The tree-lined streets of Hogewey, a tiny village at the edge of Amsterdam, boast shops, restaurants, a movie theater and a hairdresser. Its 23 apartments are carefully crafted to feel like home to 152 residents. But Hogewey is not a real village; it's a nursing home. "Our director compared it to a theater," said Isabel van Zuthem, Hogewey's information officer. "The frontstage is what all the residents experience as a normal way of living, their normal home. But backstage, we are a nursing home. Everything is arranged to give all residents all the care they need. But they feel like they're living a normal life, and that's what we think is very important."This is really quite creepy. The most elaborate path of least resistance.
But frankly- it's not that big of a leap for them.
Pretending to treat people is standard operating procedure for mental illness.
Always has been.
