Journal of Dementia Care: Hogewey: A 'home from home' in the Netherlands
Beatrice Godwin is impressed by Hogewey, an award-winning development with an innovative approach to residential and nursing care for people with advanced dementia
When it comes to learning from international developments in dementia care, there are few better places to look than the Netherlands. Hogewey, located 20 miles south of Amsterdam in the small town of Weesp, is an award-winning development that pioneers an excitingly different kind of provision of residential and nursing care for people with advanced dementia. And its novel approach is much needed when, in spite of the many good examples, there is still too much sub-standard care. Before spending an afternoon there to see it for myself, I read published literature about Hogewey
and emailed some questions to Yvonne van Amerongen, co-founder and now director for quality and innovation. The full conducted tour was rather costly, so I could not visit the houses or speak
to the residents at home in this dementia village. But, over delicious meals in Hogewey’s restaurant, I met two very informative residents’ relatives who sang Hogewey’s praises, one commenting “It's
brilliant, it couldn’t be better!” The inspiration for Hogewey arose when two members of staff working in the previous home on the site each lost a parent. Both felt that this traditional nursing home would have been anathema to their relatives: “It wasn’t living. It was a kind of dying,” as one of them put it. The idea for something different was born and the site was completely redeveloped. Similar schemes are being planned in several countries. Care in this dementia-friendly community is based on two principles (Henley 2012). Firstly, as its official literature says, “it aims to relieve the anxiety, confusion and often considerable anger that people with dementia can feel, by providing an environment that is safe, familiar and human. Secondly, it focuses on “maximising the quality of
people's lives. Keeping everyone active. Focusing on everything they can still do, rather than everything they can't.”
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By
Beatrice Godwin
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Published
Mar 15, 2023
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Subject Area
- Age-friendly Communities
- Caregiving & Caregiver Support
- Non-profit / Charitable sector
- Social Connectedness / Social Isolation
- Safety, Security, Finances, & Personal Planning
- Housing
- General Health and Wellness
- International Innovation
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Audience
- Academics
- Government (Politicians, Policy Makers) and Health Authorities
- Caregivers, Seniors & Volunteers
- Health Authorities
- Government
- Service Providers (Non-profits, Community Organizations, Local government)
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Category
- Best Practices
- Evidence-based & emerging practices
- Impact Stories
- Mentorship & Coaching
- Organizational development
- Success Stories