The Green House is a group home for elders built to a residential scale that situates necessary clinical care within a habilitative, social model in which primacy is given
to the elder's quality of life. The Green House Project was developed by and has drawn its philosophical foundation from the work of William Thomas, MD.
The model redesigns how care is delivered to elders. The Green House meets typical regulatory requirements
for adult homes, skilled nursing, and assisted living. The goal of the model is to provide the frail elder with an environment that promotes autonomy, dignity, privacy and choice.
This model of care includes changes in:
- Facility size and design
- Interior design
- Staffing patterns
- Job descriptions
- Patterns of clinical care delivery
The Green House is:
- A warm, sacred place, filled with meaning to the elders living in the home
- Where elderhood and those who assist elders are honored and respected
- Full of life, not death. Full of celebration, ceremony, tradition and ritual
- Where the decisions are made by the elders, or as close to the elders as possible
- Welcoming to families, children and community members, who come to the Home to participate in the growth of those who live and work here.
Green House Goals
The goal of the Green House and its participants is to enhance elder's quality of life by:
- Providing privacy
- Recognizing and valuing individuality
- Honoring autonomy and personal choice
- Fostering spiritual well-being
- Creating a sense of safety, security, and order
- Facilitating physical comfort
- Fostering enjoyment
- Providing meaningful activities
- Offering opportunities for reciprocal relationships
- Promoting functional competence
- Conveying the importance of an individuals dignity
- Improving job satisfaction for staff
- Providing safe and effective clinical care to meet individual needs
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