This is very interesting. I had read about the Dutch community. Also, when my husband and I vacationed near Asheville, NC this fall, we saw a brochure for Western NC Dementia Friendly Communities (http://dementiafriendlywnc.org/). Both concepts are interesting and both are steps in the right direction - but they strike me as very different. The European "villages" seem to be an alternative to nursing homes or memory care facilities. The dementia-friendly communities seem to be actually sensitizing community members to memory issues and incorporating people with dementia and their partners into the fabric of the community. I LOVE that idea. But please tell me if I'm misunderstanding. Thanks for the great article.

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