John Knox Village in Pompano Beach is building the first “Green House” long-term-care center in Florida, with another one planned for next year in Jacksonville, the South Florida Sun-Sentinelreports.
Those who are familiar with the concept might wonder why it has taken so long for Florida to move toward a concept that was introduced 20 years ago by a geriatrician who called it “The Eden Alternative.”
The idea is that instead of putting scores of patients in a typical nursing home, to house them in home-like settings of no more than 10 or 12 to a group, and to create as much of a natural feeling as possible, with pets and dinner at the dining table, etc. There are now 150 such centers, around the country, but still none in Florida.