What is Dementia Village?

Normalizing the divergent between community and society

Dementia Village is a type of nursing home. It is an environment where people who live there receive 24 hours of custodial watch and medical care.

In biomedical terms, dementia is not a disease but a symptom developed by Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or related brain malfunction. It is a long-term condition. People with dementia might show multiple cognitive deficits, such as loss of memory and loss of ability to identify objects or people. They also have difficulties in communicating, understanding others or experiencing speech impairment.

When dementia symptoms become severe, it inevitably makes patients rely on the long-term caretaker. To make hiring caretakers and receiving constant medical care more economical, people send their beloved ones to the dementia village. Though it functions the same as other healthcare facilities, dementia village does not have the institutional or hospital look or feel.

Normalization - planning a world where they belong

Dementia patients are forgetful and have difficulty communicating, but they still can feel and love. Studies have shown dementia patients' condition improves when staying in an environment that helps them be independent. One technique to assist them in regaining autonomy is to normalize their behavior. Such as letting them enjoy social engagement in a society with understanding or stay under "supervised" care without feeling controlled.

A setting like Dementia Village, where everything seems normal to the residents and residents' behaviors also seem normal to everyone else in the village, can make patients gradually improve their cognitive condition and wellbeing.

Building layout- from household model to a village society

Since the beginning of human history, human settlement has begun with a cluster of households. Thus, their village was planned to translate this kind of societal scenario into an actual living situation.

It started with aggregating several residents' bedrooms into a "household" model. Then gather a series of model units to form a common place to become a "village." That kind of environment conveys a message: that place "belongs to" the residents—for example, a shared courtyard or living space where residents can participate daily.

Each darker shade block is a "household "unit. Each unit is organized with six bedrooms that include a bathroom in it. This kind of layout also creates more opportunities for residents going small outdoor areas instead of the enclosed courtyard. You can see the detailed household plan in the later paragraph.

Like the plan on the left, each household unit has six bedrooms and shared bathrooms. Because each household is modelized, it is inevitable to "look " the same by identical geometry. Therefore, placing design features that engage particular activities could help residents orient themselves and find their ways.

Spatial geometry- from a personal space to a shared community

Strategically gathering a certain number of bedrooms into a "household" unit is critical. First, often residents' bedrooms require a given area (approximately 12’-13' by 18’-20'). Second, there is one-third of social norms always being observed. Using this observation within a household size of 12, between 3 to 8 residents will be available to form a critical mass of social interaction.

The image shows the possibilities of each resident's room: units 1 and 2 are the type of bedrooms with a bathroom. It is crucial to allocate the bathroom door visible from all bed positions. The bathroom door should also swing outward.

Notes:

Unit type 3 (upper diagram): Placing a lavatory at the room entrance might cause the resident to get scared by the image that suddenly appears in a mirror when a caretaker looks for the resident from behind.

On the other hand, a caretaker can watch residents' condition from the mirror while the resident is by the bed. Observing them from the mirror will not disturb them.

Unit type 3 (lower diagram): In this situation, a caretaker can have a direct line of sight when the residents are by their beds. When residents do their routine hygiene, they also will not be seen at any moment. A caretaker might be able to use the mirror in the foyer to see residents' condition without disturbing them.

Understanding these scale qualities is fundamental in the planning phase, so the residents can naturally share a common physical space. If the shared space is too small, they feel overcrowding. On the other hand, if it is too large, it loses a sense of intimacy and comfort within a space. Most importantly, these residents do not know each other before they become one "household." Making a comfortable scale to meet a suitable amount of social mass would be more likely to form a "household-like" feeling naturally.

When we consider planning their home, developing a spatial hierarchy also increases opportunities for more social engagement. For instance, in a typical double-loaded corridor apartment, the residents are forced to meet and interact within a 5-feet-wide space. Even a casual conversation can only occur in the hallway (outside the resident's room) or an entire private living area (inside the resident's room).

As dementia people still have feelings, they are more vulnerable to harsh environments and unexpected stimuli as they age. Making a semi-private space at their door stop and personalizing the front "porch," the residents are more likely to chat or stop in front of someone's bedroom.