The Green Houses at Tabitha
What happens when you are faced with making the decision to move your grandfather, mother, uncle, cousin or even friend from their residence into the care of others?
Will he have a fireplace to enjoy? Can she enjoy walking and eating on her individual schedule? Will they share meals around a family dining table as they did at home?
Tabitha Health Care Services answered this and many other questions when they introduced the first Green House to the community and the State of Nebraska in 2006. Lovingly pushing forward with its dream to de-institutionalize long-term care, Tabitha will add another pair of Green Houses north of its campus in the spring of 2011.
We know that our elders have contributed much in their lives and believe they deserve respect and dignity. Simply because a person requires additional care does not mean he or she must exchange the comforts of a warm setting. Tabitha’s Green Houses allow elders and family members to enjoy a sense of home while knowing our residents are well-cared for and safe.
In the Martin House and the Good House, our existing Green Houses and in each of the new Living Communities, nine to 12 elders enjoy spacious living and beautifully landscaped gardens all in a neighborhood setting.
The numbers prove the success of Tabitha’s dream to give all elders care in a home-like setting:
- In its first year of operation, Nebraska’s first Green House helped 90% of residents achieve improved clinical and social outcomes
- Caregivers love their clients and stay, 75% remaining on staff after 2.5 years of operation, the industry retention average less than 30%
- Tabitha’s original Green House operates at 99% occupancy with a full waiting list
Celebrate life well-lived with the feeling of home inside Tabitha’s Green House Living Communities.
The Green Houses at Tabitha
In May 2006, Tabitha opened Nebraska’s first–and the nation’s second Green House Project. The Green House transforms the way care is delivered, departing from the traditional nursing home model by bringing long-term care into a home setting. Nine people live in our first Green House, each with their own private room and bath. One of the first indications that life in the Green House was significantly different than a traditional nursing home was when one of the Elders asked to eat her first meal outdoors on the patio. Her wish was immediately granted. Since then, her love of the outdoors has been served every day that weather has permitted. Why is this remarkable? For years, the same Elder was cautioned “never” to go outside alone. Now, because she has the assistive technology that keeps her in touch with the Caregivers whenever she is on her own outdoors, she is living on her own terms.
Medical miracles were never expected, but the people of the Green House have made remarkable clinical strides: weight gain has been achieved when never before possible in a traditional setting. An Elder who was nearly bedfast upon admission is walking to the dining room with a little assist from the Caregiver. And, the first few steps have been taken by the eldest Elder who set a personal goal of walking by her 101st birthday this November.
One evening, the people of the Green House welcomed three newly trained Caregivers to the household during an evening punctuated with music, dancing, breaking bread, uncorking champaign and sharing the warmth that can only be felt when you truly feel at home. Then, in one beautiful and spontaneous moment, an Elder leaned in and whispered: “You know, there just isn’t time to be lonely here.”
The Green House Project was envisioned by William H. Thomas, M.D., and is being developed in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Cooperative Bank Development Corporation (NCBDC).