The Green House Project seeks to de-institutionalize traditional nursing homes with a homelike setting. Ten residents live in each house, where they have private bedrooms and make decisions about meals and activities.
New concept in elder care
Maura J. Halpern
The Arizona RepublicNov. 10, 2006
The latest concept in long-term care has sprung from the ground at the Baptist Village campus in Youngtown with three 7,000-square-foot "Green Houses."
The Green House Project seeks to de-institutionalize traditional nursing homes with a homelike setting. Ten residents live in each house, where they have private bedrooms and make decisions about meals and activities.
Youngtown's Green Houses, at 115th and Peoria avenues, will be the first in the western United States.
Construction is almost complete on the first house, and residents will move in soon after a grand opening celebration Dec. 18. The other two will open early next year.
Green Houses contain no corridors, medicine carts or privacy curtains.
Instead, there are private bedrooms that lead to a spacious great room with a kitchen and dining area.
"It gives independence and control back to the elder," said Dave Ellis, president and chief executive of Arizona Baptist Retirement Centers. "Here, visitors will have to ring the doorbell to come inside."
At many nursing home facilities, employees plan activities in advance and meals follow a six-week rotation.
In the Green Houses, residents not only decide what to eat, but can help cook if they wish.
The Green House concept is rooted in the Eden Alternative, which aims to eliminate hopelessness, loneliness and boredom.
It focuses on three factors: warm, green and smart.
Warmth is created through décor, furnishings and the residents. Smart refers to cutting-edge technology. Green includes sunlight, plants and access to the outdoors.
Each Green House features a large outdoor patio for guest visits and barbecues.
Self-directed workers known as Shahbaz serve as caregivers, friends and homemakers. They help clean, cook and coordinate activities that the residents choose.
"This is the most exciting thing for us, because we know what a difference it will make," Ellis said.
This is encouraging news for Sandra Carter, a Sun City resident whose mother, Twila Kapfer, will live in one of the Green Houses.
"My mother has always been a good cook, and even though she might not be able to prepare a meal, she'd love to share recipes," Carter said. "She'll enjoy that."
No comments:
Post a Comment