Why should having to leave the family home be an unavoidable sacrifice for elderly people in need of daily support?
[node:field_featured_media:entity:field_media_image]At Aegon, we talk about how increasing longevity "has gifted humanity with an extended period of life, which presents people with the opportunity to redefine their working years and time spent in retirement".
But aging can also entail an increase physical ailments or dementia that require daily supervision and medical care than cannot be provided effectively in the residential home.
Living with dementia
Dementia is becoming an increasing issue as we live for longer. Statistics estimate that in the Netherlands - where Aegon is headquartered - there are some 250,000 people living with dementia. This figure is expected to increase to 620,000 by 2050. There is also a strong upward trend visible in the UK: estimates publushed by Alzheimer's Research UK suggest that about 850,000 people have the condition and this will rise to over 2 million by in 30 years.
Very many of these people remain in the home and receive support from family members or professional carers. But for some as they age and the condition progresses, having to move to a facility with round-the-clock care available can be unavoidable.
Negative image
Traditionally, views on such facilies - variously described as nursing home, care home or old persons home - have not always been universally positive. While not always warranted, these views tend to reflect feelings of a lose of independence, being placed in a large, enclosed hospital-type environment with ill people, and the high cost of medical care.
Return to small scale
Bert and Lies are among the first residents of the Futurahuis in Waalwijk, a residential care home for seniors. She particularly appealed to the small-scale. And the excellent care.
"It was precisely the small scale that appealed to us here. In addition, my wife needed care and that is excellent here. I have taken up painting landscapes here. I do that in our apartment at the table. Lies and I are very happy here. We do not have to do choirs, we are cooked for and it's tasty too! We always say: it is just like a hotel here! "
Twenty people with dementia live in Het Gastenhuis, a beautiful monumental building. Ronald and Trudie care couple also live there themselves. They do everything to make people feel at home there.
Ronald and Trudie have been caretakers since 1 December 2016 in Het Gastenhuis in Dordrecht.
HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE
"We really only want one thing: to give residents a home with the care they need. With us, taking care is always at the service of the highest possible quality of life. People must be able to live with us like at home. We live there ourselves too. We have no problem with that. When we are in our apartment, we can really let go of our work. "
"With us, caring is always at the service of the highest possible quality of life."
PEACEFULLY QUIET
"There are no freedom restricting measures. Doors are not locked, there are no video cameras, there are no alarm buttons and no stair gates ... We respect everyone's privacy, freedom and the right to live as normally as possible. The family of our residents is happy with the appearance of Het Gastenhuis. They say they find it so peaceful and homely here. That is good for us. "