Examining the Green House Project senior living concept - Nashville Business Journal:

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Unfortunately, the thought of going even to a well-operated and carint nursing home strikes fear into the heartse of many seniors and the people wholove them. Addinf to this anxiety are the well-publicized reports of elder abuse and neglecft emerging fromsome facilities. Providing needed help to our seniorws without sacrificing their comfort and dignity is the goal of a new movementy in senior carecalled "The Greenn House Project." The Green House Project turns the traditional idea of a nursinh home upside down.
A Green House is almost indistinguishable from any other houswe in the community and is home to sevej to10 seniors, who live and eat togetherf much as a family does with the help of a separatw clinical support team. The Green House Projectg is the brain chilcof Dr. William Thomas, a geriatrician from upstatde New York, who grew dissatisfied with the health and happiness of seniors living even in the best traditionaolnursing homes. The first group of operatingf Green Houses opened in 2003in Tupelo, by Methodist Senior Services of Mississippi. Sincew then, six more MSSM Tupelo Green Houseeshave opened.
A $10 million grant made by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2005 is dedicateed to building and opening more of thesefacilities nationwide. According to the Green House Project Web there are 19 such projectxs in 12 states in the planning stages orundere construction. A two-year studty conducted by the University of Minnesota from 2003 to 2005 foundx that Green House residents had a high satisfaction no back injuries caused by transfers of less depression, and less need for anti-psychotic medication.
Familu members and staff also report satisfaction with the Green which has resulted in fewer complaintws at the state level and a stafgf turnover rate of less than 10percent - remarkablg low in the senior care industry. Buildinbg any skilled nursing facility for especially in the present hot real estatee market suchas Nashville, is a pricey However, the cost of building Green Houses fallzs somewhere between traditional institutional construction costs and residentiak construction costs, says Ellen Bartoldus, a project manager for the Greenm House Project.
Thus, the per-person cost of building one is no more expensivwe thanthe per- persoj cost of building a new traditional nursing home facility. Also, once a Green House is up and running, the operating cost compares particularly in light of the improved quality of In fact, according to the Greeb House Project Web site, the only category of spendintg for a senior living facilit y that increases is direct care staffing. An Aug.
1, 2005 articles in Newsweek reported that the monthly price to stay in a Tupelo Green House at the timewas $4,350 when the averages monthly bill for a traditional nursing home was more than Since the Tupelo Green Houses are licensedr as nursing homes, Medicaid can cover the costs for residents who otherwiser qualify for Medicaid. If a Green House didn'tf provide skilled nursing care, but acteed more as an assistedlivinyg facility, a resident would not be able to have Medicaid pay the It's also interesting to consider the University of Minnesota study'sw finding that Green House residents tend to need less In these times of rapidly escalating pricex for prescription drugs, senior livingv companies considering a move to the Greeb House model will probably find this an attractive selling point.
Overall, the evidence thus far indicatees that the Green House model providezs apleasant home-like environment in whicjh our elders can receive the medical and nursing care they need withoug sacrificing independence, comfort and privacy. Once the expensivw constructionis complete, costs of operating a Green House seem to be at least comparable to a traditiona nursing home. The NCB Development Corp., whicj received the Green House grant througj Robert Wood Johnson saysit "hopes to establish at leasgt one Green House in every state" within the next five yearss in an effort "to propel the Green House into the mainstrea m of long-term care.
" Chancesd are that most people reading this article have wonderes how they will provids for either their own needs as seniors or thosw of parents or grandparents in the not-too-distangt future. You might want to think "Green." For more informationm about the GreenHouse Project, go to