Dementia villages on the rise
But barely in the U.S.
From the New York Times,
“As Cases Soar, ‘Dementia Villages’ Look Like the Future of Home Care”
“A new generation of treatment facilities is aiming to integrate dementia patients with the communities around them, blurring lines between home and hospital.”
The article discusses a dementia village called The Hogeweyk outside of Amsterdam. The residents move around freely interacting with other residents and trained staff. They can shop at the supermarket but no money is exchanged. Even the cashier is trained to deal with dementia.
“In Baerum, Norway, a municipality in the suburbs of Oslo, the Carpe Diem dementia village opened in 2020.”… “The complex… comprises 136 communal housing units and 22 high-care dementia units.” This community “bring and invite the local society into our village,”
“… in the town of Bellmere, Australia, NewDirection Care at Bellmere describes itself as the world’s first “microtown” dementia community. Residents live in what resemble typical single-story homes — there are 17 in four different styles, with seven residents per home. The town center includes a corner store, cafes, a salon and a cinema.” In this community they “have a mix of residents living within it … to really associate with the external community,””
“As yet, there are no dementia villages in the United States, apart from a Hogeweyk-inspired dementia-care day center in South Bend, Ind. But one is in development, Avandell, in Holmdel, N.J., with plans to open its doors in the next two to three years.”
The New Jersey community “will comprise 15 homes (105 residents) in a farmhouse aesthetic, to reflect the rural surroundings. The suburban-style community is set to include a town center with a grocery store, bistro and community center.”
“The United Methodist Communities also has five communities throughout New Jersey to serve senior men and woman who qualify under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) income limits.”
… “the effort could be more difficult in the United States, where the costs will fall primarily on individuals rather than governments. “People had been reticent to do it in the U.S. because it’s a private-paying market,” he said, “as opposed to Europe, which is all socialized medicine.”
How do the other countries pay for these services? I know it said socialized medicine. But it still costs a lot of money. Are their taxes so high and their pay rates so high that they can afford these services?