Households: a revolutionary

change in our model of care

When our $11 million renewal project was completed in late 2008, we said good-bye to hospital-like nursing stations and hello to the Household model of care. It was a revolutionary transition for which our staff had been preparing throughout 18 months of construction work.

Each of our Households has its own kitchen and dining area, its own living room with fireplace, its own activity spaces, and lounges for visiting with family and friends. The decor of each Household is also distinct from that of all the others.

Most importantly, each of our Households has its own staff. The same caregivers every day. This makes daily life feel much as it would in a private home with family caregivers.

Our Household model of care has a wonderful additional benefit: the physical and cognitive status of many residents has actually improved, and they’re happier because they’re empowered to call the shots much as they did in their own homes.

“The Household model of care is crafted to the individual,” says past board chair Alys Wilson, who oversaw the transition to Households. “It’s flexible. In contrast, the conventional model of care is driven by the institution’s needs. It’s rigid. All of the changes that we've made to our building and our care model reflect a dream long held by our board.”

Episcopal Church Home’s mission is “to provide compassionate, quality health care in a home-like setting while preserving the rights and dignity of the individual resident.” We are finally in a position to keep the promises expressed in our mission more fully than ever before possible.