For many Australians a diagnosis of dementia will require institutionalised care at some stage. And for those who do, life often descends to a miserable succession of days blurred by chemical restraint and lack of stimulation, attended to by people who have neither the time or skills to change the situation.
Korongee, a brand new facility in a working-class northern suburb of Hobart, combines the best dementia care practices from around the planet with some new and revolutionary ideas. Like focussing on the individual and their life experiences as the basis for their future care.
At Korongee, residents live in houses grouped on the basis of their past lives. The six ‘lifestyle’ sets used in the Village - nurturer, moderate, individualist, provider, idealist and executive – are based on the rhythms of a person’s life and their core beliefs. And just like the suburbs they have come from, there are no covered walkways, corridors or nursing stations. If this works, it can change dementia care entirely.
We’ll use animation, re-creation and actuality to document key characters and their experiences at Korongee, sharing the stories and imagery of their past and getting to know the whole person, whether they’re residents living with dementia and their families, the charismatic CEO or the carers who have chosen to be part of this bold experiment.
By creatively focussing on the stories and lives of the characters, we reveal Korongee’s guiding philosophy - that a person living with dementia is an individual with a rich and unique personality. But is this enough to alleviate the trauma felt by a person living with dementia, when they enter a care facility? Can carers successfully transition from conventional dementia care practices to a system where they become house managers and companions for a small number of residents? And how will this new way of caring impact on families?
Let’s find out in The Village.
