Artist’s impression Korongee Village

The Netherlands are leaders in innovation in aged care and the dementia village, De Hogeweyk, based there is to be the model for a new residential facility being constructed in Hobart.  The Korongee dementia village in Glenorchy, Hobart will be designed to recreate real-life experiences for people with dementia. The fifteen six-bedroom homes will be set within a small town featuring streets, a supermarket, cinema, café and gardens, with residents wandering freely within a safe and supported environment.

The residents of De Hoeweyk dementia village live longer, eat better and take less medication and it is hoped the same health benefits will be seen in residents at this new Australian facility. The environment within the houses will be more relaxed, with casually-dressed health professionals and residents free to wake up and move about in their own time, free of institutional routines. Residents will live alongside people of like backgrounds, experiences, interests and skills.

A New Zealand aged care provider is also looking at developing a village based on the Hogeweyk design.  They have engaged Aged care specialists Ansell Strategic to undertake a feasibility study for the development of a dementia village in Invercargill. Funding systems and staff-to-resident ratios are among key challenges with the Netherlands model using two carers per resident.  “New Zealand has a similar mixed aged care funding model to Australia, where residents and the government both contribute to the cost of care, said Rosie O’Dowd, assistant analyst “Comparatively, the Netherlands operates under a more tax-financed system, allowing for residential aged care models to be developed based on optimal community modelling rather than a focus on efficiency, scale or aesthetics.”

Korongee village is a partnership between not-for-profit aged care provider Glenview, industry superannuation fund HESTA, social financing organisation Social Ventures Australia (SVA) and the Commonwealth Government. Only many levels, this is the way of the future in Aged Care provision.

As an Aged Care Placement Consultant I await, with great optimism, the opening of this new concept in dementia care in 2019.