Royal welcome for people with dementia at Wijchen Castle | News

November 2, 2023

Wijchen Municipality organizes Health Week from October 30th to November 4th. One of the activities was for people with dementia. At the beginning of October, Merstaete residents and their caregivers received an invitation to a royal welcome at Wijchen Castle. Meerstaete is a residential and care site of the ZZG care group.

Enjoy generously

Residents and their caregivers received coffee or tea and something delicious upon arrival. After that, the group toured the wedding hall, the council hall, and the cellars. Guides Hani and Ruud from the Kasteel Wijchen Museum spoke enthusiastically about the history of the castle and the private rooms. The people of Merstaite loved to take pictures with the old inhabitants of the castle, Emilia Van Oranje Nassau and Don Emanuele. After the tour, the guitarist played beautiful music. Then it’s time for dinner, which the Sterrebosch restaurant has prepared especially for this group. Everyone enjoyed the “grandma’s” menu which included, for example, beef stew.

Councilor Pia Schouten: “We look back on a fun and enjoyable afternoon. The people of Myrstate and their carers thoroughly enjoyed this. A great start to Health Week.”
Remy and Josine Wiberg (Mairstate resident and his wife) are also excited: “We were received so warmly and lovingly. The atmosphere was relaxed. Remy felt seen and felt like he belonged too. It’s a special moment that we both enjoyed.”

The museum is specially open on Mondays

The museum is usually not open on Mondays. Visitors now visited the castle in a small group and peacefully.
Tanja Bruins, Castle Manager: “It is the first time that the Castle has opened on Mondays to a special group of people who enjoy a low-stimulation environment. We have created this program in cooperation with Alzheimer Nederland, the municipality, the staff and volunteers of the museum and the care staff of the Meerstaete. We will see if we can do Do this more often in the future.

Good feeling

Through Health Week, Wijchen municipality wants to offer residents and professionals ideas and make them aware of what they can do to feel good about themselves and feel healthy.
Counselor Pia Schouten: “Feeling good about yourself also means feeling welcome, discovering new things and being able to get out for a day. This is all good for your health. But people with dementia can become over-stimulated as a result. That’s why we thought this week was a good time to open Wijchen Castle Castle Gate For this group only.As a dementia-friendly municipality, we are actively committed to allowing people with dementia to participate in society for as long as possible.