Dementia patients keep ‘normal life’ in Dutch care home

A residential care home in Holland that houses dementia patients is being hailed as the answer in the treatment of patients with the memory-robbing disease.

The BBC describes Hogenwey, in the Dutch town of Weesp, as offering an “alternative reality” to its 152 residents. The 23-unit complex contains a supermarket, theatre and restaurant, as well as ponds and a fountain.

Residents are contained within the boundaries of the complex for their own safety, but are allowed to more freely within and are housed in apartments of between six and eight people. The eight apartments are each themed to accommodate the different tastes of the patients.

With the World Health Organization reporting that the number of cases of dementia are set to double by 2030, Hogewey is increasingly being seen as the most effective way to accommodate those with the disease.

Janette Spiering, director of Hogewey, told the New York Times: “We are receiving attention from our German colleagues, from England. Everyone is struggling with the same problem."

Find out more about Alzheimer's disease care at Barchester homes.