Provided by: CareWell Health
5/03/2008 - ‘Green House’ nursing homes, which seek to reinvent the traditional nursing home and create a more intimate environment for residents, are becoming a reality in the US. This is despite opposing views about their financial viability – so how long until Australia follows in our big brother’s footsteps?
There is no doubt a need for change within the aged care sector in Australia, particularly with the rapidly changing face of Australia’s older people. There is an increased ageing population approaching in Australia, with the number of people aged 85 and over projected to triple over the next 20 years, and this also means a dramatic shift in demographic.
As the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation begins to retire, with many moving into nursing homes in the future, aged care resident needs are changing.
Dr William Thomas and his wife Jude Meyers Thomas, who conceived the idea of the “Green House” nursing home, are both 45 and children of the 1960s. Therefore they have a good perception of what the baby boomer generation will want from an aged care facility. Unlike their predecessors, who lived through the Depression, the Baby Boomer generation is often seen as more demanding and is likely to expect more from their aged care experience.
Not only is more of the population ageing, people are living longer. According to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released this year, Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world. This increased life expectancy should be seen as a gift, not a burden. Older people who are forced to live in nursing homes should have the opportunity to enjoy these valuable years of their life as much as possible.
That’s why a nursing home should feel like exactly that, a home. People who move into these facilities have the view of spending the rest of their lives there. However, this doesn’t mean their lives as they know it should be over – maintaining as much independence as possible is crucial.
A Dutch Humitas project into environmental effects on residents found that environments have a significant impact on a resident’s state of mind, even allowing for a reduction in pharmaceutical prescriptions.
Despite the benefits of these new-age facilities, there are some major obstacles to making ‘Green House’ nursing homes a reality in Australia – not least the excessive costs of such a project. To make a residential facility feel more like a home, it needs to be set in an intimate environment, this means higher staffing levels and wages. This would also mean further strain on our already limited resources, with the number of aged care nurses in Australia declining.
Further, the increased age of nurses within the sector will be another obstacle for the high care environment of ‘Green Houses’. According to the AIHW, nurses in Australia aged even further between 2001 and 2005. In 2001, the average age of employed nurses was 42.2 years and in 2005, the average age was 45.1 years. Importantly, nurses working in aged care were more likely to be older.
With several ‘Green House’ homes already functioning in the US, about 100 more are under development across the country. Whilst there has been no sign of “Green House” homes being established in Australia to date, at CareWell Health we are working towards addressing the need to ensure older people remain as independent as possible.
The Dutch project also found that 57 percent of residents gave emphasis to the bed and mattress because it enabled independence of movement, comfort, and mobility and reduced the need for restraints such as side rails.
CareWell has been working with PTW Architects on a range of products with a focus on providing the frail aged with options that will enable them to have more control over their lives. This includes a suite of matching furniture designed so that frail older people don’t have to feel like they’re living in a hospital when at home or in a residential facility.
As an Australian owned company, All our products are designed specifically for the Australian Market. “Green House” nursing homes may not be here yet, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.
About CareWell Health:
CareWell Health is an Australian owned company that designs, sources and manufactures quality and stylish healthcare products. The key goal of the organisation is to provide simple and innovative solutions for the daily challenges faced by Australian healthcare providers and importantly, the patients using these products.
