Facility

What is the square footage of a Green House® home?
A typical one-story Green House® home averages 7,400 square feet.
 
What is the square footage of the bedrooms in The Green House home?
Bedrooms typically are approximately 210 square feet and provide private accommodations, bathroom, and shower.

What type of license is a Green House® home required to have?
Green House® homes are licensed nursing homes with the clinical capability to care for all elders who require skilled nursing care.  


Cost

What costs does a resident incur living in a Green House® home?
The costs are similar to that of traditional nursing homes. We accept all payor sources including Medicaid, Medicare, VA, private, and Hospice.

Are Green House® homes eligible for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement along the same lines that a traditional long-term care facility would be?
Yes. The same reimbursement rules and provisions apply to Green House® homes as would normally be found in traditional nursing homes.

Staffing

How does the staffing in a Green House® home compare to a traditional nursing home? 
Some administrative positions may be eliminated or reduced, with funds typically shifted toward the elders’ direct care. The clinical team works in partnership with the Shahbazim to develop and implement individualized care plans for the elders. The Shahbazim in each house form a self-managed work team that provides 24-hour care for up to 12 elders. Approximately 5 ½ hours of direct care is provided to each elder per day, a staffing ratio substantially greater than the traditional nursing home.

What specific training have the direct care givers completed?
Direct care workers are universal workers called Shahbazim with core training as Certified Nursing Assistants, with 132 additional hours of specialized training in preparation to take on their new roles. The curriculum covers the Green House® philosophy of care, policies, and procedures for their specific cottage as well as communications skills, culinary training, safe food handling, and certification in first aid and CPR.

What are the responsibilities of the Shahbazim (direct care workers)?
They are responsible for a variety of tasks, including:

• Menu planning
• Daily meal preparation
• Laundry
• Light housekeeping
• Personal care
• Communications with the clinical team and families

The Green House® Project uses different terminology to describe the staff; who are they and what are their roles?
Shahbaz: The Shahbaz is a universal worker who provides personal care, meal planning and preparation, light housekeeping, and laundry. The plural form of the word is Shahbazim.  

Guide: The Guide serves as coach and supervisor to the Shahbazim, and is responsible for the overall operations and quality of services in the home. The Guide may be responsible for one or more Green House® homes, depending on the size of the community.

Sage: The Sage is a local volunteer who acts as a coach or mentor, assisting to facilitate the development and continued growth of the self-managed work team and to serve as a trusted advisor to the Shahbazim.

Clinical Care

If there is no nurses’ station in the Green House® home, who cares for the elders?
A Clinical Team will provide skilled care for the residents as required in the care plan.  The Shahbazim, by developing close relationships with elders, will provide the Clinical Team with valuable information to assist in the development of the care plan.

Who is on the clinical team?
The Clinical Team is comprised of a Medical Director, Director of Nursing, nurses, therapists, social workers, dietician and activities coordinator. Typically, one nurse will support two Green House® homes depending on the elders’ needs and time of day. 

Is clinical care available 24 hours a day?
Yes, licensed nurses are available to and responsible for clinical care in Green House® homes on a 24-hour basis. At any time, if a nurse is not in a home and is needed, he or she is available to Shahbazim and elders through an emergency pager and other advanced communications technologies.

Is there a physician directly related to the Green House® home or do elders keep their own physicians?
As in any nursing home, elders may choose to retain their personal physician or to use the project’s medical director as their primary care physician.

General

What role do families play in a Green House® home?
Family participation is encouraged and welcomed, from sharing meals with loved ones and participating in activities to volunteering time or helping the elder to decorate his or her personal space. Well-behaved family pets also are welcome to visit if elders in the house have no medical restrictions.

In a Green House® home, families visit more, stay longer, and are more engaged in the daily life of the elder, contributing to the enhanced emotional and social well-being of their loved one.

Is the Green House® model a franchise?
The Green House® Project is not a franchise, but it shares some similarities with franchise models: First, the project licenses THE GREEN HOUSE® service mark to adopting organizations. Second, it provides tools and technical assistance to help groups start up and manage their Green House® projects.