An eJourney in partnership with

The Village Landais Alzheimer

Discover how this extraordinary project works


  • Country

    France

  • Field

    Dementia Care

  • Type of innovation

    Dementia Village Model

In this eJourney you will explore The Village Landais Alzheimer, the first Dementia Village in France and also the first one in the world to be founded by the public sector.

The founding director Francis Lacoste will guide you step-by-step through his inspiration by De Hogeweyk, the world's first Dementia Village, as well as through the challenges and lessons learned from replicating this model into the French aged care system.

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Dementia care calls for innovation

And this eJourney will help you to think out of the box

Currently, 50 million people are living with Alzheimer's, according to the World Health Organization. In France, 200.000 new cases of Alzheimer's add up each year, currently reaching to 1,2 million citzens.

Studies show that 43% of this population needs a high level of care equivalent to that of a nursing home, adding dramatically to the pressure over the dementia care sector.

This unsettling context has urged the French department of the Landes to think out of the box in the expansion of its dementia care offer. The Village Landais Alzheimer is the outstanding outcome of this effort, a new model combining efficiency and quality of life in dementia care.

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Meet your expert guide

Initiator of the Village Landais Alzheimer

Francis Lacoste

Francis Lacoste is the initiator of the Village Landais Alzheimer, a project in which he has been involved since the very beginning as the Director of Social Solidarity from the French state of the Landes. The Village Landais Alzheimer is a future-proofed, community engaging alternative to the dementia wards from the nursing homes of the past.

They will also guide you

Florence Laudouar

Coordinator of social activities and volunteers

Pascale Lassere-Sergent

Director of Operations

Nathalie Bonnet

Clinical Psychologist

Véronique Capdeville

Daughter of a resident

What you will get on this eJourney

A complete step by step program

  • 1

    Start your eJourney

    • How to use your eJourney platform

    • Download the Workbook: the educational report of your eJourney

    • Welcome to the Village Landais Alzheimer
  • 2

    From an idea to the project - Francis Lacoste - Initiator

    • How did the Village Landais Alzheimer go from an idea to a concrete project?

    • What were the main phases of the project implementation?

    • How was the financial arrangement of the project carried out?

    • What are the main elements of the project specifications?

    • What are your recommendations for an organization that would like to embark on the adventure of creating an Alzheimer's village?

    • What are the contributions of the Village in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease?

    • How is the Village managed?

    • What is the operating budget of the Village?

    • How is the Village integrated in the City of Dax?

    • How did you create the network of volunteers ?

    • Why does the Village Landais Alzheimer better correspond to today's values?
  • 3

    Redefining dementia care - Pascale Lassere-Sergent - Director of Operations

    • How is staff management in the Village different from more traditional dementia care facilities?

    • Is there a global approach to the staff's roles and missions?

    • Have you planned a specific training plan to develop the skills of professionals?

    • What is the everyday life like in the Village?

    • How many Villagers do you welcome?

    • What is the profile of the Villagers?

    • How is the Village organized?

    • How are the households organized?

    • Who work in the team of a household?

    • How are staff members assigned to the village?

    • How do you find the right balance between freedom and security for residents?

    • Does the Village meet a real need for dementia treatment?

    • What tools do you use to assess the impact of the treatment?
  • 4

    Feeling home - Nathalie Bonnet - Clinical Psychologist

    • Why and how did you recreate the lifestyle of the Villagers?

    • How will the architecture and planning of the Village reduce behavioral problems?

    • Are you planning to use other non-drug approaches to soothe behavioral problems?

    • How does Wagontherapy work?

    • Will there be differences in the role devoted to families in the Village Landais Alzheimer compared to in a traditional nursing home?

    • Do you appreciate working at the Village?

    • From your point of view, how does the Village Landais Alzheimer project better match today's values?
  • 5

    A lively neighborhood - Florence Laudouar - Coordinator of social activities and volunteers

    • What are the contributions of volunteers to the life of the Village?

    • How did you train the volunteers?

    • What are the volunteers' backgrounds?

    • How are the volunteers managed?
  • 6

    A new hope for families - Véronique Capdeville - Daughter of a resident

    • Why did you register your loved one at the Village?

    • What are the benefits of the village for your loved one?

    • What do you think of the risks involved in the Village life?

    • What commitments have you been asked by the village?

    • How do you think you will participate in life in the Village?

    • What were your mother's impressions of the Village?

    • How did you register your loved one in the Village?
  • 7

    Download the Workbook recaping key takeaways

    • Workbook

  • 8

    Understand France's Long Term Care System

    • Long Term Care and Dementia Care in France

    • Long Term Care and Dementia Care in France
  • 9

    Feedback Survey

    • Feedback Survey
  • 10

    Reflection questions

    • Reflection questions

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