The Belgian city where families care for people with psychiatric disorders
TThe city of Geel in Belgium has a foster care system for people dealing with mental health issues. These foster families sometimes provide shelter for their boarders for decades, making them an integral part of the nuclear family. The families see the care they provide as normal, because many know it from their parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts. This system is in Geel’s DNA.
By providing care in this way, the families aim to normalize the lives of people with mental illness, treating them not as patients with a diagnosis who need to be institutionalized, but as individuals who deserve dignity and inclusion. This way of altruistic psychiatric care has been part of Geel since the 13th century. It started when a church was built for Saint Dymphna, the patron saint of mental illness. Due to the construction of the church, pilgrims flocked to the city en masse. About 2,000 boarders lived with local farmers at that time. They helped with daily tasks. This was the beginning of the foster care system and it is still around today, now spanning seven centuries.
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Psychologist Wilfried Bogaerts (left) and case manager Michelle Lambrechts in the visitors center of the OPZ hospital in Geel, Belgium. Behind it are photos of former patients of the foster care system
The system has become more organized and sophisticated over the centuries. Since the 1860s, professional support services have been offered by the city’s state psychiatric hospital (OPZ). The center also has a daycare center and offers psychiatric treatment and guidance to residents if necessary.
I visited six families in Geel, where I saw daily life going on almost as usual. Boarders played games with family members, did chores and watched television together. For many of the boarders it is important to have structure and routines, something the Geelians believe the boarders receive in a more natural way than when they are institutionalized.
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Pension Heidi, left, in the center of Geel, Belgium with her foster mother Maria Dierckx
Resident Heidi, 71, lives with her foster parent Maria Dierckx. I photographed them in the early morning, while Heidi was waiting for the bus that would be taken to the OPZ daycare center. The bus was a little late and Heidi started to get nervous. I could see her pace up and down the living room as she looked at the clock. Maria came in to sit with Heidi for a chat, which immediately calmed Heidi down. When the bus arrived, Heidi rushed out and first gave Maria a kiss on the cheek. It is these small daily practices that give boarders a sense of safety and belonging. A family you can rely on.
Maggy Vleugels, 58, and her husband, Jozef Huysmans, receive Hilda, 65. This is not their first boarder. Maggy grew up in a family where boarders were part of everyday life. Her father and mother also cared for several boarders. When her parents died, Maggy decided to care for their boarder, Jeff. When after many years of caring for Jeff, who was struggling with serious health problems, Maggy became too much, he switched to the OPZ. Maggy was sad because she would have wanted to care for Jeff for much longer, but she simply could not because the care was too specialized. She told the OPZ that she would like to receive someone again. Caring is in her personality, like many families in Geel.
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Resident Hilda, right, buys flowers at the Geelse market, together with her foster parents Maggy Vleugels and Jozef Huysmans
About 120 boarders live with foster families. There used to be thousands, but participation has decreased over the years. This is mainly due to households where both the man and the woman have a job, something that was not the case in previous centuries. The families receive a daily allowance of approximately €28 for each individual they care for, which covers basic costs.
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Boarding guests Luc, 75 (left) and Etty, 71, watch television on the couch. They live together with 47-year-old Ann Peetermans, who has been hosting boarders with mental illnesses in her home for seven years. She now houses three boarders.
Efforts are underway to expand the program and marketing initiatives to attract more families. In an important recent development, Geel’s healthcare system has been added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
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Tarcies Remes, 28 (left) and Gitte van Doninck, 26, together in the house where they are hosting a male boarder. They will also soon receive a female resident and are currently in her new bedroom, which still needs to be fully furnished
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Greet Vandeperre, chairman of the psychiatric foster care council and retired police social worker, in her home in Geel
In an era characterized by increasing awareness of mental health issues and the need for innovative solutions, Geel demonstrates an age-old model based on empathy and solidarity.