Dax (France) (AFP)

On the terrace of the café-restaurant, in the sun-drenched square, two elderly women have a coffee while commenting on the news, a scene from a village in the Landes that would be commonplace if it did not take place in an nursing home designed especially for the sick Alzheimer's.

In Dax, this unique establishment in France braved the Covid-19 epidemic to open in the spring and welcomes 120 people, supervised by as many caregivers and as many volunteers.

The Accommodation Establishment for Dependent Aged People was designed as a traditional Landes village, a bastide.

Under the arcades of the central square, a hairdressing salon, a small supermarket, a bar area, a gym or a media library.

The small paths with soft lines, the nearby pond, the two donkeys Junon and Janine who live in the middle of the village: everything inspires calm.

Until the technical buildings built in wood to be forgotten.

Four districts scattered in lush greenery each bring together four houses.

"Each villager has their own room and lives at their own pace. Whoever gets up at 6:00 am does not prevent the lover of sleeping late from staying quiet", explains Aurélie Bouscary, carer.

This midday, she reheats the dishes for the eight villagers of her house and motivates them to prepare the table for the common meal.

The plates were found in second-hand shops and the buffet could come from any rural house in the area.

"It is the work carried out with France Alzheimer upstream which has made it possible to develop all these small elements which send the villagers back to their former life", explains the director Pascale Lasserre-Sergent.

Ten places are reserved for those under 60 and if the average age is 79, the youngest is 40 years old.

- "Serene ..." -

On the restaurant terrace, our two villagers are accompanied by a hostess because here, the staff have time to dialogue, reassure, share, accompany to the convenience store ...

"It's still a job of care", testifies Aurélie, "but it's completely different. I have the feeling of doing my job better".

"All these people had doubled their confinement during confinement. By settling here since June, they were able to take their ease and find a peaceful daily freedom", says Nathalie Bonnet, psychologist-gerontologist.

"They regain motivation and find the gestures of daily life. As there is always someone nearby to alleviate their anxiety-depressive syndrome before it gets bigger, they calm down faster. And as a result, the prescriptions of anti-anxiety or antidepressant treatments can be reduced, ”she adds.

The village aims to be an open place and if residents cannot exceed the 5 ha limit, families, volunteers and even residents of neighboring districts are welcome.

Of course, for now, the coronavirus has put a stop to these interactions, but anyone can come here to listen to a concert, participate in a block party or even have their hair cut.

This idyllic village has a cost: 28 million euros to build it, paid by the department, then 6.7 million each year to run it.

As the residents' pension (65 euros per day) remains that of a normal nursing home, the department and the Regional Health Agency must put their hands in their pockets.

Inspired by the Netherlands, this model also serves as a laboratory and is closely followed by teams from Japan and Italy, countries which are thinking of adapting in turn experimental establishments.

At the restaurant, there is also Melany Fournier who came from Switzerland to see her aunt, an elegant octogenarian, with whom she has lunch: "It has been a long time since I had seen her. I was a little apprehensive all the same. ", she says.

"But I see her serene, quite free in her choices ... She is at home, she calls it the village".

© 2020 AFP