Hogeweyk: Amsterdam's Revolutionary Dementia Village

It’s estimated by science that between five to eight per cent of people over 65 suffer from some level of dementia, with the number increasing to around 50% for those 85 or above.

Diagnoses of dementia have increased in recent years, partly due to improved awareness of the disease but also an ageing population, which brings with it the increased rates of hypertension and diabetes, all of which can all lead to accelerate the cause. In fact, the Alzheimer’s Society estimates that the number of people living with dementia will have doubled by 2050, making the need to safely house such a proliferating group a major priority.

It’s a cruel disease and one which robs us of a lifetime of memories, as well as blurring reminiscences of loved ones and friends, impairing thinking, making day-to-day life more difficult, as well as disorienting us to the point of depriving us of our ability to string sentences together. As our minds lose colour and the photographs of our parents and kids, it seems particularly cruel to live out those final years in sterile, bland, identikit rooms, and that’s where Hogeweyk, in the Netherlands, comes in.

The Dutch always find novel ways of looking at things: whether it’s through progressive drug policies or an attitude to sex that would make a Briton blush, they’re innovators, and when it comes to the human condition, they do things differently. Since opening its doors in 2009, Hogeweyk, the dementia village, has offered us an alternative way to look at, and live with, dementia, allowing its victims to live their lives in 1080p and find meaning in the present.

Hogeweyk is in Amsterdam, one of the most forward-thinking cities, and cares immensely for its elder residents suffering from this drastic loss of selfhood. This village is much like a regular one, housing a community built across 27 homes, all with either six or seven residents, with everything and far more than the village I grew up in, propped up with a small shopping centre, a cinema, a supermarket and, believe it or not, a pub!

Except this isn’t a village but effectively a re-skinned nursing home for people with advanced dementia who need care at all hours of the day. Hogeweyk is both a home and a chance to continue to enjoy life with, most importantly, a 24/7 care facility that allows for freedom of movement without fear.

“These people wanted to have a life, and our help to deal with that dementia. These people wanted to live in a normal house, not in a ward. They wanted to have a normal household where they’d smell their dinner on the stove in the kitchen, or be free to go to the kitchen and grab something to eat or drink. That’s what these people needed,” noted Yvonne van Amerongen, who developed Hogeweyk. Having worked in a nursing home, she realised that the traditional way of looking after those ailing from this disease wasn’t something she’d want her parents to live through, and hence, she busied herself in contributing to a solution.

The real masterstroke of Hogeweyk is how they’ve built the community and the sub-groups within it. Putting people in houses of six or seven helps them develop familiarity with one another, as well as promoting routine that helps anchor the residents, rather than being trapped in a huge, disorienting hospital ward, feeling lonely.

They’ve also really thought about pairings and don’t just chuck new arrivals into any free room, with a focus on who they’ll connect with the best. They consider the work backgrounds, life preferences and even stories about each resident’s early lives, which means you’ll see people who share a common identity grouped together, allowing them to share their memories and experiences.

As well as giving residents autonomy and allowing them to retain their self-respect, the design of Hogeweyk also encourages them to be social. They can safely and easily go to one of the village’s cafes for meet and greets, and all the regular amenities of life ensure they can get their hair cut and buy food from the supermarket, but with a safety net that removes the risk of living in a regular, hustling, bustling city built only for the able.

The smart thing that Hogeweyk has done is reframe the idea of dementia care from ‘care for dementia’ to ‘living well despite dementia’. It’s a simple thing, but looking at a problem from an alternate angle has allowed the very idea of just getting by with a degenerative disease to be flipped on its head. Life is about living, and new experiences shouldn’t stop when your brain slows down, which is why Hogeweyk is such an innovative and inspirational institution.

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