To take care of vs. to care for

Hello there! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written and a busy few weeks it has been!  Let me catch you all up on what I’ve learned! 

So, I spent a week in Amsterdam, and one day I rented a bike,  navigated the Dutch countryside and found my way from Amsterdam Zuid-Oost (South East) to the town of Weesp where Hogeway or “Dementiaville” is located!  I wasn’t able to meet with any of the staff, but I chatted with the secretary for a few minutes and she was pretty knowledgeable.  She gave me some information and directions for a walking tour around the village.  It was charming.  Everything one would need was within this village and it was beautiful.   There was a grocery store, a theater, several restaurants, lovely gardens and outdoor art, and plenty of space.  Although I didn’t get to ask the questions I was hoping to ask, it was beneficial to learn what I could while I was there. 

The next day, I found myself on a train from Amsterdam to Den Haag (The Hague) where I visited a Martha Flora House.  Martha Flora was the mother of Marco Ouwehand, who, embarked on a journey to develop a new care concept for his mother.  Although his mother passed away before he could develop this care method into a home for his mother, two homes have been opened since 2008. 

The one I visited opened in November 2013.  I had the opportunity to converse with the Location Manager of the MF House in The Hague, and she taught me a lot about the Dutch healthcare system as well as care for the elderly and those with Alzheimer’s and Dementia disorders. 

I felt so at home there.  It was such a laid back atmosphere, there were no scrubs, no cold white-washed tile walls that everyone is afraid of in nursing homes and hospitals.  The staff was friendly and the residents were content. 

My week in Amsterdam was spectacular, as were the weeks in Sweden, but I’m happy to be home.  I flew into New York City exhausted after being up for about 24 hours.  I’m going to try and avoid that in the future.  But I was rescued by some friends and found my way back to lovely Ohio safe and sound.

Now all I have to do is figure out what comes next.  (Yikes!)

While at home with my parents for a few days my mom and I had numerous conversations about what I had learned and we determined that there was a difference in how one uses the word “care”.  For example, you can “take care” of someone, or you can “care for” that person.  Those actions will probably look different, and often we use these phrases interchangeably.

What do these phrases mean to you?

Tomorrow I’m headed to Watertown, Wisconsin. It’s one of the first communities to have an initiative to become completely dementia friendly and I’m going to see how that works!