Bob Scarfo has long dreamed of creating a public memory garden, an outdoor space designed to safely engage people living with dementia while giving their caregivers a place to relax and connect.

Over the course of two years, Scarfo educated neighborhood groups about the concept. He met with residents near Spokane's Audubon Park and spoke with the area's neighborhood council about why a memory garden belonged there rather than in another city park. He gave presentations, answered questions, and walked residents through what thoughtful design could mean for families affected by dementia.

Plans in Spokane stalled without the funding necessary to make the vision a reality.

Word of Scarfo's vision had spread, however, eventually reaching people in Pullman, Washington.

Scarfo was invited to bring the project to Lawson Gardens, a “mini Manito,” as he describes it, with support from longtime Pullman resident Elinor McCloskey, who donated $900,000 to make the memory garden a reality.

“The donation opened the door for this project,” Scarfo says. “It’s amazing to see it coming together, knowing it will serve families for years to come.”

McCloskey, who died Dec. 12, 2025, at the age of 92, had long supported Pullman’s parks and green spaces. In 2015, she donated more than two acres of forested land so children could roam freely, just as she had as a child. That gift preserved open space for future generations. Near the end of her life, as she experienced dementia, she chose to support a different kind of outdoor space — one designed for older adults and their caregivers, Scarfo says.

The Palouse Region Memory Garden, set to open in late summer or early fall at Lawson Gardens, will serve older adults and caregivers across the region. The site already includes a handful of existing gardens. The rest of the necessary funds were raised by a local ad hoc group, which contributed $100,000.

“Memory gardens are not memorial gardens,” Scarfo says. “They’re for people who are still alive, their outlook on life is changing, their sense of reality is changing.”

Scarfo founded Land & Life LLC, a Spokane-based landscape planning and design firm, in 1994, where he focuses on creating healthy, sustainable community spaces shaped by public participation. His work emphasizes accessibility, aging, public health, and resilience, bringing people of all ages into the design process so they feel a sense of ownership in the final space.

Before he started his business, Scarfo spent decades designing environments for people with physical disabilities and aging populations. In the 1970s, he explored accessibility for public spaces, private homes, and community buildings before many accessibility standards existed. In the 1990s, after his father-in-law suffered a stroke, Scarfo shifted his focus to aging populations and aging-in-place design. His work expanded through teaching, consulting, and collaboration with the Governor’s Washington State Council on Aging and Aging & Long-Term Care of Eastern Washington.

“When I got involved with aging populations, I realized people didn’t think about the environment at all,” Scarfo says. “They talk about services, transportation, and health care, but they don’t consider how the spaces themselves affect daily life.”

The Pullman garden’s design reflects those years of research. Curving pathways have no dead ends to prevent confusion. Fences and raised garden beds consider both safety and visual accessibility. Plantings are chosen to stimulate the senses, with aromatic herbs, tactile elements, and whimsical sculptures all intended to trigger positive memories and spark joy.

“As dementia begins to take hold, the part of the brain that isn’t as dramatically influenced is the sensory,” Scarfo says. “So the garden is designed to engage sight, smell, touch, and taste in a meaningful way.”

This project is deeply personal for Scarfo as well. He has experienced the demands of caregiving firsthand while caring for his own mother.

“You never really get a break,” he says. “This garden gives (caregivers) a space to relax while still knowing their loved one is safe and engaged.”

A small team is working alongside Scarfo to bring the garden to life. Gerontologist Debby Dodds, who cared for her mother with dementia for a decade, led focus groups with caregivers, facility activity directors and older adults to help shape the design. Dodds is co-founder of diidii: The App for Better Dementia Care, where she works as a social gerontologist. Her firsthand experience and professional background have helped ensure the garden reflects the real needs of families navigating dementia.

Registered landscape architect Jena Jauchius, based in Spokane, is preparing construction documents. Through her firm, N is for Nature Play LLC, she specializes in designing recreational facilities for youth with autism. Computer imagery specialist Natasha Kinser, who works for the Washington State Department of Transportation, is developing 3D models and a virtual walk-through of the garden, building on her previous work for Spokane’s Coeur d’Alene Park master plan.

“The focus groups were invaluable,” Scarfo says. “Debby really understands the experience of caregivers and the people they care for. That input shapes every path, bench, and planting.”

The Pullman Parks & Recreation department is fully involved, ensuring the garden meets accessibility and design goals. Construction documents are nearly complete, and the project is expected to go out to bid soon. Scarfo hopes the garden will become a model for the region, not just Pullman.

“I get so excited about it,” he says. “It’s a lifetime project. Really, it’s about giving people a place to enjoy life and connect with others.”