From Senator Ed Markey to select board chair Art Smadbeck, a mix of high-level politicians and local figures broke ground in Edgartown on the 70-bed, $68 million Navigator Homes elderly housing project intended to replace the Windemere Nursing & Rehabilitation Center on the Vineyard. “This is going to be a place that really helps families, and that cares for their loved ones in a way that is almost family-like,” Markey said.
In the long term, nursing homes may need to explore entirely new models of care, Brown assistant professor Elizabeth White added, pointing to the Green House model, which establishes smaller scale facilities and emphasizes self-sufficiency and community, as an example. “There’s work around really innovative solutions out there."
"Most people with ALS want to stay home rather than suffer the indignity of moving to a traditional nursing home. I hope for a world in which the Leonard Florence Center for Living is the standard of care in America."
The Green House concept just makes perfect sense for elder care, McAlilly said. "It's built around the concept of home," he said. "It's their home, and we just happen to work there."
"The incredible leaders at this facility have not only created a state-of-the-art long-term care facility but also crafted a nurturing home where residents can live lives filled with purpose, joy, and fulfillment," said Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman. "As we unveil these remarkable renovations, we also celebrate the power of empathy and quality care for our aging population."
"Jamie’s Place is based on the Green House model, which de-institutionalizes the standard nursing home model through intentional community, intimate facilities, personalized care, and a degree of independence and control not typically seen in elder care. ... Although they are unique in senior care, at Jamie’s Place they are routine. 'All the best things at Jamie’s Place are completely normal.'"
"A hallmark of The Green House Project is the elimination of the institutional feel of traditional, long-hallway nursing facilities. Instead, care is provided in small groups, in family-style settings. Big changes include private accessible bathrooms for each room and secure medicine cabinets that eliminate the need for rolling nurses’ carts. The nurses have an office, rather than a station. And there’s even a fire pit outside for residents to enjoy with each other and their families."
“Today, the head of our hospitality department is doing culinary training with our care partners,” said Erin Kolb, Poydras Home CEO, at the event. “They will be cooking meals. Laundry will be done in a home, just like you and I live in. And that is one of the core values of a Green House home: creating meaningful life each day for the elders who live in that home and having a dedicated team of empowered staff to provide care.” “I am alive for these parties,” Holt said with a smile as music blared, people danced and others played yard games. “I love it up here. There’s no comparison.”
Michael Holt has lived at Traceway Retirement Community in Tupelo for about two years. He said the community, which is set up like a normal subdivision with nursing home capabilities in each home, was unlike any other he’s seen. “I am alive for these parties,” Holt said with a smile as music blared, people danced and others played yard games. “I love it up here. There’s no comparison.”
“Part of this transformation must include reducing the imprint of nursing homes and making existing facilities more homelike, person-centered spaces. Green House and other small nursing home models have been very successful in achieving these goals in other states and should be developed in New Jersey as well.”