Because its approach seemed the best way to honor Elders, Methodist Senior Services decided to pursue a new way of delivering care based upon the Eden principles developed by Dr. William Thomas.
The first Green HouseⓇ Homes opened in Tupelo, Mississippi, at the Traceway campus in 2003, followed by six more in 2005. Over the past twenty years, MSS has expanded this model to encompass Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Memory Support, with a total of twenty Green House® Homes across Mississippi. This innovative model aims to eliminate the institutionalized feel of traditional nursing homes, emphasizing compassionate care tailored to each Elder’s needs. We prioritize quality of life, including privacy, dignity, autonomy, and emotional well-being.
The Green House® concept arising from the Eden principles is designed to deinstitutionalize nursing home life and provide an environment where Elders engage in meaningful life activities, eliminating “loneliness, helplessness and boredom.” The idea is to deliver care and services in a facility that is home, not “home-like.”
Life revolves around the Elders who live there, as opposed to traditional skilled nursing models which revolve around the efficient delivery of medical treatment. Homes are designed to accommodate 10-12 Elders in private rooms with private bathrooms surrounding a large living area called “the Hearth,” complete with a fireplace, large screen TV and comfortable recliners, chairs and sofas.
The relationship of the private rooms to the Hearth allows the Elders to control their own level of social engagement by closing their door for privacy, opening it to observe activities in the Hearth, or to join the group and engage in various activities of life such as social interaction, menu planning, meal preparation, setting the table and recreational activities.
An open kitchen with a breakfast bar and a large family-style dining table invites residents to linger over a cup of coffee and visit with their housemates. In our Green House® Homes, meals are prepared from scratch using favorite recipes. The aroma of home-cooked meals fills the air, and there’s always a snack close by, any time, day or night.
The primary caregiver in each home is a universal worker called a Shahbaz. Each Shahbaz is a certified nursing assistant who has received more than 150 additional hours of training in such areas as CPR, Safe Serve food handling, first aid, basic home maintenance, and being part of a self-managed work team. Nursing, therapy, clinical and medical support are delivered like home health—they make “house calls.”
MSS is challenging conventional practices by investing heavily in training employees who work most closely with the Elders. Staff who feel valued and appreciated, who have a significant voice in the operation of our homes are happy employees who take pride in their work and see it as an opportunity for ministry. They tend to become long-term employees. In this way, the Green House® concept is addressing an upcoming crisis: a shortage of caregivers.
Each Green House® Home meets all regulatory guidelines and falls within Mississippi Medicaid reimbursement levels. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., has endorsed the concept, as has the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Today, dozens of other organizations throughout the nation and around the world are following in our footsteps. What began as the “right thing to do” has become a revolution that’s changing the way America cares for her Elders. Our hope is to eliminate the belief that frail Elders need to be in institutional settings in order to receive affordably-priced services. Our vision is to make Mississippi the best place in the country to grow old.
