MSWA Bulletin Magazine Summer 2022

MSWA CLIENT
GREEN IS THE COLOUR
“Plants are a calming influence,” explains Eric Hatch, who lives in one of MSWA’s high-support
accommodation units in Butler. “You don’t necessarily need the full-scale garden, but just
to sit quietly and commune with plants. It helps. You’ll get to that calm state, and that’s all
you need.”
Eric explains that he found the move
to high-support accommodation
last year quite tough, but his MS had
reached the point where he was no
longer able to do things by himself.
To help with the transition, he has
been mindfully adding greenery
to his patio space. “At my house in
Forrestfield, I had an outdoor area
with a huge pergola, with hanging
baskets and palms under a solid
roof so I could spend the whole
year out in the fresh air.” In his new
accommodation, Eric is adapting to
having less space to work with and
says it’s taken a bit of trial and error
to get the right plants growing in
the north of Perth climate. “Nothing
happens quickly,” he explains. “And
everything got knocked about a bit
in the heatwave.”
His current favourites are the
climbers on the wall, which are
recent additions.
“The staff here help me with
maintenance, but you can minimise
that to a fair degree. You’ll notice
everything is automatic – pipes and
sprinklers.
“To me, it’s important to be able to
access something like this. Plus,
music,” says Eric, revealing his
favourite band is Pink Floyd. “My
generation was brought up on a lot
of good stuff.”
For Eric, plants and music are
linked to meditation. “If you come
and sit in greenery, you’re turning
your mind off, and you are basically
meditating. Sitting out on your patio
having a coffee, beer, whatever –
you’re finding calm. I’ve noticed
people don’t call it meditation, but
who cares what it’s called? It’s just a
tool to help you.”
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