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THE GREEN HOUSE® Project creates small, intentional communities for groups of elders and staff to focus on living full and vibrant lives. This Model is a radical departure from traditional nursing homes and assisted living facilities – altering facility size, interior design, organizational structure, staffing patterns, and methods of delivering skilled professional services.
Each Green House home is unique, but all are intimate spaces, with warm interior designs and staff that help elders live better and with more independence. In a Green House home, elders receive a high level of personalized and professional medical care and support with daily living, without feeling that their lives are being disrupted or overtaken.
The Green House model replaces large, impersonal, nursing facilities with inviting, comfortable, social living spaces that research shows help elders to live happier, more satisfying lives. To experience an on line Green House model general overview webinar 24/7 click here.

Architecture: Warm, Smart and Green

Green House homes look and feel like homes – because that’s exactly what they are.
Each Green House residence is designed to be a home for six to ten elders (twelve with a financial hardship exception), blending architecturally with neighboring homes. The Green House homes are characterized by their vibrant outdoor spaces and pleasing aesthetics both inside and out. Each elder has a private room with a private bathroom. The elders’ rooms allow ample sunlight and are clustered around a shared living room with a hearth, an open kitchen and dining area. The homes are relatively small, allowing many elders to get around without wheelchairs. Safety features are carefully built into each home.
The Green House homes all have three common elements:
  • Warm: The warmth one feels when walking into a Green House home comes from a floor plan that encourages social interaction, as well as comforting decor, furnishings and people.
  • Smart: Green House homes are created to use cost-effective, smarttechnology, such as wireless pagers and electronic ceiling lifts.
  • Green: “Green” in The Green house model means growth.  The intentionally designed environment, from the open kitchen to the yard, promotes opportunities for elders to live to their fullest potential.  Green House homes are designed to let in the natural world, through plenty of sunlight, plants and garden areas, and outdoor access.

The Green House Life: It’s a Home

The Green House homes encourage elders to make themselves at home. Elders can decorate their private room and bath with their own belongings. They have easy access to all areas of the house, including the kitchen, laundry, outdoor garden and patio. They are free from schedules and can eat, sleep and entertain themselves when and where they choose. Meals are prepared in the open kitchen and served at a large, well-set dining table where staff, elders and visitors all gather and socialize.
The Green House model was developed by Dr. William Thomas and is rooted in the Eden Alternative, a model for cultural change within nursing facilities.  Dr. Thomas’ vision is to build a new type of residence that will be a real home to the elders who live there, while meeting regulatory requirements.