Touring The Hogeweyk—the world’s first and original Dementia Village

July 18, 2023

Eloy Van Hal, Zeidler Architecture, Bethany Care Society, and The Brenda Strafford Foundation infront of De Hogeweyk dementia village

Humanizing Dementia Care: Team members from Zeidler Architecture, alongside Bethany Care Society and The Brenda Strafford Foundation, travel to Amsterdam to learn about The Hogeweyk Care Concept.

Recently, Zeidler Architecture’s Bill Mitchell, Partner, and Margot Schulman, Seniors Living Lead, had the opportunity to tour The Hogeweyk dementia care facility in the Netherlands alongside Jennifer McCue, President & Chief Executive Officer of Bethany Care Society, Carolyne Mondoux, Vice President, Service Excellence, Quality & Innovation, and Karyn Golem, Vice President, Corporate Services & Chief Financial Officer, both with The Brenda Strafford Foundation.

The facility challenges traditional approaches to care homes by providing person-centered care, small-scale living in familiar surroundings, and places a strong emphasis on maintaining the highest quality of life for people with dementia. At Zeidler, we are committed to rethinking the delivery of care for long-term and senior residences, and touring The Hogeweyk provided invaluable insights into design opportunities and alternate care methodologies that result in tangible benefits to residents.

The Hogeweyk is not a traditional nursing home. It is a community of people living with or caring for those with late-stage dementia. Within each home, like-minded people with similar lifestyles live together in households of six or seven individuals. Each resident senses a familiarity in their surroundings—the décor, table settings, and even the music is tailored to their lifestyle. Residents each have their own bedroom and can meet with the other household residents in the shared living room, kitchen, and dining room spaces. Consistent care is provided by specialized professionals who are trained to mitigate confusion and redirect residents. Both the care providers and residents can grocery shop in the local supermarket and participate in meal preparation. Additionally, they can visit the pub, theatre, café, or hair salon, and participate in numerous clubs and activities based on individual preference. Each resident’s unique needs and individual character are supported. The focus in this groundbreaking model of care is on quality of life—on possibilities, not disabilities.

The innovative approach to dementia care at The Hogeweyk prioritizes the cognitive, physical, and emotional needs of residents, while promoting independence and autonomy, and fostering a sense of community and true belonging. As society’s understanding and expectations of dementia care continue to evolve, we recognize the ongoing importance of understanding and designing for resident’s unique needs.

Aligned with Zeidler’s core value of putting people first, our approach to the design of any care environment focuses on the resident experience—both the emotional and physical response elicited by the space, and how well the space serves the needs of residents and care providers. We are enthusiastic about the design opportunities presented as the move to deinstitutionalize care environments continues with an increasing priority on personal wellness and connection to the built environment. We are passionately committed to shifting the cultural paradigms through awareness, universal design, education, and strategic partnerships – encouraging the community to come together to make a difference. We believe everyone deserves to live their best life, with independence, social connections, physical activity, health, and joy—because good design is design that works for everyone.

Our trip to The Hogeweyk has further invigorated our team’s dedication to expanding our expertise into how the delivery of care is evolving. We understand the various stages in the aging process and, as designers, we look to create opportunities through the challenges. We are eager to bring new perspectives that not only give residents more agency, but also support evolving models of care.

We are enthusiastic about our work with organizations that recognize how the shifting landscape of care will benefit residents, their families, and care providers. This is not a one-dimensional challenge. It is complex and multi-faceted, requiring shifts in the approach to both design and operations. The team at Zeidler is excited by this continuous evolution, including the opportunity to learn from industry professionals and to successfully deliver projects like The Hogeweyk here in Canada.

Photo of Eloy Van Hal (left), Founder of The Hogeweyk and Operator of Torendael, a multi-storey building in Amsterdam operating under The Hogeweyk Care Concept

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