2023-12-26 02:59:51
Landais Alzheimer, in the southwest of France, is a different town: all its inhabitants suffer from dementia.
Francis, a former farmer, picks up his newspaper there and I suggest that we go have a coffee at the restaurant next door, which is the social heart of the town.
I ask Francis what he felt when the doctor told him he had Alzheimer’s.
He nods, going back to that time, and, after a pause, says: “Very hard.”
Go ahead
His father also had Alzheimer’s, but Francis is not afraid.
“I’m not afraid of dying, because that will happen one day,” he tells me.
“Meanwhile, I will live my life despite the illness. I’m here to live, even if it’s not the same. If you give up, you’re screwed. So we have to move forward as best we can.”
BBCPhilippe and Viviane live as normal a life as possible.
In addition to the store and the restaurant, Neighbors are encouraged to go to the theater and participate in activities.
Philippe and Viviane tell me that they continue to lead as normal a life as possible after their double diagnosis of dementia.
BBCThe town is part of a research project.
“We take walks. We walked,” says Philippe, looking into the distance.
And when I ask him if they are happy, he instantly turns his head and, with a radiant smile, exclaims: “Yes, we are, really.”
After drinking coffee and bundling up, the couple heads out to the park again.
Time passes differently here, says my guide in the town.
There are no set times for appointments, shopping and cleaning, just a gentle rhythm that envelops and cajoles the villagers to give them as much freedom as possible.
This village is under close monitoring and scrutiny and, according to Professor Hélène Amieva, the first results They suggest that the way life goes here is influencing the evolution of the disease.
BBC Professor Amieva says families feel less guilty knowing their relatives live in the village.
“What we usually see when people (with dementia) enter an institution is accelerated cognitive decline. We are not observing that in this town. Here we see a kind of very smooth evolution”he states.
“We have some reason to believe that these types of residencies can influence the trajectory of clinical outcomes,” he maintains.
They have also observed a “drastic reduction” in families’ feelings of guilt and anxiety.
Dominique watches her mother, Mauricette, 89, sitting in her bedroom.
BBCDominique can see his mother, Mauricette, at any time.
“I’m calm because I know that she is calm and safe,” he says while pointing at her.
Filled with family photos, paintings and family furniture, the room has a large window that overlooks the garden.
There are no visiting hours, people come and go as they please. And Dominique says that neither she nor her sisters expected the care to be so good.
“When I leave her, I feel relieved. When I arrive it is as if she were in her house; “I feel like I am at home with my mother.”
Each of the single-story chalets houses around eight residents, with a communal kitchen and living and dining rooms.
BBCNeighbors are invited to visit the store every day, staffed by volunteers.
Although residents pay a contribution, operating costs – similar to those of an average residence – are borne primarily by the French regional government, which has spent US$22 million to create the village.
When it opened in 2020, it was the second village of its kind and the only one that was part of a research project.
And it is estimated that there are less than a dozen of them in the world.
But it has sparked global interest among those seeking a solution to the expected exponential growth of dementia.
BBCPatricia says life in the village is like real life.
At the town hair salon, Patricia, 65, has just dried her hair. There she tells me that Landais Alzheimer has given her life back to her.
“I was at home, but I was bored,” he says.
“I had a woman who cooked for me. She was tired. She didn’t feel good to me. She knew that Alzheimer’s was not easy and she was afraid,” she explains.
“I wanted to be in a place where I could help too. Because other residences are not bad, but people do nothing. While here it’s real life. And when I say real, I mean it.”
BBCA strong sense of community can be the key to the town’s success.
Dementia can often isolate people.
But There seems to be a strong sense of community here, with people genuinely interested in seeing each other and taking part in activities.
And researchers say this social element may be part of the key to leading a happier and potentially healthier life when you have dementia.
There are about 120 inhabitants and the same number of health professionals, as well as volunteers.
There is, of course, a cruel fatality because there is no cure.
But as each villager’s illness progresses, they are given the support they need.
And while this may be the winter of a lifetime for these villagers, the staff here believe it comes more slowly and with more joy along the way.
Some contributors to this article have asked that their last names not be revealed.
BBC
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