The Lasell University students who walked through the door at CareOne in Newton, Massachusetts were just miles from campus, but it likely felt a world away. They carried jars of fresh flowers, each tied with a ribbon and a personal, hand-written note. The students made the bouquets with flowers that, days earlier, created the "winter wonderland" atmosphere at a wedding in Boston. Fresh, fragrant, and beautiful the blooms will now be enjoyed by residents in memory care. 

Unlike the student volunteers who made the bouquets, the residents are not able to leave their campus and explore. The flowers are a connection to the outside world. "It changes the environment," said CareOne Program Director Rebecca LaFond. "It's so nice to see how the residents-just seeing something like a fresh flower, it really helps to make it feel like home." 

It is also a special experience for students like Jahiris Velez whose aunt has dementia. Making bouquets for residents reminds her of the bond she and her aunt shared over the small flowers Jahiris gave her in their native Colombia. "She would always smile even though, after a few minutes, she would forget who I was," Jahiris said. "That five minutes that I had with her smiling and being happy was enough for me."

Theo's Flowers

For the past four years, touching scenes have played out in memory care facilities in greater Boston because of the non-profit Theo's Flowers and the vision of its founder Linda Thompson. Linda's parents Elizabeth and Edward Thompson suffered from dementia. They entered memory care together; a simultaneous decline Linda describes as "heartbreaking." 

During the height of isolation during the pandemic, when visitors were not allowed in the Thompson's facility, she and other family members brought them flowers (often yellow roses-Elizabeth's favorite), and talked to them by phone outside their window while their parents held up the flowers in appreciation. 

Flowers were always a meaningful gift in the Thompson family home in Andover. Linda and her sisters Nancy remember the prominent role they played at holidays, parties, and as a simple gesture of love. "They bought us, 33 years ago, these hydrangea plants from Home Depot," Nancy said, "and now they're taking over half my yard." 

As their parents faded, flowers became a bridge to shared experiences the sisters treasured. "I felt like I could bring my mom back to the house in Andover or her garden because she was focused on the flowers, not on how she felt," Linda explains, her eyes misty with tears.

Elizabeth Thompson died in 2023. Edward passed away in April. Before they passed, their daughters and grandchildren visited them often and couldn't help but notice that some residents had few-if any-visitors. Imagining that loneliness, Linda wondered how to make those residents feel appreciated and less alone. "I had to do something," she recalls. She knew whatever "it" was, it had to involve flowers. "My parents really instilled in us, by example, community and giving back and showing up," Linda said. "We started brainstorming ideas." 

Much of that brainstorming took place on beach walks with Theo, her Goldendoodle puppy. "My really good friend and colleague Heidi was doing weddings. We started brainstorming about, like, where would we get the flowers if I'm not buying the flowers," Linda said. 

Multi-generational recycling effort

Surely, she thought, there must be events that get rid of them long before the blossoms fade. As luck would have it, in 2021, they were introduced to a woman whose daughter was getting married at the Crane Estate in Ipswich. The bride's grandmother had dementia. Her family was delighted to donate the flowers after the wedding. That night, around midnight, Linda and Nancy drove to the North Shore to collect "a trunkload" of flowers. Within days, they were connected to Milton Academy and the school's Student Service Program. The kids could help make the bouquets! With that introduction, Theo's Flowers connected all of the pieces of its effort to give back and build community. 

The personal notes that accompany the flowers, still gorgeous after such minimal use, are often a way for the students to introduce themselves to the memory care residents. "We wanted it to be fun and playful and have meaning," Linda explains. The notes sometimes evoke fond memories. "This kid's played football. I used to play football. The connections and the memories. It just felt natural." Nancy chimes in, "That someone paid attention to them-whether they can read the note, or the note is read to them. It's really lovely."

Elizabeth and Edward Thompson lived by a "waste not, want not" philosophy that guides Theo's Flowers. Four years after Linda created the 501c3, hundreds of students and residents have benefited from a multi-generational recycling effort that spreads joy. 

This year, the group was awarded an Innovation Grant from the I'm Still Here Foundation. Its mission is to help people living with dementia and "...spread a message of hope and possibility." Theo's Flowers uses the grant money to purchase flowers for bouquets (often at a discount from stores like Trader Joe's) when donated flowers are unavailable.

"Sharing joy through petals"   

Back at CareOne, two residents have been chosen to accept the flowers on behalf of the resident population. Melody and Liz are overwhelmed at the site of jars filled with orchids, roses, hydrangeas, baby's breath, and wispy greens. A student places a jar in Liz's hand. Liz, who comes from a farming family in Walpole, admires them, reads the attached note and thanks the group. "It is just, really truly, just a great, great gift. And a surprise!" 

Melody tells the students that she is, momentarily, speechless. She too gazes at the flowers in her hand to collect her thoughts. "Let me tell you," she says, "I am a lover of flowers. As I'm looking at it there, it says it all. It says it all." She tells the students, proudly, that she is taking the bouquet straight to her room to enjoy it. "Guys, I don't know how much I can thank you. It is nice. It is very nice!" 

Linda and Nancy watch the interaction, smiling. They know that it would make their parents proud to see their daughters (including siblings in Newport and Salt Lake City) and their granddaughters working together to brighten the lives of people who, too often, feel forgotten. "It's beyond what I envisioned. To see it all come together and to see people so joyful," Linda said. "Our tagline is 'Sharing Joy Through Petals' and each petal really is making someone else happy."