Roosendaelveld: Innovative Care in a Warm Home Environment

Dementia Answered on Family Day

Family Day Woonzorgcentrum Roosendaelveld: On May 26, 2021, the official inauguration of the new Woonzorgcentrum Roosendaelveld took place, under the aegis of Zorgbedrijf Rivierenland and in the presence of then Minister Wouter Beke.

Who is Roosendaelveld ? Who are we? Who do we stand for? What are our challenges? What are we struggling with in the workplace? Do we want to write a story around that very transparently with you? Why do we think it’s so important? Why is small-scale living good for people with dementia? What kind of care does someone with dementia receive? These are just some of the many questions family members are struggling with.

During a series of lectures in Brasserie Den Druppel on Family Day Oct. 20, 2024, organized for family members of residents, director Debbie Bruyndonckx and social assistant Geert Baetens gave an insight into what exactly Roosendaelveld is and what makes the residential care center unique after 3 years of existence.

On Family Day, they talked about who they are, their challenges, and why family and staff involvement is so important to improve quality of care. These talks not only provided insight into the organization, but also called for collaboration to write an even better story together for the future.

First Introduction to Roosendael Field

My first introduction to WZC Roosendaelveld took place in March 2024, during the Day of Care. Located between Mechelen’s Otterbeek social housing district and the AZ Sint-Maarten hospital, the open house gave me a unique look behind the scenes of what many simply call a “retirement home.” If, like me, you have an elderly mother – in my case, a 90-year-old – it makes you think. On that day, I knew there would come a time when we would have to find a safe, warm place for her to spend her final years with dignity. That day came sooner than expected: in August 2024, we decided to give her a place in Roosendaelveld.

Before taking this big step, we chose to first introduce her to Day Center ‘The Rose’, part of Roosendaelveld. This gave her a chance to get used to the idea of living somewhere other than her familiar home. The positive impact was quickly apparent: she enjoyed the activities and companionship. However, due to the increasing degree of dementia, it became clear that a permanent move was inevitable. Roosendaelveld proved to be her ultimate choice. From her apartment, she looked out every day on her beacon: the St. Rombold’s Tower. The name of her room within the “Little House” with the name“The Tower” seemed no coincidence, because like the Mechelen tower, Roosendaelveld radiated stability and confidence for her. Read more under the photos

Roosendaelveld: A warmer, Small Care Environment

“Roosendaelveld is much more than a beautiful building,” director Debbie Bruyndonckx told the lectures. “We want to provide a warm home where residents can maintain their own lives. We focus on their talents and encourage them to resume daily activities. We want our employees to feel valued and that everyone counts.“

The residential care center focuses on three specific target groups: dementia, mental frailty and young dementia. This makes Roosendaelveld different from a classic residential care center. Moreover, the care is organized on a small scale, with 15 houses , each housing eight residents. This small scale ensures that the residents live in a homelike atmosphere, where living and care are closely intertwined. “We are not a classic residential care center, we are a home,” Bruyndonckx emphasizes.

Another unique aspect of Roosendaelveld is that residents with dementia do not stay in a closed ward. Residents are free to move around within the building and surrounding garden. Modern technologies, such as wandering alarms and a wristband that acts as a doorknob and emergency button, allow residents to feel safe without restrictions.

Now, what do you think have been the biggest changes and learning points in the last three years here?

“Yes, I think especially the piece of how are we going to organize ourselves together with all the staff around the resident? Yes, how are we going to get that assignment realized across functions? That that is one that we are very much committed to. Another aspect is our dementia policy per se. We work, tailored care. We work very individually. But we’ve noticed that because of that, from our residential care center, we’ve really partied a lot on the expectations of our family members, and that we can’t always live up to that, and that we also have to start enforcing our own frameworks. And that is a very important one. We want to continue to provide that customized care, but we have to see what is feasible for us as an organization, together with our employees and with the family” said Bruyndonckx.

Technological Innovations for Better Care

Technology plays a major role in the daily operations of Roosendaelveld. During the lectures, Bruyndonckx explained how they are one of the first in Belgium to introduce a wristband for residents. This band not only opens the room door, but also functions as an emergency button. In addition, family members can easily contact the care team through this technology. These innovations allow residents to move safely without the need for closed wards.

Collaboration with Family and Care Partners

Roosendaelveld is strongly committed to working with family members. “We need the families to shape our vision for the future,” Bruyndonckx said. Family involvement is crucial to striking a balance between feasible care and residents’ personal wishes. In collaboration with caregivers, including geriatrician Van Dessel and AZ Sint-Maarten, Roosendaelveld also continues to continuously work to improve care for residents with dementia or mental vulnerabilities.

In addition, the residential care center works closely with family doctors, psychologists and institutions such as Kairos in Duffel, which supports them in the area of psychiatry.

Tubbe project: The Future of Care

An important project that Roosendaelveld is currently embracing is the Tubbe project, a Scandinavian model that optimizes the organization of residential care centers around both residents and employees. Roosendaelveld applied and was successfully selected to further roll out this model. The principles of the Tubbe model align closely with Roosendaelveld’s vision: to work with residents, families and staff to create a warm home environment.

The Power of Humor in Healthcare

Guest speaker Geert Baetens, social assistant and expert on dementia, concluded the lectures with an interactive presentation on “Dementia Experienced Differently” and “The Power of Humor“. Baetens emphasized the importance of humor in caring for people with dementia: “Humor helps to keep seeing the person behind the disease. It is a way to make contact, not only by what you say, but also by your attitude and appearance.” He indicated that a simple smile or gentle touch often says more than words.

Geert, what do you think is the most important message you convey in reading with “Experiencing Dementia Differently”?

“I actually want to convey to people that, what they always hear in the media, that dementia is a very loaded topic, very emotional, which actually makes people think that dementia is only negative. It’s certainly not fun, it’s not always positive, but by looking at it in a different way, learning to experience it in a different way, you can still deal with it in that period, in that dementia process, as a family, as a partner, as an informal caregiver, as staff, in a different way. And actually still have a lot of positive moments“.

Baetens encouraged family members and caregivers to be mindful of how they spend time with their loved ones or residents:“It’s not the amount of time you spend, but how you fill that time.” By being present in a warm, respectful way, even brief moments of interaction can have a profound impact.

How can humor contribute to better care for people with Dementia?

“People with dementia are still people. So I don’t look at the person’s disability, I look at the person. And humor is very important in our life. Just imagine if you went to work somewhere, before three days in a row nobody smiles and always looks sad, you can’t sustain that for two days. So humor therapy or humor is very important, because it’s not just about laughing, but it’s also about putting things into perspective. And sometimes you can actually by just showing people a smile, or a sparkle in your eyes, that’s something that people with dementia can read much better than what you say, because that’s nonverbal communication. So what you emit with your body sometimes comes in much more to people, because you’re connecting heart to heart, soul to soul. So it’s not always important what you say, but how you say it, or how you convey it“. Humor can be a means of bringing something in in a different way.

Is that something that, for example, people at home, family members can also apply to a person with dementia?

“Absolutely!” says Geert “Many people always think I have to do something, I have to say something, while it is mainly the being quality that is important. Just being there, being present, listening with affective attention. It is sometimes more important of being silent than saying something. And of just letting the person be. Ik especially let people understand of, your closeness, your being, is the most important thing there is. And try to take good care of that. Also don’t do too much because you have no control over what happens, you can’t see inside the person’s head. You can only feel how you are sitting there yourself. And try together, we call that resonating.” and decide “Going on a swing together with that person, it’s a little bit like sitting on a swing. That you’re actually trying to take hold of the same rhythm of that swing. That’s an example I give in response to a book by Casper Wormans. who placed a swing in Leuven. And who actually wants to bring that out with that metaphor.“

Roosendaelveld: Building the Future Together

The lectures and insights shared during the Family Day emphasized that Roosendaelveld is not just another residential care center. It is a place where residents feel at home, where customized care is offered, and where technology and innovation go hand in hand with humanity and commitment. Thanks to cooperation with family, staff and care partners, Roosendaelveld continues to develop as a warm and safe place for everyone who lives there.

“We want to continue building with a lot of passion” concludes Debbie Bruyndonckx

All this gives me confidence that my mother is in the right place, where she not only gets the care she needs, but where she can still enjoy the small but precious moments of life.

Text and photos Verschueren Eddy for Mechelen at its Best