The first Alzheimer village will open in 2018

The first “Alzheimer village” will see the light of day in 2018. At least that’s what the Secretary of State in charge of the elderly and autonomy, Laurence Rossignol, announced on the occasion of the World Day of Alzheimer’s this Monday.

Supported for two years by the Landes County Council, this project is in fact inspired by a Dutch village founded in 2009, and the first of its kind in Europe. These spaces make it possible to create a new model of care for Alzheimer’s patients, as an alternative to the retirement home.

A “normal” social framework

In the heart of the beautiful green department of Landes, the village will have the vocation of welcoming 120 patients and their relatives, under the watchful eye of medical staff and specially trained volunteers. They will not wear a white coat or any other element distinctive of their function, in order to give the impression to the patients that they are evolving in a normal social framework.

Housing, a farm, a vegetable garden, a market, a village hall … The setting should allow residents to find most of their landmarks and their previous way of life, while benefiting from medical support when the need arises. to present oneself to. An architectural competition is planned for 2016 to determine the best format for the village, the most practical and the most pleasant possible.

22 million euros

Much hope has been placed on this pilot project. If it works and if it allows families to gain in quality of life, it should be extended to the rest of France. However, the cost of such an initiative is not negligible: the total amount is estimated at 22 million euros.

To this is added the annual operating budget of the village, which should reach 8.5 million euros, supported by the State to the tune of 3 million euros. The rest will be paid by the department and by residents, who may have to pay around sixty euros on a daily basis.