor.