This new dementia ‘village’ opened on the ground of a mental health hospital and it offers patients place away from the environment of a hospital or a nursing home.
The village, named the Lowther Hub, is a part of the St Andrew’s Hospital in Billing Road and has the settings of a regular village.
The village can accommodate around 40 patients who have complex dementia and Huntingdon’s.
The consultant clinical psychologist Dr Inga Stewart notes that the physical surrounding for dementia patients is usually the silent partner in bettering their overall life quality and engagement.
Raising Awareness & Making Communities Dementia-Friendly
On Alzheimer’s Day, besides talking about the importance of spaces, they’re also trying to increase the awareness about the ways in which communities can become more dementia-friendly and boost the quality of life of those diagnosed with dementia.
The concept is inspired by De Hogeweyk-a gated model village located in the Netherlands that was designed as a specialized facility for dementia patients and lowers restrictions as much as possible.
The new village-themed dementia facility is more than a nursing home or a hospital.
It offers areas like a village green where the patients can spend time with their families, as well as a pillar box and a post office, and a village hall that has a social hub for activities, meetings, and get-togethers.
Inside the facility, there are visual clues like memory boxes, colorful doors, and visual prompts with the goal to ease recognition and lower frustration and confusion.
They also have tech to engage patients’ minds during the day and keep them restful during the night.
The bathrooms have dementia-friendly taps that look like the traditional cross-headed taps, but these ones are able to report changes in the cognitive abilities-for example, if a person repeatedly leaves the tap on.
The village also offers reminiscence, music, and arts sessions and gardening in the gardens outside.
Sources: