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Own village opened to people with dementia
In Denmark, a village for people with dementia was opened on Monday. According to the mayor, the residents "live there almost as they did before their illness". In other countries, such villages have been around for some time, including in Germany.
Number of dementia patients increases
There are currently about 1.5 million people living with dementia in Germany, most of whom have Alzheimer's disease. The number of those affected continues to rise. Health experts have been warning for years that the German health care system is not adequately prepared for dementia. One way to better care for those affected could be partnerships that are specifically tailored to the needs of people with dementia.
Denmark has now opened the country's first village for people with dementia. In Germany there has been such a project for years. (Image: Ocskay Bence / fotolia.com) Village opened to people with dementia
According to the German Alzheimer's Association (DAlzG), around 80 percent of all dementia patients in Germany are cared for and accompanied by their relatives. Some are also cared for in nursing homes.
In Denmark, a village has now been opened in which dementia patients live in 125 apartments and are looked after as needed. The complex in Svendborg on the island of Funen, which has a population of 27,000, includes a large park, a music library, a restaurant, shops, a spa salon and other employment opportunities.
Almost as live as before the disease
"The residents can live here almost as before their illness," said Mayor Lars Erik Hornemann, according to a message from the news agency dpa. The area of the facility, which is operated by the community, was so large that they would not feel locked up. Besides, they are safe there.
Although the Danish Alzheimer's Association has cautiously welcomed the initiative, it has also voiced concern that the village's residents are being cut off from the outside world. "It worries us when special dementia villages are built where dementia patients are excluded from the rest of society," said Nis Peter Nissen, president of the company, according to Copenhagen Post..
Dutch village as a model
The project is being supported by researchers from University College Lillebælt and a social and health school. According to the information, experience in the development of other dementia villages in Denmark should help. As the mayor explained, the community was inspired by similar projects in the Netherlands.
Especially the Alzheimer's village "De Hogeweyk" near Amsterdam has gained international attention. It was also a role model for the first German dementia village south of Hanover, which opened in 2014.
Even then, critics expressed concern about the risk that Alzheimer's patients live there in an isolated world. The Nuremberg age researcher Wolf Dieter Oswald said according to dpa: "It must not be a Disneyland for dementia patients." (Ad)