Agrace plans first US Hogeweyk-inspired dementia village

Thursday, January 22, 2026

As reported by Kathleen Steele Gaivin, McKnights Senior Living

Nonprofit dementia, hospice and palliative care service provider Agrace announced this week that it plans to build what it says is the first Hogeweyk-inspired dementia village of its kind in the United States, in Madison, WI. The $40 million project, to be known as the Ellen & Peter Johnson Dementia Village at Agrace, is expected to break ground this spring.

The development began with a $7 million lead gift from the Johnsons, who since have been joined by dozens of others who have donated to the $30 million community capital campaign to support the effort.

The setting is modeled after a well-known dementia village in the Netherlands. Residents will live in small households supported by specially trained staff.

“For too long, dementia has been treated as a medical condition to be managed rather than a diagnosis that still allows for a life filled with meaning, joy and connection,” Agrace President and CEO Lynne Sexten said in a statement. “The Dementia Village is not just a new facility — it is a reimagining of how we honor life after a dementia diagnosis. We are not building another memory care unit. We are launching a movement to transform how people living with dementia experience daily life.”

Sexten said that the setting will include “individual homes that look and feel just like a home,” with residents having eight housemates, a kitchen, their own bedrooms and a living room.

“All the things that you have in a traditional home today will be replicated here within the village,” she said. “The village will be thoughtfully designed to support those with dementia to keep them safe while providing them with access to a robust social network they can be excited about participating in.”

The Dementia Village at Agrace is being designed to support people in doing the kinds of everyday activities they would enjoy if not living with dementia, such as going to the grocery store, having coffee or watching a movie at the theater.

“When someone is diagnosed with dementia and they look at traditional facilities where they may end up living, they’re usually unhappy with how it looks because it looks so institutional and depersonalized,” Agrace Memory Care Suites Director Kenneth Robbins said. “While I think the people who do the work are incredible, the way traditional memory care is structured is not ideal. The Dementia Village proves there’s another way — one that honors the person, not just manages the disease.”

People living with dementia who chose to live in the greater community will be able to participate in activities alongside village residents during the day.