As Our Parents Age So Do We

I chatted with Dr. Bill Thomas during the grand opening of the Green Houses in Virginia.

In case you missed it, listen to this terrific All Things Considered segment, Move Over Nursing Homes — There’s Something Different. The July 23, 2013 radio story describes a visit to a Green House community in Baltimore and features Dr. Bill Thomas, the geriatrician who created the concept of elder care communities that help  residents maintain as much independence as possible.

The reporter also interviews staff members and residents who describe their daily lives the Baltimore community.

Interesting Points in the NPR Story

• Many of the nursing homes in the United States were constructed in the 1960’s and 1970’s and will need to be replaced soon.
• Despite many personal services and the lack of strict scheduling, the cost of residing in a Green House is about the median cost of residing in a nursing home.
• Staff and community residents are really happy community members.

Best Quote from the Program

Thomas, a geriatrician from upstate New York, had patients then who lived in nursing homes, and he realized “that the medicines I was prescribing were not treating the true source of suffering, which was loneliness.”

Read my other Green House Homes posts.