A new model for memory care

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

Officials in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, recently approved plans for a $40 million project to develop America’s first “dementia village.”

Modeled after a successful concept in the Netherlands, the project aims to replace one large, institutional-style facility for memory care 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 will contain eight homes with up to 65 residents, grouped by shared interests.
• The campus will also include a restaurant, spa, and grocery store, all designed to feel like everyday life, with caregivers on call 24/7.

Another 40-50 people could attend the campus 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 across the US in the coming decades. Today, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease alone, a number expected to roughly double by 2050.

For local Alder Logan Reigstad, the issue is personal. 

• He watched his great-grandmother live with dementia, describing the experience as “heart wrenching” but 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.

Looking ahead...If construction begins as planned this spring, the community could open as early as 2027.