It's hard to watch the mind of a beloved family member slip, and also painful to know that you're losing mental acuity with age. Now there's a nursing home in Wiedlisbach, Switzerland designed to make that transition easier. Caretakers lead residents to believe that they're living independent lives in the past:
Link -via Marginal Revolution | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user Jess & Peter
The newly approved €20m (£17m) housing project is to be built next to the Swiss village of Wiedlisbach near Bern and will provide sheltered accommodation and care for 150 elderly dementia patients in 23 purpose-built 1950s-style houses. The homes will be deliberately designed to recreate the atmosphere of times past.
The scheme's promoters said there will be no closed doors and residents will be free to move about. To reinforce an atmosphere of normality, the carers will dress as gardeners, hairdressers and shop assistants. The only catch is that Wiedlisbach's inhabitants will not be allowed to leave the village.
Link -via Marginal Revolution | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user Jess & Peter
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