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Division of Aging and DHHS Divisions Eldercare
Locator HomeCare
Association
Age
with Dignity East
Arkansas Western
Arkansas
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This
column appears in the June 2006 edition of Aging Arkansas,
Arkansas will become the first state in the nation to see a “Green House” affordable assisted living project. The Green House is a total rethinking of the architecture, organization, staffing and philosophy of care normally associated with long term care facilities. "North West Senior Services' (NWASSI) Green House project is a double first — the first Green House in Arkansas and the first Green House in the country partially funded with low-income housing tax credits,” stated Robert Jenkens. Jenkens is the deputy director of NCB Development Corporation’s (NCBDC) Coming Home program for affordable assisted living, and director of the Green House Replication Initiative. Jenkens said “These innovations will allow NWASSI and its partners, Prime Time Environments and the Community Development Corporation of Bentonville/Bella Vista, to provide the Green House as an option to all of Bentonville's elders, both those who can pay privately and those who need assistance with housing and service costs. This is a tremendous accomplishment and one that will serve as a model for the national Green House Project. I am very proud to be a part of the partnership for innovation between AR's Division of Aging and Adult Services, the Arkansas Development Finance Agency, and Arkansas providers established under the Coming Home Program and continuing to produce firsts in Arkansas and country.” The Green House is the vision of Dr. William Thomas, a Harvard-educated geriatrician who created the Eden Alternative and Eden at Home. The latter is also first being implemented in Arkansas thanks to AARP. The Eden Alternative, according to Dr. Thomas, has the potential of remaking the experience of aging and disability across America and around the world. It is a powerful tool for improving quality of life. The goal of the Eden Alternative is to help others create enlivening environments and the elimination of the plagues of Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom. Under the Eden Alternative philosophy environments are seen as habitats for human beings rather than facilities for the frail and elderly. For that reason, Green Houses don’t look like other long term care facilities. A Green House is a self-contained dwelling for seven to 10 people. It is designed to look like a private home or apartment in the surrounding community. Each person who lives in a Green House has their own bedroom and full bathroom. Each Green House has a central hearth with an adjacent open kitchen and dining area, and short halls. The first Green Houses were established in Tupelo, Miss., by Methodist Senior Services of Mississippi. By all accounts it appears a success. They have run the new houses on a cost-neutral basis, and have seen occupancy rates increase from 85-92% before Green House to 95-100% with a waiting list. The Tupelo operation has been the subject of a two-year study funded by the Commonwealth Fund and conducted by Dr. Rosalie Kane and a team from the University of Minnesota. Outcomes to date include:
The team bringing the first Green House to Arkansas are true innovators. The Community Development Corporation of Bentonville developed the first purpose built affordable assisted living facility in the State. Now they are going a step further introducing the Green House concept to the State. Expansion of the Green House concept would not be possible without the support of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the leadership of Robert Jenkens and NCBDC. RWJF has awarded NCBDC a $10 million grant to help spur the widespread adoption of the Green House. “Through our partnership, we intend to propel the Green House into the mainstream of long-term care," said RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA. "By doing so, we will help provide frail and disabled individuals who otherwise would live in a traditional nursing home with the option of community-based housing where they have autonomy, dignity, and choice, while remaining part of a community and receiving the full range of clinical services.” The five-year grant to the NCB Development Corp. will allow NCBDC staff to provide technical assistance and pre-development loans to support organizations that want to establish a Green House. Within the next five years, NCBDC hopes to establish at least one Green House in every state, making it convenient for stakeholders across the country to visit one and consider adopting the model for their own operations. Organizations interested in participating in the project can find additional information and register for upcoming workshops on the project at the NCBDC’s website www.ncbdc.org. If the residents of Green Houses have the same experience of Cynthia Dunn, 82, the concept will spread. William Hamilton, with the New York Times, reported during his visit to the Tupelo Green House Ms. Dunn pulled herself up in her wheelchair without invitation and expressed her opinion on where she lived. “This is the most wonderful place I’ve been to yet,” she said. “The people, the food, everything.” Division of Aging and Adult Services |
