Film: Dementia Care By Design
By 2030, there will be over 75 million people worldwide with dementia. When symptoms make living at home impossible, those with dementia are often moved to a care facility. But, what is life like for those living in care? This ethnographic documentary, Dementia Care by Design, explores how the mindful design of care facilities impacts quality of life for its residents.
Given exclusive access to de Hogeweyk in early 2015, researcher Nicole Gaudet and Megan Strickfaden with filmmaker Steven Hope travelled to the Netherlands to explore a care facility for people with dementia – De Hogeweyk, also known as the ‘Dementia Village’. De Hogeweyk was built as a small-scale village with family-style and community living, including row houses, a pub, restaurant, grocery store and other village amenities. Along with rich imagery of the village, this documentary reveals the design characteristics and features of the built environment unique to most institutional care facilities. These characteristics are developed specifically to supporting people with dementia who have difficulties with memory and orientation, which include having a familiar home-like environment through many design details such as continuity, reminiscence, choice, autonomy and more.
This ethnographic documentary promises a glimpse into the world of dementia through an innovative space that leaves audiences touched by the humanity of a different kind of care facility that gives hope for future generations.
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By
Nicole Gaudet: Choices in Community Living
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Published
May 15, 2023
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Subject Area
- Age-friendly Communities
- Caregiving & Caregiver Support
- General Health and Wellness
- Mental Health and Wellness
- Home Support
- Social Connectedness / Social Isolation
- International Innovation
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Audience
- Government (Politicians, Policy Makers) and Health Authorities
- Service Providers (Non-profits, Community Organizations, Local government)
- Caregivers, Seniors & Volunteers
- Academics
- Funders
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Category
- Success Stories
- Best Practices
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