The Village will be home to 78 people living with Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia
By Katrina Caruso
The world’s first village built especially for people with dementia is near Amsterdam; Canada’s first private memory-care community is under construction in Langley, BC, near Vancouver.
The Village will consist of six single-storey cottage-style homes in a five-acre (two-hectare) park with walking paths and a fish pond. A staff of 72 will care for 78 residents living with Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia. The goal is to give residents the opportunity to remain independent and lead active lives.
In addition to a community centre, The Village willl have its own grocery store, café, salon, and spa, plus a vegetable garden and a barn.
The project was inspired by the world’s first dementia village, Holland’s Hogeweyk, which has been operating for 29 years and where 152 people live in 23 houses. Residents have complete access to anywhere in the community but can’t leave it.
Three of the six cottages will be for couples, pets will be welcome. There will also be rooms that allow for short-term stays for people with dementia.
Of course, living in The Village won’t be inexpensive: while the actual numbers haven’t been finalized, the people behind the project estimate that the cost would be $6,000 to $7,500 a month, though some government funding, which is being considered, could reduce that cost.
The Village is expected to be completed in April 2019. Another dementia village, to be located in Vancouver and operated by a different company, is in the planning stages and would eventually be home to more than 300 people.
Photo: Courtesy The Village.
