Sustainable Trynwalden

A local experiment on inverse focused services in Friesland, The Netherlands.

The Trynwalden experiment is an answer to the depopulation and loss of infrastructure in rural areas and (small) villages, as people and especially elderly people move to the centre to profit from facilities and care institutions available there. It tries to let care and other services come to the people instead of letting the people come to the care. It combines the creation of an infrastructure and of facilities for elderly people for self management and independent living and the vitalisation of the smaller villages' commercial services and public facilities. The core of 'sustainable' Trynwalden (a region of several smaller villages in North-east Friesland) consists of:

• separate caring from living by tearing down (parts of) the existing home for elderly people and at the same time building new 'individual' houses, fit for elderly people;
• using domotica and telematica for safe and independent living and offering the (elderly) people all kind of information, communication and services 'at a distance';
• creating local centres, where people can find all the care and social services, integrated under one roof;
• using the local commercial facilities, workers and volunteers to fill in the services needed (virtual and physical);
• organising community support for instance by the use of special 'assistants' for small jobs (handy men), administrative help but also for advice, mediation etc.