The Green House^® Project was established in the US and is a model that links care, culture and design, with the Eden Alternative principles to specific design guidelines. The core concept of a green house is to create smaller living environments for elders that revolve around a centralised ‘hearth’ with bedrooms coming off the central dining and lounge room areas.

Green House^® homes are based on a non institutional model that reinvents the experience of long term care and has the potential to deliver significant positive emotional capital for residents, their families and staff. It provides a warm community residence for elders, that offers privacy, autonomy, support, enjoyment and a place to call home. Recent evaluations of 69 homes have demonstrated significant improvements relative to more conventional nursing home sites.

In Australia and New Zealand, many organisations are looking to create a similar environment for their elders using the The Green House^® concept. For the Australasian operators, smaller living environments or households are being established.

The number of residents in a community group range from 10 – 15 depending upon the design constraints, funding model and frailty of the residents who would be living in these homes. Fundamental to the success of the design model is the implementation and practical application of the Eden Alternative as the premier care model. Without these two intertwined, culture change can be stalled and the institutional framework of behaviour will dominate.

There are Australian and New Zealand Homes and Organisations who are actively building new models of smaller residential and community living environments, using a household design model. Contact us for further information.