Dr. Bill Thomas wants to abolish nursing homes, he told Ryan Warner in a Colorado Public Radio interview on May 23, 2014. Why? Dr. Bill Thomas, a nationally known geriatrician, envisions a Green House model, where several homes are clustered together with ten residents living in each home. Each individual resident has their own bedroom and bathroom, complete with their own front doors and doorbells. And, they may help out with the cooking, cleaning and gardening.
Thomas believes older people are much better off living in small group homes rather than in nursing homes. He doesn’t believe that aging baby boomers will tolerate the traditional big institution nursing home model. The feeling of a medical facility is not part of his vision, but to create a place that feels like home to all the five senses. He sees the nursing home model as a thing of the past.
“There are currently about 160 developments across the country and many more now under construction. Each home has a team of workers who manage the house and prepare and eat meals with the residents.” Thomas says it would be no more expensive than a nursing home.
The first Colorado Green House homes will open this fall in Loveland. Learn more at: One man’s mission to abolish nursing homes comes to Colorado by Andrea Dukakis.
