A person-centered nursing home approach that focuses on relationships also can turn out impressive data when it comes to clinical practices and quality of care, new research shows.
Projects reported in August show that Eden Alternative nursing homes, which are known for their holistic methods, outperform facilities nationwide on overall 5-star ratings, have fewer substantiated complaints and use fewer antipsychotic drugs than non-Eden facilities.
One study, conducted by consultant Amy Elliot, Ph.D., compared the 142 nursing homes on the Eden Alternative Registry with all U.S. nursing homes included on Nursing Home Compare.
In addition to the better overall ratings, Elliot determined that Eden also had higher survey ratings.
Eden is an approach that dates to 1994. It is based on resident and staff empowerment and leadership competencies.
Organization officials say that training employees in Eden methods could lead to gains — even in buildings that aren’t on the Eden registry.
Eden principles result in “higher performing” organizations, said Eden Alternative President and CEO Jill Vitale-Aussem. The group educated about 4,000 people in 2018.
From the September 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
