A purpose-built “Alzheimer’s Village” in the French commune of Dax will give residents the ability to roam free and go about their daily lives in a new approach to treating the disease. According to The Telegraph, residents will live in shared houses in four districts reminiscent of the southwestern French region.
The village is designed to look like a medieval-style bastide, which is common to the area and will help prevent patients from becoming disoriented. Designed by NORD Architects, the village will have a local shop, a hairdresser, restaurants, a cultural center, and a healthcare center. Additionally, volunteers will help to stage activities for the residents.
The idea behind the new design approach is that the freedom the design provides will allow patients to lead an almost normal village life and maintain their participation in a social life (which recent research has shown to be a strong factor in living longer, healthier lives).
Oslo Alzheimer's Village with CLT construction. Courtesy NORD Architects.
Plain-clothes medical staff will watch over the residents, who are confined to the village for their own safety, and researchers will conduct a study to see if this new style of care helps patients remain more active, require less medication, and live happier lives. In total, the village will support 120 Alzheimer’s residents, 100 live-in caregivers, and 120 volunteers.
NORD Architects is also working on an Alzheimer Village in Oslo, Norway and will use CLT to construct the project’s various buildings.
Related Stories
| Apr 3, 2012
Suffolk completes phase one of Baystate Medical Center expansion
Construction management firm awarded emergency department project for successful build of $296 million MassMutual Wing and Davis Family Heart and Vascular Center.
| Mar 28, 2012
Holden Cancer Center opens at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
The new cancer clinic provides a significant increase in patient space from the prior facility, which was located in an adjacent building.
| Mar 28, 2012
Tsoi/Kobis & Associates developing master plan for UT Southwestern Medical Center
Firm will spearhead strategies for transforming existing in-patient hospital into state-of-the-art ambulatory care facility.
| Mar 26, 2012
Jones Lang LaSalle completes construction of $536M Parkview Regional Medical Center
Hospital ushers in new era of local access to advanced medical treatments in Northeast Indiana.
| Mar 21, 2012
Iowa’s Mercy Medical Center’s new Emergency Department constructed using Lean design
New Emergency Department features a "racetrack" design with a central nurses' station encircled by 19 private patient examination rooms and 2 trauma treatment rooms.
| Mar 19, 2012
HKS Selected for Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie
Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachiewill incorporate advanced technology including telemedicine, digital imaging, remote patient monitoring, electronic medical records and computer patient records.
| Mar 14, 2012
Tsoi/Kobus and Centerbrook to design Jackson Laboratory facility in Farmington, Conn.
Building will house research into personalized, gene-based cancer screening and treatment.
| Mar 6, 2012
Country’s first Green House home for veterans completed
Residences at VA Danville to provide community-centered housing for military veterans.
| Mar 1, 2012
7 keys to ‘Highest value, lowest cost’ for healthcare construction
The healthcare design and construction picture has been muddied by uncertainty over the new healthcare law. Hospital systems are in a bind, not knowing what levels of reimbursement to expect. Building Teams serving this sector will have to work even harder to meet growing client demands.
