Theo's Flowers Brings Connection to People Living With Dementia

Theo's Flowers founder Linda Thompson

For people living with dementia, connection can arrive in simple forms.

That conviction—the heart of the I'm Still Here Foundation's (ISHF) mission—is what

drew the Foundation to Theo's Flowers. A Medfield, MA-based nonprofit, Theo’s

repurposes blooms from weddings, farms, and grocery stores into fresh bouquets for

seniors in memory care and assisted living communities across New England.

In 2025, a $6,510 ISHF grant helped the all-volunteer operation expand. However, the

story behind Theo's began years earlier at a door Linda Thompson could not walk

through at the time. During the darkest days of the pandemic, both her parents had

entered memory care. Like many families in 2020, however, she and her family were

reduced to phone calls and glimpses through windowpanes.

Flowers, however, could get inside, which was particularly meaningful for Thompson’s

mother, a lifelong garden club member for whom “flowers and plants were gifts.” “She

would be so excited about the flowers because there would be some connection, like,

‘Oh, I had this lilac bush in our my backyard, remember?’” said Thompson. “It was just

wonderful.” That flicker of recognition—proof that her mother was still present and still herself while living with dementia—became the seed of Theo's, founded in 2021.

The organization is named for the family's mini goldendoodle, a pandemic puppy she calls “a big teddy bear.” Thompson jokes that she spends her days “chasing Theo,” because the opportunities seem to find her rather than the other way around.

The first opportunity came in September 2021, when Thompson’s friend and colleague

Heidi Price was planning a spectacular English garden–themed wedding designed by

Ann Zacarian of Ann Mila Design at Castle Hill at the Crane Estate in Ipswich.

As Price and Zacarian (close friends of Thompson with the shared life experience of

parents living with dementia) wondered what would become of the floral arrangements

after the celebration, Theo’s Flowers stepped in. At 11:30 that night, Thompson and her

sister Nancy gathered every stem, and then spent the next day with friends creating

bouquets in Nancy’s front yard in Newton, Massachusetts. “Those gorgeous flowers were delivered to residents of a memory care facility, bringing joy and marking the very first event of our nonprofit,” said Thompson. “At the time, we had no idea what we were doing.”

Later that season, she brought high school students into the proverbial mix to connect

young people with those living with dementia. Students at Milton Academy (MA) turned

buckets of sunflowers donated by a local farm into arrangements, each paired with a

handwritten note.

People took notice, and the organization continued to expand. “Brides and event

planners began calling, and garden clubs, churches, and volunteer groups asked to

help,” said Thompson. “Trader Joe's also added us to its end-of-day donation list.”

Then came the ISHF grant. Founded in 1995, ISHF is a nonprofit that helps communities implement research-informed, non-pharmacologic engagement programs so people living with dementia can experience connection, dignity, and hope.

Before the grant, Theo's—run entirely by Thompson, her three sisters, two adult daughters, and niece—had improvised with donated vases sourced from Facebook Marketplace. “I was able to buy the mason jars, put stickers on them that were co-branded, and the note cards were co-branded and just had a more pulled-together look to it,” she said. The funding did more than polish the presentation—it made Theo's visible.

Students creating bouquets for seniors at a Generations in Bloom event.

A grant-supported feature on WBZ drew a wave of new volunteers and senior care facilities, and the family delivered flowers through nearly a dozen programs over the year. ISHF's support extended beyond funding. Founder Dr. John Zeisel attended a Milton Academy event, spoke to the students, and donated his book, I'm Still Here, to the

school library. Regular calls connected Thompson with other grantees, and when she

floated new ideas, the response was always the same.

“They'd always pick up on it and go, ‘What about this, or have you thought about that?’”

she said. “They have been a true partner.”

“Linda meets people exactly where they are, and through something as simple and

human as a flower, she helps them feel seen, connected, and celebrated,” added ISHF

Executive Director Sharon Johnson.

Now, Thompson is looking ahead, with goals to move from a sporadic schedule to at

least one program every month, deepen volunteer engagement, and reach more

residents who are isolated or rarely receive visitors. Requests to launch chapters have

already come to her from California and Utah, and she is exploring how Theo's might one day support dementia research and people living with dementia now.

“We really feel like we're honoring Mom and Dad,” Thompson said. “It feels so full circle

for us.”

For her, this circle centers on one phrase that keeps returning to her. ‘“Focus on the

good and the good gets better,’ and I really feel like that is what Theo's is,” she said.

Theo's Flowers is one of a growing number of community-led programs ISHF supports

across the country, each one bringing the “I'm Still Here” philosophy—the conviction

that people can live well with dementia—to life in a new place.

To learn more about Theo’s Flowers, visit theosflowers.com. To learn more about ISHF,

visit imstillhere.org.