Question: What’s the Green House Project? (Hint: It’s Not About Growing Tomatoes)

Recently I sat in on a very interesting webinar on The Green House Project.  I had heard the phrase “green house” connected to new options for Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), but I was not sure what it entailed, and it turns out it is not limited to CCRCs.  (When I first heard the term, I confused it with “green designs” intended to lower energy costs, or perhaps some movement to include gardening as therapy.) 

Here are a few highlights from what I now understand:

• The Green House Project, about 11 years old, began with development support from a number of funding sources, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as a new approach to long-term care, requiring a major change in thinking about senior housing design and staffing.
• The hallmark is person-centered care in a cluster setting of no more than 12 individuals, preferably 10.
• Residents have individual bedrooms and bathrooms, thus creating “home” environments.
• Meals are prepared and served in the central space – again, an effort to provide “home” settings.
• No call buttons, no nursing stations, and as few wheelchairs as possible.
• Expanded roles (and enhanced esteem) for staff members; the in-house caregivers or “shahbazim” have a wider range of responsibilities that include cooking and activity planning, and these roles involve specialized training.

Individual facilities can become “trademarked” Green Houses — although the term has also become something of a trend in the senior housing industry, without being tied strictly to trademarking.  The Green House Project, a nonprofit organization, charges fees for formal consultations in the planning process. In some instances, fees may be covered by grants from other foundations. 

Here’s the link to the Green House Project website, including information on additional upcoming (and free!)  webinars on financing, plus opportunities to participate in on-site workshops. I can see these as useful resources for students asked to consider new models for care.