Dementia-Specific Village in the Netherlands Inspires Aged Care

In the Netherlands, a unique town has been created to cater specifically to people living with dementia. 

The town is called Hogeweyk and is located just outside of Amsterdam. A government-funded company runs the village which is home to 152 residents and spans four acres. The space has 23 homes where residents live together in groups, where they can access a supermarket, café, hardware store, hairdressing salon, a restaurant and a movie theatre.

The village also has a dedicated therapy and outpatient care facilities.  

Care staff are in the village to accompany residents and provide assistance, with everyone trained to communicate with people who are experiencing severe dementia.

The village has been designed benefit the residents’ mind and body. As numerous studies have shown, music has enormous benefits when it comes to improving brain functionality in people living with dementia, so the town constantly has music playing in order to create positive physiological changes.

Another innovation utilised in the town is the issue of money, which can be one of the more complicated life skills for those living with dementia. To help reduce anxiety and frustration surrounding this issue, the town is essentially cash-free. Everything is included in the family’s payment plan and there is no cash exchanged within the village.

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