The Truest Cyborg I Know: A high-tech home built specifically for people living with ALS offers a new way to conceive of independence.

Categories: In The News, National Media Items

As part of the Green House Project, a network of clinicians and caregiving executives who are creating (or restoring) high‐quality environments and services for older adults, Berman understood immediately the importance of the idea. The two worked together to find the philanthropic funding, the architects, and the software engineers to bring Steve’s vision to life. Those years of planning were difficult; “smart” home appliances had yet to come to the mainstream market. But Saling House opened its doors in 2010; in 2016, a second residence followed.

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  • “A small but growing group of nursing homes are already implementing these changes. Collectively called ‘household models,’ these nursing homes have generated enthusiasm among diverse stakeholders and long-term care experts. Because of its scale and consistency across homes, the Green House approach has been the most frequently studied household model.”

  • “Alternatives to traditional nursing homes for older adults who cannot remain in their own homes has prompted interest in smaller, community-style facilities such as the Green House model. Staff are used more flexibly in the Green House model, and work with small clusters of residents; the model’s success, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has attracted interest as an alternative to traditional nursing homes.

  • “The Center for Innovation and its Green House Project is promoting government incentives that support construction of modern, person-directed facilities through targeted grants or Medicaid rate increases. Providers in Arkansas and soon Ohio, for instance, receive Medicaid rate add-ons for private room nursing care.”

  • “Some suggestions included increasing state investment in home care, incentivizing a transition toward fewer-occupant rooms and Green House-style facilities, standardizing the Medicaid reimbursement system with data-based adjustments over time, increasing audits and financial transparency requirements for nursing homes, and building workforce pipelines into the sector through scholarships and more flexible training programs.”