‘This is a true milestone’: Newly written standards offer a road map for long-term care

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“(Government) officials have expressed a concrete desire to expand the capacity of the long-term-care system and invest in new infrastructure, something that’s not even really on the table in America,” Penny Cook said.

“The only question,” she said, “is whether they will take the harsh lessons of the pandemic to heart and implement empowering care models such as Green House — or choose to ignore the experiences of elders and decades of research and build the exact same types of traditional, outdated buildings that failed too many Canadians before, during and after COVID-19.”

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  • “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.”

  • Based on a model designed by the Green House Project, which is dedicated to creating alternative living environments to traditional nursing home care facilities, Chelsea Jewish has condominium-style Green Houses … “All of our homes already operate at [staffing] ratios that are equal to or greater than the minimum required.”

  • 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.”

  • “Knowing how community ties can help providers obtain capital, and what type of loan is most industry-friendly can be successful steps towards garnering capital for senior care projects. Taking steps to minimize risk for the lender is another huge factor in attracting capital, according to experienced lenders and those involved in nursing home projects said during a recent webinar hosted by the Green House Project.”