Dementia has an overwhelming impact on those who develop it and the families that care for them. According to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada, as of 2012 there were 747,000 Canadians living with cognitive impairment. This number is expected to double by 2031. This National Crisis requires "innovative and integrated thinking.
Perhaps it is time that Canada looked to the Netherlands for creative solutions. The Hogeway Center in the Netherlands has invented the perfect solution for dementia patients. They have developed a gated village where people with dementia can live a free and normal life, safely within the perimeters of the specially designed village.
What a wonderful world it would be if countries around the world started to replicate this centre. Imagine the quality of life for those living with dementia. Imagine what this would do for their caregivers.