SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) — A first of its kind village in the United States to support people with dementia is coming to Sheboygan county.
Livasu is designed to provide an environment where those who have dementia can “live as usual” with thoughtful and positive risk acceptance.
“We all take risks everyday, like driving a car or walking across the street,” said Mary Pitsch, president of Dementia Innovations and co-founder of the Livasu village. “But when we age, especially for those who age with dementia, there’s a feeling that there should be safety at all costs, and that cost is really the loss of personhood.”
Planning began in 2017 as Dementia Innovations was looking for ways to better respond to a dementia crisis.
“We decided we need to look at ‘how do we never get to a crisis?’ and that’s by looking at the environment that the person with dementia lives in,” said Pitsch. “So we decided to create the right environment designed for the person with dementia.”
The Livasu village will feature 124 houses and will also include community amenities like on site care and support staff, a restaurant, grocery store, gym, and more.
It has similar care concepts to The Hogeweyk village in the Netherlands.
Groundbreaking on the 79 acre site in the Town of Wilson will occur in April. Homeowners are anticipated to move in around spring 2026.
Fundraising the the village is currently underway. To learn more about the project and to donate, click here.
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