The Village Langley

The Village is a care community in Langley built for people living with dementia. Instead of long hallways and a nursing station, it’s laid out like a small neighbourhood: cottages along a “Main Street”, a store, a café, gardens and paths, all inside a secure boundary. People call it the dementia village, and it’s often the first thing families hear about when a diagnosis lands.

How it works

Verve’s page describes six cottages along Main Street. Each one has 12 or 13 private bedrooms with their own bathrooms, set around a shared open kitchen, a dining room, a living room with a fireplace and sunroom, and an activity room. The idea is that each cottage feels like a household rather than a ward, and residents can bring their own things to make their room familiar.

Outside the cottages, the grounds cover about five acres. Verve lists a general store, a salon and spa, a café and bistro, a woodworking shop, the Oakwood Community Centre, walking paths, landscaped gardens, a farmyard with a vegetable garden and a water rock garden. Guest suites are available when there’s room.

The part that makes it different is freedom of movement. When residents first moved in, CBC reported that people could walk around the village as they pleased, with a 2.5-metre fence around the site plus cameras and sensors so nobody could wander off. Verve says staff are trained in dementia care and that care is available around the clock.

Where the idea came from

The model traces back to De Hogeweyk, a dementia village outside Amsterdam. A 2018 Vancouver Sun article, reposted on Verve’s blog, says the Langley project’s design was inspired by it. Verve’s own page now says it was inspired by communities in the Netherlands and the U.S.

Verve describes The Village as “Canada’s first village-style residence specializing in supporting those with dementia and memory-related conditions.” That’s the operator’s claim, and CBC’s 2019 report quoted the project lead saying the same. We haven’t seen an independent body confirm it, so we’re passing it on as theirs.

When it opened

The site is the former Bradshaw Elementary School property, according to the 2018 article, which was written when ground was about to be broken. CBC reported on September 2, 2019 that residents had moved in almost a month earlier, so it opened in the summer of 2019. At that time CBC put the number of residents at 75.

What it costs

The Village is privately funded. The 2018 article called it a privately funded project, and CBC in 2019 described it as a private care facility. It does not appear in the Seniors Advocate’s directory of publicly subsidized long-term care and assisted living homes, which lists the subsidized homes in Langley.

Verve’s page doesn’t list prices. It offers an affordability calculator, and the best way to get today’s rates is to ask on a tour. If you’re also looking at publicly subsidized care, our seniors guide explains how Fraser Health assessments work and lists the subsidized homes in Langley.

Booking a tour

Phone 604-427-3755, or use the “Book Your Tour” button or contact form on Verve’s page. The page also has a virtual tour, a brochure, a sample menu and a sample activity calendar, which are handy if you’re comparing options from a distance or for a family member out of town.

A few questions families often find worth asking: whether a room is available now or there’s a waitlist, what level of care is included in the monthly rate, what happens if care needs increase, and how visiting works.

Other dementia support

The Alzheimer Society of BC has its North, South and East Fraser resource centre in Langley, at #200 – 20486 64 Avenue. Its First Link Dementia Helpline is 1-800-936-6033, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 8 pm. The Langley Senior Resources Society runs an Adult Day Program for adults with physical or cognitive limitations, which can give caregivers a break while someone still lives at home. More options are in our seniors guide.

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