Gastenhuis Nijmegen – a loving home for people with dementia – opens its doors

The doors of Het Gastenhuis Nijmegen officially opened on Wednesday 29 May. The ceremonial opening of this beautiful location in the new district of Hart van de Waalsprong took place, in the presence of the city mayor Hubert Bruls and the guest house initiator Annemieke Bambach.

In his speech, the mayor emphasized the rapid growth of the city and the urgent need for quality residential care facilities. He described Het Gastenhuis as a very welcome addition to both the city and the neighbourhood, where people with dementia can live and live in a respectful way.

Trainee site manager Marlos Haxman They enthusiastically welcomed the first residents and the new care team to this beautiful site.

Hotel Gastenhuis Nijmegen, led by site managers Bianca Waltman And Corinne Akers van LokvenIt provides a warm home for people with dementia with 23 apartments, four of which are suitable for couples. There are still a few apartments available.

The resident decides
Personal attention, freedom and self-management of residents are paramount at Het Gastenhuis. Residents decide for themselves how to live, with whom to interact and what to do. And health care moves with them, not the other way around. People are furnishing their own apartments. And you can just go out for a walk, run an errand, or visit. The family can also come and go as they please.

Will the population ever be lost? He will then be given a GPS tracker, so a staff member can pick him up if necessary. There are in-house chefs who cook fresh, healthy meals every day, along with the residents. Residents participate in household chores, as long as they can. If the disease develops, care grows with it unnoticed, and they never have to move again.

Anneke Bambach, owner of the Hospice Initiative: “It is precisely the normalization of elderly care that provides quality. By organizing it on a small scale and in the middle of the neighbourhood, with low ownership in the organization. Our concept costs society less than a regular nursing home. While we adhere to the same Quality framework. We have residents who move their pets in with them, we have set up a studio corner for them and they continue to go to their chess club or have drinks at their favorite café, and we also see the benefits of increased job satisfaction, neighborhood connectivity and understanding of dementia in the area.”

High customer and employee satisfaction
The fact that this concept works well is demonstrated by the very high customer and staff satisfaction (9.0 and 8.4, ZorgfocuZ 2023) and enthusiastic responses from the general practitioners with whom Het Gastenhuis cooperates.

know more?
a look at hetgastenhuis.nl/nijmegen

Photographer: Béudien Doigkersloot

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