Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board
Overview
Cases are soaring of Dementia all over the world, with more people making it to old age than ever before. As a result, the innovative state of the Netherlands has created Dementia Villages for their aged citizens to reside in.
Introduction
Dementia cases have risen significantly. The World Health Organization (WHO), “estimates that the number of individuals with dementia worldwide is approximately 55 million, with this number expected to reach approximately 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050” (World Health Organization (WHO)).
The result of this comes down to innovative management including the Netherlands establishing safe towns for dementia patients to live in.
The Layout
De Hogeweyk, in Weesp, the Netherlands is a dementia village that employs health care workers as employees and this keeps the town running.
The layout of Hogeweyk is fairly nostalgic. The architects describe the town as having “pedestrian-friendly circulation, family-centered houses, and shared communal spaces” (Adams and Chivers) so the residents will remain protected as they are within the village, keeping themselves safe from harm. Below is the blueprint for the village, including the housing units and overall how the neighborhood is effectively designed for the patients residing in the town.
Impact
Looking at the neighborhood specifically designed for the dementia patients, the confines of morals comes in between, with many wondering the ethics of these towns. Though these towns serve as a safe haven for the elderly who are mentally impaired, “lying and/or withholding the truth are seen as impermissible impediments” and should not be justified in the field of healthcare.
The ethics of the towns are highly debated because of their deceptive nature, treating the elderly as children who are unable to function for themselves. Those in favor of the towns see it as a way for dementia patients to continue living their lives and live the rest of their life in a safe haven, acting as normal citizens, though they may not be.
Summary
Dementia towns are seen as both a benefit and a downfall to dementia citizens with the towns being heavily debated and efficiently implicated. The dementia patients would be able to go about daily lives as they lived in a safe sanctuary, oblivious to the true world around them.
Works Cited
Adams, Annmarie, and Sally Chivers. “Treatment - Annmarie Adams et al. - Deception and Design: The Rise of the Dementia Village.” e-flux, 18 September 2021, https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/treatment/410336/deception-and-design-the-rise-of-the-dementia-village/. Accessed 29 September 2023.
Hertogh, C.M.P.M. et al., “Truth Telling and Truthfulness in the Care for Patients with Advanced Dementia: An Ethnographic Study in Dutch Nursing Homes,” Social Science & Medicine 59 (2004): 1685-1693.10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.02.015CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plockova, Joann. “As Cases Soar, 'Dementia Villages' Look Like the Future of Home Care.” The New York Times, 3 July 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/03/realestate/dementia-villages-senior-living.html. Accessed 29 September 2023.
World Health Organization (WHO). “Dementia.” World Health Organization (WHO), 15 March 2023, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia. Accessed 29 September 2023.
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