The right interplay for a unique new care location

The interplay of all parties during the construction of care location Ons Raathuis in Heerhugowaard has been labeled "unique. This resulted in the beautiful new home for people with dementia. Care manager Paul Jeroen Verkade of The Pieter Raat Foundation: "Of course we are not used to building, but we do know what is wanted by these residents."

Location 'Ons Raathuis' in Heerhugowaard has opened. The residents have only just moved in. When we come to view the building, there is an atmosphere of joy and happiness. That this is not just because of the sunshine soon becomes clear to us during our conversation. Verkade: "We wanted an open building in which the residents can move freely. And the residents are succeeding well in this. From the living room, more and more residents take a seat in the garden. Independently, and that does them visibly well. Gone are the days when people with dementia were locked up. By giving them space, they are happier anyway."

Of course Verkade is proud of the end result, but the care manager of De Pieter Raat Foundation continues to beam when we ask him about how the project went. The same goes for director of The Pieter Raat Foundation Gabriele Kasten: "It was just nice working with all the contractors," she says. "I found it special that we have knowledge of dementia and that our partners were able to translate this knowledge to the building, the furnishings and the garden. The result is a very nice living environment for people with dementia. The residents have only just come to live here and so far their reactions and the reactions of our caregivers are positive. The Hugo Oord building that had to make way for this was also in need of replacement. That building dated from 1956 and care has changed over the decades."

Our Raat House consists of two buildings with 22 residents each. Pieter Raat sees it as an added value that the building downstairs offers so much space and that residents experience a lot of freedom in the various rooms and can seek out places without constantly getting in each other's way. Verkade says that this gives a more homely feeling than, for example, 44 residents in one building. A huge plus of this location on the Rembrandt Erf is that the living area is completely downstairs and the residents' living studios are situated on the first and second floors. The large and long living and dining room including kitchen is the central place. In addition, an activity room and low-incentive living room have been added. The adjacent garden (located between the two buildings) provides an easy way for everyone to get outside for a while. Says Verkade, "We want quality of life to be paramount in this final phase."

In one of the two new buildings, Pieter Raat works even more closely with family members, volunteers and any informal caregivers than at its other locations. Verkade: "We work closely with these so-called informal caregivers. In advance we make agreements with all parties about what we can expect from each other. Who does what and especially when. The participation of family members is very important for our residents. In our eyes, cooperation with family and friends is even essential for the elderly care of the future. Our residents have their own network and we want to utilize this network to their benefit as much as possible. As a result, we expect an increase in the quality of life for our residents."

In June 2024, residents moved into Ons Raathuis. Although Verkade looks back on the project with pleasure, there were of course times when he had to keep his patience. "We had just hit on our ideas when the corona pandemic broke out. The development of the plan continued as usual with digital consultation. The problem was the incredibly escalating construction costs. These rose by almost 17% between the time the contract was signed and the start of construction." Kasten: "But it also had a positive effect. A lot of capacity was freed up at the construction parties, and partly because of that we ended up finishing a lot faster than planned." Verkade: "Because of the aging population, people yearn for this kind of care location, then you don't want too much delay. That is actually the only pressure I felt, because I experienced the cooperation with the contractors as incredibly pleasant. For us, this was a new experience to be so involved in a construction project, but I would do it again in a heartbeat."