A new model for seniors care has been developed in the Netherlands. Dan Levitt, a gerontologist at Simon Fraser University describes the community in the Vancouver Sun. Weesp has been designed specifically for people with advanced stages of dementia. There is a grocery store, a theatre, an art studio, a beauty salon, a doctor’s office, and restaurants. Six to eight people live in each house in the village, all with their own bedrooms and shared common rooms. Each home has a distinctive feature that help residents identify their homes, for example, one door has a pair of wooden shoes, and another a bird feeder. Levitt applauds the initiative saying what’s unique is that seniors can come and go as they please in the village: freedom equals happiness. This kind of community is an example of a global response to the anticipated growth in Alzheimer’s disease as our planet ages. United Way is investing $12.75 million in 2014/15 in services for seniors in the Lower Mainland and throughout the province. The largest inititive United Way manages is Better at Home, a program designed to help people live in their own homes longer by providing non-medical support services.
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