Alzheimer's disease: Béarn will welcome the very first French residence dedicated to caregiver-care recipient couples

The opening of the L'Arribet home in Malaussanne is expected in eighteen months. This inclusive project includes 12 one-bedroom apartments arranged around shared spaces, where France Alzheimer 64 will host workshops.

President of France Alzheimer 64 , Jean-Claude Lapabe came to speak on behalf of the national union of 101 French associations: “President Joël Jaouen asked me to offer you his congratulations on this project,” he said. “When we met in 2023 with Bernard Dupont (mayor of Malaussanne and departmental councilor for the canton of Artix and Pays de Soubestre, editor’s note), we immediately responded favorably. The philosophy is based on living together and respect for couples, which gives it an innovative social character in view of the psychological and relational difficulties posed by this disease.”

The symbolic foundation stone of this innovative site was laid on June 6 in the small village of Malaussanne (population 444), in the North Béarn region. Here, in 18 months, the very first French residence dedicated to caregiver-care recipient couples affected by early-stage Alzheimer's will open. Surrounded by an impressive array of elected officials and local leaders, including the Prefect of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, who were full of praise for the project, Mayor Bernard Dupont had reason to celebrate.

"This disease is not just about a caregiver and a person being cared for, it's also about the family," the president of France Alzheimer 64 emphasized. "This place will allow people suffering from cognitive disorders to access a suitable, friendly home, as a couple, ensuring both security and daily respite. We are sure that this system is essential. At the national level, many people will inquire about what you have done, Mr. Dupont."

Specifically, the future L'Arribet home—named after the local association involved in most of the town's social projects—will be built just a stone's throw from the town center. It will be located near the Malaussanne nursing home, which includes an eight-bed Alzheimer's unit, already managed by the same organization.

The Office 64 Housing Agency will construct two 300 m² buildings, each comprising six independent one-bedroom apartments, with rents set at around €500, and shared living areas: living room, kitchen, and outdoor spaces (shared gardens, pétanque court). The project cost just over two million euros.

"Here, we're going to set up one, two, or even three workshops," announced the president of France Alzheimer 64. "One will be dedicated to those being cared for, for cognitive mobilization, to help them work on their memory. And something completely new for us: therapeutic patient education. That is, asking the person being cared for to become the actor in their life, and to maintain their personality. In two words: that they don't get "eaten up" by their caregiver, who often takes up too much space." The L'Arribet house will therefore be a place of stimulation for the person suffering from disorders and respite for the caregiver partner, all within a community space where life assistants, relatives, and caregivers are involved.

"Today, medicine is making progress," continues Joël Jaouen. "We can stabilize this disease, but we can't cure it. For the people who will be in this home, when the disease progresses, there will be a nursing home nearby, and the caregiver will be able to find an apartment or a house right next door."

On June 6, a brand new intergenerational housing development was also inaugurated in Malaussanne, built by the social housing provider Domofrance. Named Arc-en-ciel and located near the town hall, school, and church, it consists of 12 housing units, including six single-family homes (from T3 to T5 with gardens and garages), as well as six senior housing units, designed to promote the independence of older people, with, again, a common room located in the center to encourage shared activities and build social bonds.

"This program illustrates a perfect fit between the rural living environment and modern, accessible, and intergenerational housing," said Francis Stephan, CEO of Domofrance.

"I would like to thank you because we are seeing a form of shared wealth emerging here, which is that of the human bond, between residents, between generations," the prefect told the mayor of Malaussanne, before highlighting the "collective work" that made these achievements possible. "It is also a lesson for the State that the best innovations come from the richness of the land, where they are built, designed to be adapted to the best level," he concluded.