Could the Netherlands’ ‘dementia village’ be replicated in the U.S.?

Residents enjoy a town square in the original dementia village, the Hogeweyk, in the Netherlands.It’s an unusual nursing home designed like a village to make life feel as normal as possible for people with advanced dementia. It’s been 10 years since a Dutch senior housing nonprofit opened a groundbreaking nursing home for people with dementia that was designed to look and feel like a small village. The “dementia village” quickly earned admiring stories from newspapers and television programs. Studies supported the idea that living in the village is associated with better behavior, social interaction, and satisfaction. Van Hal said quite a few places are copying parts of the Hogeweyk model, but it is rare to include all of aspects of the program that he believes are essential. These include attention to lifestyle norms and meaningful activities, favorable surroundings, medical support and the right kind of business and staff. Van Hal said the biggest barrier to change is entrenched attitudes. “It’s really hard to change existing models,” he said, “and to change the medical model to a more social-relational model.”

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