The Green Houses face several obstacles, including regulatoryissues. But some say they also face resistance from existing nursinghomes, which are based on an economies-of-scale model — the larger thehome, the cheaper it is to care for each individual resident. While some nursing-home operators welcome the idea of Green Houses,others are reluctant to help pay for them, says Susan Reinhard, whoheads the AARP’s Public Policy Institute. “You have owners who havetheir personal wealth invested in a model that was requested by societyway back,” she says.
“Green Houses” are possible alternative to nursing homes
Attempts to create popular alternatives to nursing homes have realized mixed results, but the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is betting on an eight-year-old movement called “Green Houses,” a WSJ Page One story reports. The foundation is investing $15 million over five years on Green Houses,which aim to replace large nursing homes with small, homelikefacilities for 10 to 12 residents. The foundation hopes Green Houseswill soon be in all 50 states, up from the 41 Green Houses now in 10states.
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