A hundred years ago or so, when first starting my nursing career, I worked in a VA Hospital that practiced a lot of these concepts within their long term care units. I'm not sure that this concept existed formally at that time or if they knew they were practicing it. I have to say that it spoiled me for working in the more traditional approaches of long term care settings.
The facility that I am in now, while classified as a nursing home, is not your typical nursing home. Our residents are people with debilitating, incurable illness who need nursing care. Our current age range is from 22 years old to 80 something. Most of our resident's have been in the facility about 20 years. We practice concepts similar to that of Green House and Eden, promoting and facilitating as much autonomy as each resident is capable of. the facility was founded in around 1939 with this philosophy in mind, so I doubt they knew or know now that they are practicing an "innovative" form of long term care.
We just completed a $15 million dollar renovation that expanded the size of the building, but also would very closely meet the criteria the Green House philosophy encourages. It took 3 years. I wasn't there for most of it, but from what I hear from other staff and the resident's themselves, the inconvenience was well worth it.
I guess I'm going around my butt to get to my elbow, but what I'm trying to say is that I think it's a wonderful environment to work in, and according to our resident's, to live in. I see people every day who flourish that I'm sure would be failing in another type of environment. I saw the same thing 20 years ago in those VA nursing homes.
Good luck with your project.
Dorothy
Dorothy Wolfe, RN, BS
MDS Coordinator
The Virginia Home
1101 Hampton St.
Richmond, VA 23220
Phone: 804-359-4093 X227
Fax: 804-358-4075
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At 03:06 PM 5/6/2004 -0700, you wrote:
shellie emahizer
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----- Original Message -----
From: Park Lane MDS
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 9:03 AM
Subject: neighborhoods
I have question for the group. In my facility we are in the planning stages of making neighborhoods, its not the Eden alternative, but I think our administrator called it the Greenhouse, anyway. I was wondering if there was anyone out there who could tell me how change over went going from the institutional environment, to the more home like atmosphere.
1) I would like any suggestions, problems you encountered, and the solutions.
2)Do you think it was worth the work, and headaches.
3)How did you get staff to accept the idea, and work with the changes going on?
4) How did the residents and families do during the changes?
5) Any stories or comments about the whole change.
6)I would also like any comments from other facilities who have done the change over, about if they are planning on doing this, and if not why.
Just curious is all, I think it will be wonderful, meeting a lot of resistance from some. But I am totally stoked about the changes.
You can email me privately if you wish.
Thank you for your time.
Shellie
shellie emahizer
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