Date: June 30, 2026
By: Vista Living Care
When families begin researching dementia care, they often come across a remarkable place in the Netherlands called The Hogeweyk®. Sometimes searched online as “Hogewyck,” the official name is The Hogeweyk, also known around the world as the first “dementia village.”
Located in Weesp, the Netherlands, The Hogeweyk is not designed to feel like a traditional nursing home. It was created around a different idea: people living with dementia should continue to experience daily life, personal choice, familiar routines, community, and dignity in an environment that is safe and supportive. The Hogeweyk opened in 2009 and is widely recognized as the world’s first dementia village.
For families, The Hogeweyk is inspiring because it challenges the way people think about memory care. Instead of focusing only on medical needs, it asks a deeper question: How can we help someone with dementia continue living a meaningful life?
What Is The Hogeweyk Dementia Village?
The Hogeweyk is a residential care community for people living with severe dementia. According to Vivium, the care organization connected to De Hogeweyk, the community is built like a real neighborhood, with streets, squares, alleyways, a park, and multiple homes where residents live with others who share a similar lifestyle. Vivium currently describes De Hogeweyk as serving 187 residents across 27 homes, with each home supported by a consistent care team.
Residents are not simply placed in a clinical setting. They live in homes, participate in daily routines, spend time outdoors, visit shared community spaces, and receive professional support in a way that is designed to feel as normal and respectful as possible.
Why The Hogeweyk Model Is So Different
The Hogeweyk was designed around the belief that dementia care should be less institutional and more human. The official Hogeweyk care concept describes the community as a neighborhood that is part of the broader town of Weesp, with houses, a pub, restaurant, theater, supermarket, and clubs that support residents’ lifestyles, preferences, and social needs.
| Traditional Care Concern | Hogeweyk-Inspired Approach |
|---|---|
| Care feels clinical or institutional | Care is built into a familiar neighborhood-style environment |
| Residents may have limited independence | Residents are supported in making daily choices |
| Activities may feel scheduled or separate from daily life | Daily life itself becomes meaningful activity |
| Safety may rely heavily on restrictions | Safety is built into the design of the community |
| Staff may be seen mainly as medical providers | Staff support household life, routines, comfort, and care |
| Dementia may become the center of identity | The person’s lifestyle, history, and preferences remain central |
Key Features of The Hogeweyk
The Hogeweyk is often described as groundbreaking because it combines dementia care, thoughtful design, and everyday life in one secure setting.
Key features include:
- A neighborhood-style layout with streets, squares, gardens, and gathering spaces.
- Smaller homes where residents live with housemates.
- Households organized around familiar lifestyles and routines.
- Daily activities such as cooking, folding laundry, going outside, and shopping.
- A supermarket, café, restaurant, theater, and salon.
- Outdoor areas that encourage fresh air, movement, and social connection.
- Professional care and support that is present but not always obvious.
- A focus on dignity, freedom, recognition, and quality of life.
Vivium lists several facilities within De Hogeweyk, including a theater, restaurant, café, supermarket, internet café, and hair and beauty salon.
A Closer Look at Daily Life
One of the most important lessons from The Hogeweyk is that small daily routines matter. For someone with dementia, familiar activities can provide comfort, structure, and a sense of identity.
| Part of Daily Life | Why It Matters in Dementia Care |
|---|---|
| Preparing or smelling food being cooked | Supports familiarity, appetite, and comfort |
| Folding laundry or helping with household tasks | Encourages purpose and participation |
| Walking outside | Supports movement, mood, and independence |
| Visiting a café or restaurant | Encourages social connection |
| Shopping in a supermarket | Preserves familiar routines |
| Attending clubs or activities | Supports interests and engagement |
| Living with a consistent care team | Builds trust and reduces confusion |
| Having personal choices | Protects dignity and autonomy |
The goal is not to pretend dementia does not exist. The goal is to create a setting where dementia does not take away every part of normal life.
Is The Hogeweyk Like a “Fake Village”?
The Hogeweyk has sometimes been misunderstood as a staged or artificial village. However, the founders have addressed this directly. Be Advice, which represents The Hogeweyk care concept, explains that the community includes real streets and squares, a real restaurant with real customers, a supermarket for groceries, and a theater with real performances. Staff members are professionals, not actors.
This distinction is important. The Hogeweyk is not about creating a fantasy world. It is about creating a safe, familiar, and dignified world where people with dementia can continue to participate in life.
What Families Can Learn from The Hogeweyk
Most families will never move a loved one to The Hogeweyk in the Netherlands. But the ideas behind the model can still help families think differently about dementia care.
The biggest lessons include:
- Environment matters. A calm, familiar, and safe setting can reduce stress and confusion.
- Routine matters. Daily rhythms can help people with dementia feel more secure.
- Choice matters. Even small choices can help preserve dignity.
- Social connection matters. Isolation can worsen sadness, anxiety, and withdrawal.
- Meaningful activity matters. People with dementia still need purpose.
- Care should feel personal. The person’s history, preferences, and lifestyle should guide support.
- Safety and freedom can work together. Good design and planning can help reduce risk while supporting independence.
Hogeweyk-Inspired Ideas Families Can Use at Home
Families do not need to recreate an entire dementia village to apply some of these principles. Many Hogeweyk-inspired ideas can be used in a private home, assisted living setting, or memory care environment.
| Hogeweyk Principle | How Families Can Apply It |
|---|---|
| Familiar routines | Keep meals, bathing, bedtime, and activities on a predictable schedule |
| Meaningful roles | Invite the person to help with safe tasks such as folding towels or setting the table |
| Safe freedom | Create secure indoor and outdoor spaces for walking |
| Personal identity | Use favorite music, photos, hobbies, foods, and traditions |
| Social connection | Encourage visits, small group activities, or companion care |
| Less institutional care | Make the environment feel warm, home-like, and personal |
| Support without taking over | Offer help in ways that preserve dignity and independence |
| Calm surroundings | Reduce clutter, loud noise, and unnecessary confusion |
What This Means for Memory Care
The Hogeweyk model reminds families and care providers that dementia care is not only about supervision. It is about creating a life that still feels familiar, purposeful, and connected.
Good memory care should ask:
- Who was this person before dementia?
- What routines make them feel comfortable?
- What helps them feel safe?
- What activities bring joy or calm?
- What choices can they still make?
- How can care be provided without making the person feel powerless?
- How can the environment reduce confusion instead of increasing it?
These questions are at the heart of compassionate dementia care.
Important Things to Remember
While The Hogeweyk is inspiring, it is also important to understand that every person with dementia is different. What works for one person may not work for another.
Families should remember:
- Dementia care should be personalized.
- Safety needs can change over time.
- A beautiful environment does not replace trained caregivers.
- Medical needs still require professional oversight.
- Family involvement remains important.
- The right care setting depends on the person’s symptoms, behaviors, mobility, medical needs, and support system.
The Hogeweyk is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is an example of what can happen when dementia care is designed around people first.
Official Links to Learn More About The Hogeweyk
For readers who want to explore The Hogeweyk directly, these official and related pages are helpful:
- The Hogeweyk® Dementia Village Care Concept
- Vivium Hogewey in Weesp
- Be Advice: The Hogeweyk® Care Concept
- DVA Dementia Village: De Hogeweyk Project
- Vivium Information Brochures for De Hogeweyk
Questions Families Can Ask When Choosing Dementia Care
The Hogeweyk model can also help families ask better questions when they are choosing care for a loved one.
Consider asking:
- Does the care setting feel warm, calm, and home-like?
- How are residents encouraged to make choices?
- Are activities based on real interests and routines?
- How does the team support residents who become anxious or confused?
- Are caregivers trained in dementia care?
- How does the environment support safe movement?
- Are families included in care planning?
- How are meals, hygiene, medication, and social needs supported?
- What happens as dementia progresses?
- How does the community preserve dignity and quality of life?
Final Thoughts
The Hogeweyk dementia village has become famous because it offers a different vision of dementia care. It shows that people living with dementia still need beauty, comfort, routine, friendship, purpose, and personal choice.
At Vista Living Care, we believe dementia care should always begin with the person. A diagnosis may change someone’s needs, but it does not erase their identity, their history, or their need for connection.
If your family is exploring dementia care options or wondering what level of support your loved one may need, Vista Living Care is here to help. Call us at (505) 578-3154 or visit our contact page to connect with our team.