News
On Monday 21 September, in Mont-de-Marsan, Laurence Rossignol, Secretary of State for the Elderly and Independence, formally launched the Alzheimer’s village project in Landes, the first of its kind in France, which will house 120 residents.
‘The Government has freed up 3 million euros’ to fund the annual running budget, Mrs Rossignol announced on World Alzheimer’s Day.
It’s a big ask, a huge ask, but it’s a national grant for a model facility, she pointed out about this ‘pilot project’ that she believes will spread all over France. It’s a Landes project, certainly, but it’s also a national project, and this village will be a special place that will mark a turning point in the management of the disease, said the minister.
The total cost of this project, inspired by the Dutch model of the first Alzheimer’s village in Europe, founded in 2009 in Weesp, is estimated at around 22 million euros (construction, furniture and various amenities).
It was developed nearly two years ago by the Departmental Council of Landes, chaired by Henri Emmanuelli.
The annual running budget is estimated at 8.5m euros, including the Government contribution. ‘The remaining 5.5 million euros will be divided between the department and the Government, who share funding for the personal care allowance (APA), and residents, who will have to pay an estimated amount of 60-65 euros a day’, according to Francis Lacoste, non-profit director at the Department of Landes.
For the residents, this village will be a place where they can continue to live in the community with their loved ones, with whom they have always lived, emphasised Mrs Rossignol. The future of Alzheimer’s villages will be assured when yours has shown all the opportunities they offer, she told the parties involved in the project. She added that this village is also a project for researchers, stressing the ‘bewilderment’ of some of them on the effectiveness of drug treatments against Alzheimer’s. Contact has already been made with researchers, especially those at Salpétrière Hospital in Paris, said Henri Emmanuelli.
