HOMES. NOT INSTITUTIONS.
An innovative approach to Elder Care, Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, The Green House Project is a comprehensive, research based, and now proven system which creates a true home for those who require physical, emotional, and medical assistance in their daily lives.
The Green House Project was conceptualized by Dr. Bill Thomas, MD, who has become a foremost international authority on geriatric medicine and elder care.
What Dr. Thomas found after years of working to improve the lives of elders in traditional nursing homes was that the bulk of suffering among our elders comes not from physical pain but from Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom.
To combat these “plagues” Dr. Thomas created The Eden Alternative, a system designed to reintegrate self-determination, self-care, and genuine give-and-take relationships back into the lives of elders.
Since its inception 25 years ago, The Eden Alternative has revolutionized the nursing home industry reaching across the world and changing the way caregivers approach the elder community.
In 2001 Dr. Thomas took his vision to the next level creating the first Green House home. A Green House home is the ultimate physical environment in which to establish and maintain a true elder-centered community and combat the three plagues of aging. It is a home, with a living room, dining room, den, kitchen, and bedrooms each with a private bathroom. Each home has a maximum of 12 residents, and the home is specifically and carefully designed to allow elders to take control of their lives. They can cook if they want, they can make their own schedule, they can feel a sense of propriety and control in their surroundings. But along with being a genuine home, a Green House home is also a full service skilled nursing and rehab facility, licensed and equipped to care for post-acute short term needs and long-term residence. All professional services are on hand such as RNs, dietitians, caregivers, and therapists. Because of the unique set-up and design of the Green House homes, elders receive a much higher level of staff interaction and direct care, (4 times as much,) than in a traditional nursing home. Since the opening of the first Green House home in 2003 in Tupelo, MO, more than 200 Green House homes have opened and are thriving in over 30 States around the country.
