🏡 A new model for memory care is coming to America

What if dementia care looked less like a hospital wing and more like a neighborhood?

Officials in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, have approved plans for what could become America’s first “dementia village,” a $40 million project slated for Agrace’s campus. Modeled after a successful concept in the Netherlands, the community aims to replace one large, institutional-style memory-care facility with something that feels far more familiar.

The goal? Restore as much autonomy and spontaneity as possible for residents living with dementia.

• Instead of long hallways and locked doors, the village would feature eight small homes housing up to 65 residents, grouped by shared interests.
• Think: a restaurant, spa, and grocery store, all designed to feel like everyday life – with caregivers on call 24/7.

Another 40 to 50 people could attend through a day program. Pricing is expected to be comparable to traditional memory-care facilities, with room and board paid out of pocket and medical expenses billed to insurance.

The heart behind the build… The project comes as dementia diagnoses are projected to rise sharply in the coming decades. Today, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease alone, a number expected to roughly double by 2050, creating a widening gap in specialized care options.

For local Alder Logan Reigstad, the issue is personal. He watched his great-grandmother live with dementia and described the experience as “heart wrenching,” punctuated by brief “glimmers” when a familiar song or memory brought her back.

Supporters hope the village model can create more of those glimmering moments — not as rare flashes, but woven into day-to-day life.

If construction begins as planned in spring 2026, the community could open the following year — potentially serving as a blueprint for how America cares for its rapidly aging population.