The Green House Project
A radically simple alternative to the traditional nursing home.
As our nation's population ages, most seniors prefer to remain at home or in their communities. Nursing homes are often considered a last resort.
In 2001, a visionary pediatrician named Bill Thomas visited the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to discuss a concept designed to abandon the cold, institutional feel of nursing homes. In subsequent years, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the concept evolved into THE GREEN HOUSE® Project: small homes that return control, dignity, and a sense of well-being to elders, while providing high-quality, personalized care.
A Green House home differs from a traditional nursing home in terms of facility size, interior design, organizational structure, staffing patterns, and methods of delivering skilled professional services. It is designed from the ground up, to look and feel like a real home. Food is cooked on premises, and medical equipment is often tucked away in wall closets. Skilled nursing assistants manage residents' care, with support from nurses and therapists but minus the extra supervisory and administrative layers—a reversal of the traditional nursing home model.
Over more than a decade, RWJF has supported investigation of the Green House concept, local and national expansion efforts, and research to assess the impact of Green House homes on health and quality of life. To date, more than 260 Green House homes in 32 states are open or under development. And in general, studies suggest that elders living in the homes are happier and healthier.
