Sustaining and Supporting Seniors

Growing old and entering a nursing home used to conjure up thoughts of loneliness, despair, and even death. When I thought of nursing homes for my own aging mother, I thought of long sterile hallways, overbearing halogen lighting and hospital-like rooms, with the people inside the walls creeping and moving slowly as if lost in a zombie-like trance.

That’s why I was so surprised to come across a “new” kind of nursing home, referred to as the Green House. It actually LOOKED like a real home. As a matter of fact, this senior’s residency looked so much like the other homes on the block that I cruised right by it the first time.

Upon entering one of these Green Houses, you wouldn’t be able to readily tell that it is a type of “nursing home”. The walls and furnishings are tasteful and it is decorated like an actual home; not like a hospital or some other remedial type of environment. There were only 8 seniors in this home (though the maximum number tends to be around 10), and each of their rooms were unique to their tastes and designed by them. Each meal time was a cooperative effort between the staff (who are often referred to as “shahbaz” or elders or midwives) and the residents, task which both parties seemed to fully enjoy.

The Difference

What really seemed significantly different wasn’t necessarily the décor or the fact that the residents could decorate their own living space and be accountable for their own medications. How the entire program is set up is to retain the elderly person’s independence and dignity, and not take their privileges away.

After sitting with a few of the residence in the home, they let me know just how happy they were to be living in this “assisted living” house. A couple of the older ladies actually expressed their gratitude to be in such a home, and told me about the several different events they had set up each and every week: painting classes, yoga, wine tastings… it sounded like heaven to me!

The New Way to Grow Older

As the baby boomer generation grows older, new ways of thinking about “growing old” are coming to light. No longer are we hiding our elderly away in hospital rooms and stealing away all that they had taken pleasure in throughout their life. We are now treating the elderly as the valuable citizens that they are and respecting that they are individuals who have a right to do what they want and what they are capable of doing. Such programs like the Green Houses have shown that seniors are thriving in situations where they are able to keep their independence. We are now more than ever capable of living healthier, longer lives that are satisfying right up until our final hour.

Do not be surprised if most of the senior’s residencies and nursing homes in your area are switching to this new way of eldercare. Speak to seniors in your area, visit homes, or even run some Internet searches to find new age eldercare homes in your area.

photo by Melodi T