In the small town of Weesp, Holland, a housing village created for dementia patients has served as a progressive model for the world since 2009.
De Hogeweyk is the name of the village, and it is completely self-contained with restaurants, supermarkets, gardens, and more. It is protected with gates and security fences, but its use is for keeping its residents safe.
Designed by Dutch architects Molenaar&Bol&VanDillen, the idea for De Hogeweyk (or also known as Dementiavillage) was conceptualized by dementia caregiver Yvonne van Amerongen, who wanted to let dementia patients live a life that is as normal as possible.
Unlike other dementia care centers, the patients at Hogeweyk are not subject to a strict lock-down policy and they can move around the village as they wish.
Patients live in apartments of six to eight people, including one caregiver. The caregiver does not wear a uniform and every resident in the house helps with chores like cooking and cleaning, similar to a normal living situation.
However, because patients are completely free to roam, they can even buy whatever they want from the grocery, get their hair done or even go to a restaurant.
These basic routines give residents a better quality of life, and they can continue to have a valid opinion on their daily life and surroundings.
The interior design decisions were also carefully made so as not to shock dementia patients. Each apartment is designed in one of six familiar styles to the generation of dementia patients: "goois" (known as old fashioned upperclass), homey, Christian, artisan, Indonesian, and cultural.
The choice for interior design creates a particular lifestyle in that apartment and lets the dementia patient feel at ease.
Since its opening, De Hogeweyk has been regarded as a progressive type of model that may soon arrive in other cities in the world.
[via Gizmodo, images via Hans Erkelens and Detail Online]