People with dementia usually face challenges in residing regular lives, even with the assist of caregivers. To handle this concern, a workforce of skilled skilled caregivers within the Netherlands developed the groundbreaking idea of making a small residential neighborhood from scratch, generally known as the “Dementia Village” or “De Hogeweyk.â The goal is to supply a secure and constructive residing setting for patients with extreme dementia. So, whatâs life inside this Dutch dementia village? How does the workforce handle to supply a secure setting for the sufferers? Let us have a look.
The World’s First Dementia Village Opened its Doors to Patients in 2009
While the modern dementia village in Weesp, the Netherlands, began welcoming sufferers in 2009, the seeds of its creation have been planted a lot earlier. In the early Nineteen Nineties, Yvonne van Amerongen, the care supervisor at a standard nursing dwelling, Hogewey, was struck with a brand new imaginative and prescient to supply take care of these affected by extreme dementia.
Van Amerongen introduced years of expertise in psychiatric hospitals and rehabilitation facilities to her function. By 1992, she and her colleagues have been in search of new ways in which would considerably enhance the standard of life for dementia sufferers. The concept was to construct a neighborhood-style neighborhood to satisfy residents’ wants higher.
In 1993, this pioneering idea turned the muse for growing what’s now generally known as De Hogeweyk immediately. Van Amerongen labored intently with devoted care workers, together with main gamers who’re at present the advisors at De Hogeweyk, Jannette Spiering, and Eloy van Hal.
The workforce collaborated with architects Molenaar Bol and Van Dillon (MBVDA) Architects and obtained approval for his or her challenge in 2002. The modern village has since obtained worldwide popularity of establishing a extra humane method targeted on dignity, independence, and neighborhood for individuals with reminiscence loss.
With 27 Houses, the Village Can Accommodate 188 Residents With Severe Dementia!
De Hogeweyk is a one-of-a-kind, low-rise construction that spans 130 by 95 meters of land. There is only one route in and a method out of the neighborhood. The single entryway is manned and secured 24 hours a day as a result of sufferers are inclined to wander away and get misplaced, like every other dementia sufferers. Now, coming to the surface setting, the principle pathway connects to varied out of doors areas, together with gardens, parks, and two plazas.
The architects have meticulously established the village with varied vegetation, timber, and pavements. Such variety is important for dementia sufferers as a result of it makes them really feel like they’re in a well-known and cozy setting. Currently, De Hogeweyk can present dementia take care of 188 sufferers, with six to seven residents in every dwelling. There are 27 homes on this dementia village, every with a novel look and design.
The distinctive design of every home displays the ability’s distinct imaginative and prescient of care. According to the approach to life and different elements of the group of residents in each home, you’ll find totally different furnishings, every day routines, and so forth. Also, your entire village options work and sculptures by artists from Weesp, including to the heat it gives.
The Dutch Dementia Village Provides all Amenities Necessary for Residents to Enjoy a Safe and Normal Lifestyle
If you enter this Dutch dementia village, it appears like every other neighborhood. The sufferers are seen wandering peacefully with none restrictions, identical to common individuals.
Everybody comes from a distinct way of life. Keeping this in thoughts, to verify the sufferers really feel as comfy as potential, De Hogeweyk offers seven totally different way of life choices, together with formal, cosmopolitan, city, conventional, and so forth.
You may discover a devoted group of neighborhood members serving to the locals with their routine, together with cooking, cleansing, and purchasing. This means, although the residents have dementia, they’ll nonetheless really feel like they’re main an on a regular basis life. This method, generally known as “salutogenesis” (understanding what causes individuals to be wholesome, emphasizing elements that improve human well-being as an alternative of things that trigger an sickness), goals to reduce the adverse impacts of dementia and concentrate on the great features of the patientsâ well-being. It all comes all the way down to instilling a sense of familiarity of their lives.
The residents take part in a variety of actions, comparable to going to live shows, eating out, and visiting magnificence parlors. Along with creating a way of normalcy, the purpose is to put an distinctive worth on security. So, all the staff are certified and educated to assist residents in troublesome conditions. As trailblazers in creating this outstanding care facility, the workforce has set a shining instance in dementia care.
