De Hogewey is a specialist dementia village in Weesp, fifteen minutes train journey from Amsterdam. www.vivium.nl/hogewey
I visited two and a half weeks ago and was given a tour around the village. It's taken me all this time for me to think through the points of the trip. The conversations I had while I was there brought up the following points:
This was the first point that struck me. It's simple, but if we do in then it changes our whole perspective to the care system. We don't become stuck in the tradition on 'this is what we've always done' but embrace positive change, innovation and intellectual engagement.
The second point really challenged me. It's the great ethical debate about 'should we prolong peoples lives with medicine if we don't provide them quality of life through positive social interaction and meaningful activities?'
The third point was that if care homes are designed like hospitals, residents will constantly be reminded of illness. Which leads onto...
The fourth point is the challenge to the care sector to leave the 'medical approach in the background'. For me this stuck a chord, and helped me to understand why I had been frustrated in my job role as activities co-ordinator for the last nine years. I was constantly battling to leave 'medicine' in the background and show that if emphasis was put into meaningful activity then this would improve peoples health much more than pills and potions. Which leads nicely onto the next point...
A point I can entirely and whole heartedly agree with, and underpins the whole of my fellowship. We need to challenge this. If we allow risk assessments and fear to stop us providing meaningful activities, then we need change it. Life is full of risks. Yes we can do our best to mininmise them, but ultimately if we want to empower our older people it will involve elements of risk!
If our approach comes from this place, then it is a good starting point to dream big!
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