Dutch model offers ‘normal houses in a normal village’

THE HOGEWEYK housing development (weyk being the collective Dutch name for a number of houses) is a specially designed village with 23 houses catering for 152 older people with dementia.

Located in Hogewey in the Weesp area outside Amsterdam the village has streets, squares, gardens and a park where the residents can roam freely. Just like any other village, Hogeweyk offers a selection of facilities including a restaurant, a bar and a theatre.

These can be frequented by Hogeweyk residents and people from the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Hogewey’s approach to care is founded on a replication of normal society.

According to the Hogewey publicity, normal living means “having your own space to live and managing your own household.

Hogeweyk residents have already lived a life where they shaped their own life, where they made choices about their own household and standards.

“The fact that a resident cannot function ‘normally’ in certain areas, because of dementia, does not mean that they no longer have a valid opinion on their dayto-day life and surroundings.”

Every Hogeweyk home houses six to eight people and manages its own household with the assistance of permanent staff. Residents are able to move freely inside the house and outside. “A normal house in a normal village in a safe environment gives the residents of Hogeweyk this freedom in safety.”