Green House (nursing home)
Encyclopedia
The Green House Project is a national non-profit organization dedicated to creating alternative living environments to traditional nursing home care facilities.
The project creates “caring homes for meaningful lives” for elders where residents have private rooms and baths, can move freely through the home, build deep knowing relationships with each other more and even participate in preparing their own meals. It is based on a philosophy seeking to reverse the “enforced dependency” of life in a traditional nursing home by creating small intentional communities of 7-10 elders designed to foster late-life development and growth.
Residents of Green House Project homes have shown “increased reports of mobility and social interaction, and fewer reports of weight loss and depression” compared with those living in traditional nursing home facilities.
in 2003, with the goal of personalizing elder care by redesigning nursing homes “from scratch” to provide residents more privacy and control over their lives.
Thomas is an international authority on elder care and has authored four books on the subject. In the early 1990s, Thomas and his wife, Jude Thomas, founded the Eden Alternative, now a global nonprofit organization that aims to deinstitutionalize long term care facilities by changing the culture of the typical nursing home.
Recognizing that nursing homes were “aging faster than the people living inside them,” Thomas later created The Green House Project with the goal of replacing the institutional nursing home model with small intentional communities where elders and staff focus on living full and vibrant lives.
In 2005, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
announced a five year, $10 million grant for The Green House Project across the United States. NCB Capital Impact currently administers The Green House Project and will continue to do so beyond the current five-year grant.
The first Green House Project home was constructed in 2003 in Tupelo, Mississippi
. NCB Capital Impact set a goal to complete 50 houses by 2010; that goal was reached in December 2008. As of 2011, there are 99 Green House Project homes on 43 campuses in 27 states.
Residents do not have strict schedules and are encouraged to interact with staff and other residents, plus visitors (pets and family members). Staff members and residents develop personal relationships with one another because of the small community and home atmosphere.
Staff members in Green House Project homes are broken up into four different roles: the Shabaz, the Guide, the Sage and the Clinical Support Team. The Shahbaz is the universal worker who provides personal care, prepares meals and performs housekeeping for the elders. The Guide is the supervisor of the Shabaz and is responsible for the operations of the home. The Sage is a local elder who volunteers to be a mentor and advisor to the work teams in The Green House Project home. The Clinical Support Team comprises nurses, therapists, services, activities and dietary professionals who work with the Shahbaz to provide individualized care for each elder.
In a 2004 report presented to the United States Congress
, researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health
found that the use of “a social model of care and maximum staff empowerment to serve elders needing skilled nursing care resulted in ‘statistically significantly’ favorable outcomes over traditional facilities.” The researchers found that elders in a Green House Project home were able to perform daily functions longer than those in traditional nursing facilities.
In November 2008, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus
(D-MT) said The Green House Project model "has shown promise for both improving the quality of life and care in these settings.”
According to Provider Magazine’s May 2010 cover story about The Green House Project, “The homes, which are designed for the purpose of offering ‘privacy, autonomy, support, enjoyment, and a place to call home,’ are a radical departure from traditional skilled nursing facilities and are considered to be the peak of culture change.”
In 2011, Green House Project was named as one of the “Top Ten Senior Living Design Innovations” by Long-Term Living Magazine.
Local organizations that are accepted into The Green House Project are provided assistance with the planning and implementation process of the houses. Organizations are also given support from The Green House Project based on the “experience of their management team, their financial capacity and the availability of regulatory approvals.”
Eden Alternative
Green House Project FAQs
Become a Green House Project
Founder Dr. William H. Thomas' published books
The project creates “caring homes for meaningful lives” for elders where residents have private rooms and baths, can move freely through the home, build deep knowing relationships with each other more and even participate in preparing their own meals. It is based on a philosophy seeking to reverse the “enforced dependency” of life in a traditional nursing home by creating small intentional communities of 7-10 elders designed to foster late-life development and growth.
Residents of Green House Project homes have shown “increased reports of mobility and social interaction, and fewer reports of weight loss and depression” compared with those living in traditional nursing home facilities.
History
The project was first developed by geriatrician William H. Thomas (physician)William H. Thomas (physician)
Dr. Bill Thomas is an international authority on geriatric medicine and eldercare from upstate New York. He is the founder of the Eden Alternative, a philosophy and program that de-institutionalized nursing homes in all 50 states and worldwide over the past 20 years...
in 2003, with the goal of personalizing elder care by redesigning nursing homes “from scratch” to provide residents more privacy and control over their lives.
Thomas is an international authority on elder care and has authored four books on the subject. In the early 1990s, Thomas and his wife, Jude Thomas, founded the Eden Alternative, now a global nonprofit organization that aims to deinstitutionalize long term care facilities by changing the culture of the typical nursing home.
Recognizing that nursing homes were “aging faster than the people living inside them,” Thomas later created The Green House Project with the goal of replacing the institutional nursing home model with small intentional communities where elders and staff focus on living full and vibrant lives.
In 2005, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the United States' largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care; it is based in Princeton, New Jersey. The foundation's mission is to improve the health and health care of all Americans...
announced a five year, $10 million grant for The Green House Project across the United States. NCB Capital Impact currently administers The Green House Project and will continue to do so beyond the current five-year grant.
The first Green House Project home was constructed in 2003 in Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
. NCB Capital Impact set a goal to complete 50 houses by 2010; that goal was reached in December 2008. As of 2011, there are 99 Green House Project homes on 43 campuses in 27 states.
Green House Project Homes
In a typical Green House Project home, each elder has his or her own private room and bathroom. Homes typically also include a living room, kitchen and open dining area. The homes are built to blend in with surrounding houses and neighborhoods. The Green House Project model allows for urban, rural and suburban style homes.Residents do not have strict schedules and are encouraged to interact with staff and other residents, plus visitors (pets and family members). Staff members and residents develop personal relationships with one another because of the small community and home atmosphere.
Staff members in Green House Project homes are broken up into four different roles: the Shabaz, the Guide, the Sage and the Clinical Support Team. The Shahbaz is the universal worker who provides personal care, prepares meals and performs housekeeping for the elders. The Guide is the supervisor of the Shabaz and is responsible for the operations of the home. The Sage is a local elder who volunteers to be a mentor and advisor to the work teams in The Green House Project home. The Clinical Support Team comprises nurses, therapists, services, activities and dietary professionals who work with the Shahbaz to provide individualized care for each elder.
Costs
Green House Project homes that are licensed as traditional nursing homes are eligible for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements along the same lines as a traditional nursing home. If the facility is licensed as assisted living, Medicaid reimbursement depends on the state’s assisted living provisions. For Medicaid, the costs are equivalent to the traditional Medicaid costs for nursing homes. If the income level is above the Medicaid minimum, there may be a co-pay for residents. For private pay, each facility determines its own private pay cost structure based on their local market.Evaluations
A 2009 evaluation of Green House Project care found it provided higher direct care (23-31 minutes more per resident per day) than traditional nursing homes and more than four times as much staff engagement with elders outside direct care activities.In a 2004 report presented to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health
University of Minnesota School of Public Health
The University of Minnesota School of Public Health, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a 15 masters programs and four doctoral programs, which culminate in one of the following degrees: Master of Public Health , Master of...
found that the use of “a social model of care and maximum staff empowerment to serve elders needing skilled nursing care resulted in ‘statistically significantly’ favorable outcomes over traditional facilities.” The researchers found that elders in a Green House Project home were able to perform daily functions longer than those in traditional nursing facilities.
In November 2008, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus
Max Baucus
Max Sieben Baucus is the senior United States Senator from Montana and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, as of 2010 he is the longest-serving Senator from Montana, and the fifth longest-serving U.S...
(D-MT) said The Green House Project model "has shown promise for both improving the quality of life and care in these settings.”
According to Provider Magazine’s May 2010 cover story about The Green House Project, “The homes, which are designed for the purpose of offering ‘privacy, autonomy, support, enjoyment, and a place to call home,’ are a radical departure from traditional skilled nursing facilities and are considered to be the peak of culture change.”
In 2011, Green House Project was named as one of the “Top Ten Senior Living Design Innovations” by Long-Term Living Magazine.
Becoming Involved
Local organizations can apply to become a Green House Project home by completing a multi-step process that includes review of Green House Project materials, attendance at a workshop and an official application. A sponsoring organization with The Green House Project arranges the health care to the elders and manages the personnel, administrative and office management functions for the house.Local organizations that are accepted into The Green House Project are provided assistance with the planning and implementation process of the houses. Organizations are also given support from The Green House Project based on the “experience of their management team, their financial capacity and the availability of regulatory approvals.”
External Links
Green House ProjectEden Alternative
Green House Project FAQs
Become a Green House Project
Founder Dr. William H. Thomas' published books