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“Being a small group meant we weren’t intrusive, we just blended in wherever we went, which allowed us to get a better feel for each location and also gave us lots of opportunities to ask questions,” said tour participant Canberra-based Tamra MacLeod, who is the Executive Manager of Clinical and Health Care services at Goodwin Aged Care Services.

Tamra joined the tour along with her colleague Jamie Fillingham, who is Goodwin’s Executive Manager of Home Care and Business Transformation.

For both of them, the highlight of the nine-day study tour was the Alzheimer Village known as Landais in Dax in southern France, which is pioneering best-practice and evidence-based dementia care.

This specialised community provides a comprehensive and supportive environment for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, focusing on enhancing their quality of life through a person-centred approach.

All of the residents must have a confirmed diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease as the site is closely tied with research, to learn more about best-practice dementia care.

Based on the De Hogeweyk concept – the world’s first dementia village in the Netherlands – Landais is designed to represent a typical French town complete with a mini-mart, coffee shop, restaurant, library open to the surrounding villages, hairdresser, small farm and village spaces.

Set on five hectares with abundant green spaces, the innovative architectural design creates interest within the village and while it is fenced for the safety of the high-needs and vulnerable residents, the barrier is disguised with vegetation and the space feels like an extension of the external community.

“What’s most interesting about it is the concept of independence as a way of life. In many cases, you couldn’t tell who was a staff member and who was a resident,” said Jamie.

“And everything was very simple, as you’d expect in a normal residential area or in a regular home.”

Tamra agreed, noting the difference with Australia’s aged care offerings, which can sometimes feel more like a hotel.

“Nothing was overly curated, furniture and crockery were mismatched, there were chairs of different heights and couches for lounging, people could relax just as you would at home,” she said.

“The bedrooms were intentionally very simple, with no televisions or fridges and no space to sit all day, to make it clear they are for sleeping and resting only.”

At Landais, there are 105 permanent residents who are called ‘villagers’ as well as seven beds for temporary respite and a day program for people with Alzheimers. Households are comprised of eight people with four houses in a ‘neighbourhood’ surrounding one small house with windows all around, which is where the staff are able to conduct business and monitor the villagers in a discreet way.

“Villagers are free to do as they wish, they were allowed to pull plants out of the ground if they wanted, they were given freedom to use their homes as they wanted, they were under the supervision of staff but it was very discreet and there was a sense of total freedom,” said Tamra.

“Staff monitored the villagers overnight from the internal ‘homes’ using technology installed in the homes, but let normal life go on without providing assistance unless it was required.

“This was the same with the outdoors, staff would stop and chat with villagers and only intervene in an activity if the resident was moving towards the exit.

“The philosophy was very much about enabling the villagers through the model of care and the physical environment.

“The upshot of this was we saw no behavioural issues at all, despite many of the villagers clearly exhibiting advanced disease.”

While all meals are prepared in the village restaurant, villagers prepare the accompaniments like salads in their own kitchens. Every morning the villagers who wish to go to the shop are accompanied by staff members to purchase goods required for their household for that day (things like bread, milk and fresh fruit and vegetables).

This concept of supported independence translated to retirement villages, too.

“In France, when you enter a retirement village you select the package of support you require, which can include daily meals and laundry through to just house cleaning once a week, with all services on-site,” said Jamie.

“Because aged care and healthcare are funded through the one stream – the health budget – in France, there are more opportunities for psychological and allied health support.

“Mental health is a big focus in aged care, and it’s a lot more accessible than in Australia, so there’s a lot more support from psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors than we are able to get here.”

While adopting some actions would need significant changes like new builds, the big take-home that Goodwin plans to apply in its operations, is mindset.

“In France, they are focused on what they call ‘animation’,” said Tamra.

“It’s all about animating wellbeing and lifestyle, by creating a culture of independence with only the minimum supports required, rather than being overbearing with excessive interventions – their concept of ‘dignity of risk’ is something we can absolutely learn from.

“Nature is really important. In Australia we might have beautiful courtyards, but the door is locked for what we consider resident safety. In France, they have big expanses of garden space and no limits on accessing it.

“It’s also about keeping things simple, focusing on the person and creating a feeling of home, rather than aiming for an award-winning interior design for a marketing brochure.

“And community engagement is vital, not just within a village or aged care home, but also with the people surrounding it, who are invited to engage with older people through real shops, theatres and cafés where everyone is welcome and true community spirit is created.”

Judy Martin, SAGE Executive Lead at Anchor Excellence (owner of the SAGE program) said, “SAGE study tours offer our industry executives first-hand insights into innovative best-practice models of aged care, from different cultures and countries, which we can bring back home.

“The knowledge gained and relationships built between colleagues contributes to the ongoing dialogue we are having in Australia about what best-practice aged care can look like.”

In the past year alone, over 50 aged care executives from ACCPA member organisations have participated in a SAGE program. The 2025 programs are currently in the planning phase, set for Japan and Canada.