The residents of one tiny French village all have one very sad thing in common, they all have Alzheimer’s.
Landais Alzheimer in the south-west of the country is specifically designed to accommodate those with the condition, with many things in place such as shops not accepting money so people don’t have to worry about forgetting their wallet.
Despite this, standard essentials such as baguettes and newspapers are all available in the local shop, while those living there are encouraged to join in with activities such as attending the local theatre. Residents say they can live a normal life in the village despite suffering with Alzheimer’s.
One of the village’s big initiatives which helps its locals to settle is the fact there are no set hours for appointments, shopping and cleaning, just gentle rhythm coaxing and cajoling to give them as much freedom as possible.
One of the village’s residents, Francis, who did not give their surname, told the BBC: “I’m not afraid of dying, because that will happen one day. Meanwhile, I will live my life despite the disease. I am here to live, even though it’s not the same. If you surrender, you’ve had it. So you keep going, to the best of your ability.”
Villagers are closely monitored by staff and their loved ones, with professor Hélène Amieva telling the BBC the scheme is actively slowing the affects of the disease.
She said: “What we used to see when people enter an institution is an accelerated cognitive decline – that is not observed in this institution. We see a kind of very smooth evolution. We have some reasons to believe these kinds of institutions can influence the trajectory of clinical outcomes.”
Each of the village’s single-storey chalets houses about eight people and features a communal kitchen, living rooms and dining rooms.
Villagers pay a similar price to the average care home with the rest of the costs absorbed by the French government, which paid £17m to build it.
It was only the second village of its kind when it opened in 2020 and there are still few in existence across the world, but it has attracted worldwide attention from those looking for a solution to the growth in dementia.
