If you have ever met anyone with severe dementia you know that daily life can be confusing and overwhelming for them.
There are many different ways that people with dementia can be cared for, but giving them almost free reign of their own lives in a place that is specifically made for them is definitely not the common practice.
That is, however, what the city of Weesp in the Netherlands has done with Hogeweyk Village.
Within this village lives about 150 residents, all with severe dementia.
These people come from all over the country, with many different backgrounds, and Hogeweyk caters to them all.
Whether you have an aristocratic background or were a humble carpenter, this village has been built with familiarity in mind.
The village has 23 houses in 4 drastically different styles; there is, cosmopolitan, nature-oriented, well-to-do, and traditional, and the residents stay in one of the houses that most closely resembles their former life. Each home houses 6-7 residents as well as care-givers who help the residents to cook and takes them out and about to socialize with the rest of the village.
Every staff member who works in the village has been specially trained in dealing with people with severe dementia.
That includes the chefs, waiters, and cashiers as well as the in-home care-givers. The staff member who have dedicated their lives to taking care of the village residents all believe that they are doing something profoundly beneficial for the elderly residents.
Eloy van Hal, the facility manager of the village, believes that each of the residents should be treated like a human being, not a number in a hospital bed.
“All the residents living here need medical treatment, yes. They all have medication. They all have an advanced stage of dementia, but they are a person first. That’s why there are people living here with dementia, not demented people.”
Keeping to a routine, something the residents recognize is an integral part of keeping the village running.
That is why residents are able to walk about and interact with each other like they would in everyday life.
Hogeweyk offers things every other Dutch village offers; restaurants, grocery stores, and movie theaters, it also offers bingo nights and social clubs so the residents can interact with one another if they want to.
Research has found that being physically active can help curb the rapid onset of dementia and residents are encouraged to go outside and explore.
The village has multiple gardens and paths for people to walk on and take in the beauty of nature while getting fresh air and sunshine. There are safety measures in place so that the residents can’t wander away from the village; it is fully enclosed and there is only 1 highly monitored door leading in and out.
van Hal believes that giving people with dementia a sense of normality and control can be beneficial in helping them remain calm.
“If we know that you have sugar in your coffee, we will still ask you everyday, ‘do you want sugar in your coffee?’ so you can make that choice everyday. The fact that you can still decide what you want in your coffee is important.”
Take a tour and learn all about Hogeweyk’s ‘dementia village’ in the video below.
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