We'll treat you like family!
Archive for November, 2011
The Village Concept
Nov 17th
The Village Concept
I read Jaclyn Allmon’s posting on ALFA’s discussion group http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Will-Village-Movement-Gain-Momentum-1737157.S.80516243?view=&srchtype=discussedNews&gid=1737157&item=80516243&type=member&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_pd-ttl-cn&ut=1lh4B_NnNY5B01 commenting on an article published by Associated Press on November 12, entitled “Aging Americans Can Stay at Home With Aid of Villages” and featured on the Linkedin website: http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=908363755&gid=1737157&type=member&item=80516243&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efoxnews%2Ecom%2Fus%2F2011%2F11%2F12%2Faging-americans-can-stay-home-with-aid-villages%2F&urlhash=zcn8&goback=%2Egde_1737157_member_80516243
The Village is, from lack of a better term, a kind of cooperative formed by individuals or couples (from 35 to a few hundreds) funded by membership fees (averaging between $500.00 and $700.00) and run by a board of directors. Research shows that those who rely on the Village love the system. However, the village model has many limitations. One major problem is sustainability. Most villages cannot survive without donations, grants and volunteer workers.
I would like to learn more about the village model; the article is not very clear on what exactly is the Village offering to its members. So if anyone knows about some good sources of information, please direct me to them. As to Jaclyn’s posting and the comments made to it, I tend to agree with Jaclyn. The health and well-being of our seniors is too important to leave it in the hands of amateurs or volunteers, no matter how well intended they might be. Yes, we need More >
The Green House Projet
Nov 7th
The Green House Project.
In the last few days there were a number of articles and blogs about The Green House Project.
The Huffington Post quotes Dr. Bill Thomas, Green House Project Founder and Director of Innovation as follows: “Conventional long term care makes the doctors and nurses the stars of show, in the spotlight all the time. The Green House makes the elders the stars of the show…the doctors and nurses are still there, but they’re backstage, where they’re supposed to be.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/02/green-house-project-longterm-eldercare_n_1070458.html
The article also quotes Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which partners with the project saying that ”By altering the facility size, interior design, staffing patterns and service-delivery method, the Green House model provides residents better, safer and more personalized care. As a result, elders are happier and healthier. They have more enjoyment in life, remain independent longer and receive more individual attention from a caregiver each day.”
Laury Tarkan writes in the The New York Times in an article entitled A Nursing Home Shrinks Until it Feels Like Home( November 1, 2011 page D5) that “The notion that elder care should be de-institutionalized is a popular one. According to a poll released in September by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson More >
