On February 12, 2016, Monique Lubin, vice-president of the Landes departmental council (40) announced the news to the press (source): by the summer of 2018, 120 patients affected Alzheimer’s disease will be installed in the city of Dax.
The idea? In a secure environment (in particular with an external fence), under the close supervision of health professionals and 120 volunteers, with the help of 400 associations, it will be a question of offering patients an “ordinary” social life. “as long as possible, without visible white coats and as part of a non-drug approach. The residents of this unprecedented establishment in France will have access to small housing units, café-restaurants, a cinema, a food store and even a hairdressing salon.
An initiative which is however not completely new: the creators of this project (whose total cost is estimated at 24 or 25 million euros – the State will release 3 million each year, the rest will depend on private funding) inspired by the Dutch model of Weesp, a town located not far from Amsterdam which has been welcoming patients since 2009.
Construction will start in 2017
Question calendar, the architectural competition has just been launched, the construction company will be chosen at the beginning of summer 2016 and the first stone of the village should be laid at the beginning of 2017 under the high patronage of President Francois Hollande.
In the Landes department, 8,000 people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative pathology that is currently incurable. 3,500 are cared for in specialized establishments, while 4,500 remain at home.
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