Port Macquarie's dementia village is giving residents a sense of freedom
Henry Field enjoys watching nature from this balcony in his new home. (ABC Mid North Coast: Wiriya Sati)
When Henry Field was in his 20s, he spent seven years travelling the world on a bicycle.
That sort of independence and freedom seemed a world away when he was diagnosed with dementia, even though his wife Liz Field "could not imagine him in a nursing home".
"For him, little room, no activities … I think he would have really struggled and I think the worst of the dementia mental symptoms would have come on," she said.
The 82-year-old artist has found a home in a new specialised dementia care facility in Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast.
He is among the first residents to move into the St Agnes Parish's Emmaus Dementia Village inspired by a Dutch model of elderly care, The Hogeweyk.
Liz Field says her husband is "not a residential suburban person and that's why him settling here was remarkable". (ABC Mid North Coast: Wiriya Sati)
Unlike traditional care models, residents do not have to follow a set routine and can move freely between the houses and other facilities within the village gates.
"Well, I love it," Mr Field said.
"[At] first I thought I might not because I'm not into institutions where you have to follow rules constantly.
"I don't have to forsake my viewing the sunset for coming to have dinner. Just put it in the fridge and I'll have it later."
Emmaus is one of three dementia villages in Australia, including the New Directions' Micro-town in Bellmere, Queensland, and Glenview Community Services' Korongee Dementia Village in Tasmania.
Mr Field often gets out the petanque balls and others will join him. (ABC Mid North Coast: Wiriya Sati)
New Direction Care's director Justin Chadwick said while the Queensland facility was "dementia friendly" it was not exclusively for people experiencing it.
"We find that people who are cognitively capable, they speak up on behalf of the people who aren't and they help the residents who aren't," he said.
Mr Chadwick said the facility was home to 120 residents, had a 100 per cent occupancy, and a long waiting list.
Emmaus Dementia Village uses familiar street names, coloured houses as visual cues for a dementia-friendly design. (ABC Mid North Coast: Wiriya Sati)
Co-creator of The Hogeweyk village in the Netherlands, Jannette Spiering, said the model was about normalising life with dementia.
Jannette Spiering says the philosophy of care is more important than the built environment. (Supplied: Jannette Spiering)
"Having a normal environment, a normal life, being able to address your interests, having autonomy, all these elements are now part of our vision of normal life," she said.
Ms Spiering said the first village opened its doors in 2009, but another 10 to 15 facilities inspired by The Hogeweyk model were being developed around the world.
"We are very happy to see that movement of change that is all around the world," she said.
"People when they move into a nursing home become patients, they become part of the institute … that is not what we envision for ourselves."
Ms Spiering now works as senior advisor with Be Advice to help others set up versions of The Hogeweyk model around the world.
Ms Spiering says creating "normalcy" is at the heart of the care model. (Supplied: Jannette Spiering)
But Ms Spiering said The Hogeweyk model was not for everyone.
"Some people do not benefit from an environment like we created in The Hogeweyk because it gives them too much stimulus, it might be too busy," she said.
The village has a garden and chicken coop with three free-roaming hens. (ABC Mid North Coast: Wiriya Sati)
Kaele Stokes from Dementia Australia agreed.
"There's a sense it creates an artificial environment," Dr Stokes said.
She said ideally all communities would be dementia-inclusive, so those with the disease could remain at home "[rather than in] an aged-care service that imitates a real-life village".
Mr Field enjoys bird spotting and watching the sunset with his wife. (ABC Mid North Coast: Wiriya Sati)
Innovation encouraged
Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show more than 421,000 Australians live with dementia, and 54 per cent of those living in permanent residential aged care have the disease.
The Commonwealth-funded Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) is tasked with researching and creating innovative solutions within the aged-care sector.
Reuben Jacob says more "traditional models" of care will eventually be "phased out". (ABC Adelaide)
ARIIA chief executive Reuben Jacob said it had given $17 million through 62 grants with 19 of those being dementia-specific projects.
"It takes 17 years to take something from a concept or research into practice. ARIIA is there to turbocharge that by making it as quick as possible," he said.
"We have a lot of evidence that people using these models usually have better outcomes.
"The other side of the coin is that it requires a lot of training at the workforce level and the executive level."
Mr Jacob said there had been "absolute support and commitment from the government to be more innovative".
"More traditional models will eventually be phased out," he said.
Mr Field mentors in the art room, encouraging others. (ABC Mid North Coast: Wiriya Sati)