Village-Style Nursing Homes Take Alzheimer’s Patients Back in Time

Remember that nursing home outside Amsterdam called Hogeway that we talked about last month? The one where people with dementia live in group houses that reflect their previous lives, and aides double as servants or neighbors? Well, Good Morning America has done an article on Hogeway and answered a question that was probably on your mind: Do we have anything similar in the United States? According to the article, yes, we do.

While Hogewey might be the most elaborate village-inspired nursing home, it’s not the first. In fact Towsley Village Memory Care Center in Chelsea, Mich., is home to 100 dementia patients living in four distinct neighborhoods, complete with 50s-style coffee shops.

“Facilities in the U.S. have had these villages since the mid-1980s,” said Geri Hall, a clinical nurse specialist at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, Ariz. “The biggest practical challenge is that it requires space and special construction, potentially increasing the cost of care. I can’t see many American facilities using nurses at a cash register. There are so few [registered nurses] in long-term care, they are pretty busy.”

The article also mentions that “even small-scale adjustments, like having furniture and entertainment from the familiar decades, can help Alzheimer’s patients feel more at home.”

You can browse through nursing-home options in your area here.

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in health and aging issues. She covers finding and paying for senior care for OurParents. If you have any questions about this post or need help finding senior care options for a loved one, call 1-866-483-4896 to speak with a care advisor in your area.