AARP’S Recommendation for New Long-term Care Facility in Smyrna

AARP believes that people should be able to age with dignity and independence, and with a high-quality of life. That's why AARP submitted its recommendation to state leaders for the planning and designing of the new facility that will replace Delaware’s Home for the Chronically IlI in Smyrna, Delaware, highlighting the importance for long-term care facilities to promote safety, well-being, and infection control especially with today’s challenges in dealing with COVID. AARP is talking with state leaders and Delaware’s Division of Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities to encourage moving away from the traditional facility design. AARP recommended the incorporation of a state-of-the-art Green House Model into plans for the new Home for the Chronically III facility.

A development of homes that are built in partnership with forward-thinking eldercare providers, developers, and advocates, the Green House Model is revolutionizing care to empower lives.

The Green House Model will prevent infections and promote the quality of life for elders and adults with physical disabilities within the Kent county community.

The Green House Model will be based on several design elements: small, 10-12 bed, family-style residences with private rooms and bathrooms, a central dining room and hearth, easy access to safe outdoor spaces, and versatile caregiving teams. Some Green Houses will also be stand-alone homes, built as groups of attached townhomes, or even as “pods” within a larger facility.

While there are programmatic elements to the Green House Model (family-style meals and living, flexible caregivers, and person-centered care), the Green House model will be based on the foundation of traditional long-term care residences. Utilizing the Green house model will reposition the facility into a successful and realistic warm & engaging environment.

In addition to having organizational structures that are different from other settings, Green House homes are small in scale, self-contained, and self-sufficient, with residents at the center. Each home includes private rooms and bathrooms for everyone, a living room with a fireplace, and outdoor spaces that are easy to access and navigate.

Many care communities have chosen to adopt the Green House model and renovate care community buildings, by incorporating a different model of care delivery. Since the Green House model’s inception some 17 years ago, 359 homes have been built in 32 states. Incorporated into a larger facility in Baltimore, MD, the Green House Model design elements were replicated within a larger, traditional long-term care facility.

 Delaware’s Division of Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities planning team is considering doing the same. It’s revolutionary and empowering. The Green Home Model will deliver outstanding quality of care and quality of life for all residents, including adults with physical disabilities who live and work in Green House model homes. Discussions are ongoing, with AARP providing some key guidance to help the State think through the planning process and make a decision that benefits Delawareans for generations to come.  

AARP supports the Green House Model to provide a safe and fulfilling person-centered community. This is an opportunity for the Delaware to re-think and re-design the way those in nursing care facilities can live life to the fullest. AARP looks forward to connecting with Green House model experts in AARP’s Public Policy Institute to provide further information about the benefits and the process for building a Green House in Delaware.