A 'village' in Holland is leading the way in residential care for dementia sufferers. Hogewey is unique in that it encourages its residents to shop for themselves, meet neighbours for lunch, and join clubs, all the things that they would do if living independently*. But this is not a real village. As the article in the Irish Times Health Supplement tells us "It is a a nursing home designed to look like and function as a self-contained village community". "The village design allows its residents to experience the world as they currently understand it, even if it is in the past". As Yvonne Van Amerongen, one of the founding members explains, "we discovered that those with severe dementia were happier, healthier, more relaxed, needed less medication and slept better by giving them back the life they had known". This is a very interesting concept and could be something that other countries might adapt in the future.
You can read the full Irish Times article here
*This page may appear in Dutch but if you open it in Google Chrome simply click on Translate at the top of the page and it will translate each page into English.
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