Oostburg hospital remains: “We do not want an influx to Belgium”

According to Van der Maas, if you continue to provide intensive care to people with dementia in all locations, it means that “a lot of knowledge and expertise has to be organized for a relatively small group of people in need of intensive care” . “So you do it – especially if you have less staff available in the future – in fewer places. The healthcare provider did not offer this himself, he noted, but it is a national development that was initiated by the government from 2015.

The transformation of the Aardenburg, IJzendijke and Sluis care centers into care districts, as envisaged by ZorgSaam, is being tackled step by step, in collaboration with the owner Woongoed. For Coensdike in Aardenburg, the intervention should be minimal, as the apartments only need to be modernized.

Such an operation awaits Emmaus in IJzendijke, as soon as the new retirement home in Oostburg is ready. “Will the care go away there? No, we will make sure that apartments are built in which the elderly who need care can live independently and that we can provide the care adequately. ” Later, it will also be the turn of Rozenoord à l’Écluse.

CDA advisor Ronald de Croock was worried. “Everything is money for new construction, while care goes down for people.” He finds it annoying that people have to move to a busy place near the center. According to Van der Maas, perceptions are changing: people, despite their dementia, stay active and healthy much longer if they are near facilities and shops, instead of being on the outskirts of town in the city. greenery. This also has advantages for the organization of care. “You can create better social and communal facilities there. “