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In the canton of Bern, a village is being built in which only people with dementia live. The aim is for them to be able to move freely.
It’s a Swiss premiere: the first “village” in which only people with dementia live opens in Wiedlisbach in Upper Aargau. Next week, the first of 56 residents will move into the area, which is separated from the outside world.
Protected shared village
At first glance, the settlement looks like a normal neighborhood. Between the two-story buildings is a small village square. There are chairs, tables, flowers, a fountain, green areas and a small shop – an almost typical settlement with a village character.
Insight into the «Jura village»
If it weren’t for the sliding gates and walls with panes, which shield the complex called “Juradorf” from the outside world. «Residents can move freely within the area. And they are protected, »says Urs Lüthi to SRF.
It is a great relief for the residents to be able to live in a safe environment. “Alzheimer’s patients have major orientation problems,” says the director of the home operator Dahlia Oberaargau AG.
The doors of the lifts also open automatically and bring the dementia patients to their rooms automatically – without having to press a button.
Legend:
Urs Lüthi, director of the home, wants to offer residents as much freedom as possible.
SRF
The residents live in single rooms in the superstructure in Wiedlisbach, but share a flat with six to seven other people. Social interaction is important. TV corner, wet cells, common room and a kitchen: The apartments are simply furnished so that people can find their way around immediately.
Simple accommodations
Varied food is part of the well-being of the people: under the supervision of the staff, the elderly should prepare the food themselves. “The idea is that they make the mashed potatoes themselves. The residents can pick up more elaborate dishes, such as a pot roast, from the village shop,” explains Lüthi.
We show the reality and not a fake.
But you want to know which products the elderly are buying. It’s not the idea that they eat spaghetti with tomato sauce seven days a week.
Criticism of “illusory world”
The Jura village was modeled on the Dutch care village “De Hogeweyk”, which also wants to offer its 150 residents the greatest possible degree of freedom. Critics of this model complain that people are being fooled into an illusory world. Other experts say that people with dementia would notice if something was played to them, as with assisted shopping. But they could not reflect this, which could unsettle them.
Legend:
View of the dementia village in Wiedlisbach in Upper Aargau.
SRF
Lüthi counters the criticism. In a normal home, the food is also delivered. “Shopping is an experience for the residents. They could no longer run errands alone. Because they usually no longer recognize the products and the money,” says Lüthi.
Expansion of the dementia village planned
Despite their illness, people could also go for a walk themselves. “This is reality and not a fake at all,” Lüthi continues. Unlike other care institutions, they do not stage train compartments in which residents can take a fictitious train journey. Life in the pilot residential groups is quiet and runs in an orderly manner.
The 56 beds have already been allocated when the village opens. The home owner plans to expand the home to 117 places. The decision should be made by the end of May. There should be many interested parties, because according to federal estimates, there are almost 150,000 people with dementia living in Switzerland.