Caregiver Support at Odensehuis Amersfoort: A Safe Space for Those Who Care

In November 2024, Christel Ruesen, Marieke, and Frederike opened Odensehuis Amersfoort on Landgoed Blom. It is a warm, informal meeting place set in the green of the Birkhoven estate, where people with a 'haperend brein' (a brain that falters) and their families can simply be themselves. The motto is Voluit leven: living fully. Anyone can walk in. Coffee, conversation, and the relief of being around people who understand. The doors are open every Monday and Wednesday from 10:00 to 16:00: walks on the estate, gardening, shared lunches, music, board games, and the kind of unhurried company that makes a hard week bearable. Within months, it became clear that the caregivers needed the most support. They were holding everything together for the people with dementia, and quietly falling apart themselves.

“Caregivers quietly fall apart while holding everything together for someone else.”

Caregivers arrive exhausted, isolated, and carrying guilt they cannot name. Many have not had a real conversation about how they are doing in months. Odensehuis Amersfoort is now launching monthly guided conversation groups specifically for caregivers, led by trained facilitators who create space for honesty without judgment. Alongside these groups, recurring caregiver courses will offer practical tools for daily challenges. Topics range from dealing with behavioural changes, to navigating the healthcare system, to learning when to ask for help.

The budget is modest and the plan is ready. Within one month of reaching the funding goal, the first conversation groups can start. The venue is secured, the facilitators are trained, and the community is waiting. Odensehuis Amersfoort has filed for ANBI status (RSIN 866994312) — the application is pending. Every euro is spent transparently and publicly accounted for. What is needed now is the financial foundation to sustain a full year of operations, so no caregiver in Amersfoort has to fall apart in silence.