 |
New long-term care option for people with Dementia
|
Currently 35.6 million people have dementia
worldwide, and according to the World Health Organization, close to 8 million
new cases are diagnosed each year. It is
expected that the number of people with dementia will double by 2030 and triple
by 2050. According to the Alzheimer’s
Association, the diagnosis of this disease has increased 68% since 2000 and the
cost of caring for those with dementia will increase from $203 billion in 2013 to a staggering $1.2 trillion by 2050.
The numbers are scary
As the world’s population ages, the problem of finding and paying for
long-term care is becoming overwhelming.
Governments around the world are scrambling to prepare financially and
socially for a future full of care issues.
Most are not prepared with their infrastructure to accommodate a growing
population of elderly, let alone housing for elderly with dementia, which
traditionally requires locked down security for safety concerns.
Innovative Care Solution
One innovative care solution, called the Dementia Village, has come
out of the Netherlands. Just outside of
Amsterdam is a cutting-edge elder care facility named Hogewey. Hogewey is a closed village where people with
dementia live, shop, roam and enjoy life freely. The facility is set up with apartments and
buildings which form a closed and secure gate to the outside world but opens up
internally to its own independent world.
The facility has restaurants, cafes, a supermarket, theatre and hair salon,
courtyards and gardens, and a pedestrian walkway. It looks and feels like the
main street of any town center. The goal of the Dementia Village is to create a
world that resembles normal life for the Residents who live there, while maintaining
supervision and safety. The concept of
this facility has captured the world’s attention and is now being considered as
a model by health care experts in several countries.
A Town Tailored To Their
Needs
Hogewey has 23 apartments located on a 4 acre grounds. Each apartment holds 6 to 8 people including
Caregivers and is decorated in a theme that resembles a lifestyle the Residents
once enjoyed. Caregivers, dressed in street clothes, staff the shops, walk
through the village and assist Residents whenever needed. The idea is to treat Residents as normal
people living in a town tailored to their unique needs so they can avoid the
dehumanizing lock-downed security that often is part of dementia care.
A Real Society
Critics compare the Dementia Village to the movie, “The Truman Show,”
where a man played by Jim Carrey lives his life in a manufactured reality of town
which is really a TV set. Hogewey’s
creators and staff disagree with that comparison, saying their village is a
real society and the Residents who live there enjoy a better quality of life than
they would in a regular dementia care facility.
As societies prepare for the future, the idea of the Dementia Village
is intriguing. The model works in the
Netherlands and is a cost efficient way to provide care for that segment of
their population. The question is would
it work in the US?
Kate McCarthy is Director of Operations for HomeAid Health
Care which provides services for the elderly who wish to remain safe and
independent at home. HomeAid is sister
company to Prairie Home Assisted Living which has served the physical,
spiritual, mental and health needs of their Residents since 1999. Together the two family owned companies
provide comprehensive care for the elderly in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin.
Sources:
“An Amazing Village Designed Just For People with Dementia” by Kelsey
Bampbell-Dollaghan. Retrieved from www.gizmodo.com on 3/10/14.
“Dementia Village may inspire new care model for the elderly” Retrieved
from www.advisory.com/daily-briefing
on 3/10/14.
“Dementia Village Inspires New Care” by Ben Tinker. Retrieved from www.cnn.com
on 3/10/14.
No comments:
Post a Comment