"In May 2023, Susan presented at the ARIIA conference Facing The Future: Aged Care 2030 and Beyond #ariiaconference2023, in Adelaide, South Australia. She spoke with Re Aged Care about the Green House Project and its commencement in Australia."
“Our Best Life approach comprehensively and holistically looks at who the person is and [asks] how do we really ensure each person is living his or her best life? It’s really about seeing the person,” Ms. Ryan explained. “As it pertains to somebody living with dementia, how many times do we just focus on loss and decline and say they can’t do that anymore? We have labels and we see the label before we see the person. “I challenge you to see who that person is. We’re going to shift beliefs.”
"Founded in Rochester in 1997 by a group of forward thinkers, the Pioneer Network has since evolved through a partnership with The Green House Project (GHP) into the Center for Innovation. The new alliance focuses on supporting eldercare reform initiatives and educating and advising eldercare organizations that seek to initiate changes to the cultural, organizational, and physical structures of the traditional nursing home."
"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.”
"There is an increasing urgency and growing expectation for change in Australia – driven by residents, customers, workers, and regulators alike – to move to a model of care where the priority is the older person’s preferences and staff skills are developed and nurtured. The Green House Project delivers this."
ACH Group will be the first aged care provider in Australia to implement the U.S.-founded Green House Project (GHP) model of care, which promotes the autonomy and individuality of residents and staff. Informed by person-directed care principles, GHP maximizes the independence of residents, empowers staff, and enhances the benefits of the highly regarded small household design that Healthia has adopted.
Small, household models of skilled nursing care are not new, but they have been largely overlooked until the COVID-19 pandemic, during which they fared far better than traditional nursing homes. At the same time, a growing body of research shows a multitude of quality advantages over traditional nursing homes.
Private rooms alone won’t remedy nursing home system’s shortcomings. “The Green House model is a lot more than just the building,” says Alex Spanko. “It’s about the culture, too.”