Norway Is Paving The Path To Better Dementia Care — Here's How

With such a strong focus on dementia prevention—whether it's adding healthy fats to your diet or challenging yourself to learn new things—it's easy to overlook how we care for those already living with dementia.

In America, and many other places for that matter, the norm is rather grim. Many people with dementia are placed in care homes where nearly everything is done for them—cooking, cleaning, and more.

In some ways, this makes sense; dementia can hinder one's ability to perform certain tasks, such as driving, which naturally impacts independence. But what if there were other, perhaps better, ways to approach dementia care?

We learned about this program on a recent episode of the mindbodygreen podcast with Julia Hotz—a journalist and author of The Connection Cure. As part of her research into holistic healing worldwide, Hotz visited Norway to explore a unique dementia care environment: not a home or a hospital but a farm.

This farm is a part of Norway's national dementia care plan, which requires municipalities to provide dementia day care that includes meaningful activities and opportunities for social connection. Farms aren't the only option, but they particularly stood out to Hotz. 

At the dementia farm she visited, residents engage in simple, purposeful tasks: feeding chickens, preparing eggs, and cutting up food for farm animals.

Working together toward a common goal fosters stronger social bonds among residents. For many people with dementia, the psychological struggle of losing cognitive abilities can be extremely difficult, which is why Hotz suggests, "Maybe one of the best things we can do is actually engage them in something that feels like they have a little bit of control and meaning again."

Hotz shares the story of Marianne, a member of one of the dementia care farms. Marianne is very social, Hotz says, and enjoys conversing in any of the five languages she knows. While she might forget what she talked about an hour later, that doesn't mean she should stop interacting with people, Hotz says.

In the U.S., the typical response might be to assign Marianne constant care, but Hotz relays that for Marianne, being alone with her thoughts would be the worst thing for her.

Instead, she thrives on the farm, enjoying her daily routine, social interactions, and work. Marianne even told Hotz, "In those moments, I forget that I have this condition."

This approach also benefits the clients' primary caregivers by giving them more free time during the day. Caring for someone with dementia can be challenging, especially for family members juggling other responsibilities like child care, full-time jobs, etc. So for caregivers who double as employees or parents, it's a win-win. 

While the United States may have different challenges facing it when compared to Norway—a lack of universal health care, a larger population, and so on, there's still much to be learned from Norway's approach to dementia care.

Norway is working toward a more mindful approach to dementia care, putting meaningful activities and social connections at the forefront. For many people with dementia, this approach can help them feel more capable and elevate their quality of life while simultaneously relieving caregivers for a few hours each day.