“I opened Canada’s first dementia village”

Canada’s first community designed specifically for people with dementia, Langley Village

As noted in his article which recently appeared in Macleans, Elroy Jespersen, came to the conclusion when considering long-term care homes that “The standard approach was to designate a wing or floor of a given building to dementia patients, with locked doors on either end. When the doors wouldn’t open, they would get frustrated and agitated. I’d panic if I couldn’t move about freely—wouldn’t anyone? Newer facilities have doors that open into a fenced-off courtyard instead, but people still feel trapped. The focus was always on their safety; their freedom and connection with others took a back seat. This approach didn’t sit right with me: life should be about more than just safety. “

Fast forward, Village Langley in British Columbia is now thriving.  Click here to read more  

This is one of several innovative and/or hybrid models that allow residents to live in ‘homes’ and not in institutions.   So while the costs at Langley may be too expensive for most, there are other models to choose from or to adapt the Village model accordingly.

If you want to see these types of ‘homes’ become the norm,  please help us create more awareness by sharing this post with your contacts, MPP, and City Councillor.

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