The isolated Dutch village of Hogewey looks normal on the surface, but each and every one of the 152-residents in this town is being constantly monitored. Why? Hogewey is an elder care facility for those who suffer from dementia. Unofficially called “Dementia Village”, its administrators take great care to maintain the illusion that life is normal for the residents, so that the patients have no idea that their home is actually a mental institution. The residents do not live in wards, but rather in groups of 6-7 to a house, with 1-2 caretakers. The homes are furnished according to the time period when the residents’ short-term memories stopped functioning properly – i.e. the 1950s, 1970s, and the 2000s, all accurate right down to the tablecloths. Continue reading for a video, more pictures and additional information.
“Residents of Hogewey can never leave the premises. In fact, the two-story homes that they live in form a perimeter wall for the village, so there is no way that a resident could ever wander out. If any one of them happen to approach an exit door by chance, a staff member will politely inform them that the door is locked, and guide them towards another route. It turns out that placing an elderly person in such an environment seems not only natural, but is also far less expensive than round-the-clock, in-home care,” according to Oddity Central.
