The Village of Sølund

Integration the other way around – that is how we like to present ourselves. Ours is a village where life is lived on the residents’ terms and where the citizens of Skanderborg are made to feel at home and always welcome.

Sølund is a community of people with serious and chronic physical and mental disabilities. That is how our residents are described by legislation.

We are home to 230 developmentally challenged people. Our aim is to provide our residents with an opportunity to maximize their quality of life on their own terms. We do not aim for a ‘normal’ life but a life filled with happiness and good experiences. Our village is for special people with normal needs: To be loved, appreciated and cared for just as they are. Everybody has these needs, and everybody has a need to feel part of a community.

The village consists of independent living units, where residents have their own flats while sharing communal facilities with a small group of three or four others. A comprehensive renovation plan is well under way, and we expect it to include all living units within the next few years.

The houses on Sortesøvej were built in the early 1970s. They provided residents with their own room but shared bath and toilet facilities and were a great improvement on the previous dormitories in old pavilions.

Residents became members of a ‘family’ group of a more manageable size, which allowed them to lead more individual lives. Now times have changed, individual flats are preferred to rooms, and this is reflected in the current redevelopment.

Our residents have their own special ways of expressing themselves which we must learn to understand in order to support them in the best possible manner.

Many people in Skanderborg know our residents as fellow citizens who have a need to participate in local community life through dignified and respectful interaction and who feel comfortable moving around town with the caring and sensitive help of the citizens of Skanderborg.

Festivals are the great events of the year in Skanderborg, and they also function as a vehicle for integration the other way around.
We also have attractive facilities for staging parties, primarily parties for the residents: birthdays, Shrovetide carnivals, autumn and Christmas parties – and our Midsummer celebrations, when the citizens of Skanderborg are invited to celebrate a festival of light.

Our function rooms are also available for renting by all citizens. In addition, Sølund has a swimming pool with spa and 33°C water in the pool basin, where many residents enjoy the physical well-being of swimming and other water activities. When the swimming pool is not used by residents, it is made available to baby swimmers, family swimmers, arthritis patients and others who may benefit from the soothing effects of the water.

Thanks to its location in beautiful natural surroundings, Sølund has ample space for many different kinds of activities which may be undertaken with a large degree of freedom for our residents. The large outdoor areas give them the opportunity to move around securely and safely, and they can go to the dentist, doctor, podiatrist, hairdresser or café on their own. Sølund has a deer park, mountain goats and a swamp path which may be explored by everybody in Skanderborg. The large outdoor areas are frequently used to meet the residents’ requirements for a place to burn off energy in order to relax.

As a result of the local government reform, we are now even more closely linked with Skanderborg. Our status as the largest employer in the municipality means that we receive a lot of attention. We enjoy a productive cooperation with the Municipality of Skanderborg, which has also been reflected in the appointment of a special church minister for our village. We have many visions of and ideas for developing our special integration concept for the benefit of both Sølund and Skanderborg. The future looks bright.

The following text is displayed on boards in our beautiful outdoor area:

Sølund is home to 230 residents, who live here in an open area. We appreciate visitors from outside, especially because many of our residents are unable to go visiting on their own.

We therefore see your visit as what we call integration the other way around. Most residents are happy with the many visitors who take a walk in the area. Some residents may approach you and ask you what you are doing. They may like to talk to you, and if you show them a little kindness, you may have a very pleasant conversation.

Some of the residents in our village are more vulnerable and do not like to be disturbed in their daily routines. Please respect their need for privacy and allow them plenty of space to move around undisturbed.