Abstract
Traditionally, western society has negatively perceived aging and held a preference for providing care in a skilled nursing facility. The Eden Alternative has evolved from the traditional nursing home model that fosters loneliness, boredom, and helplessness. St. John’s Senior Services adopted the Eden philosophy and established Green House homes within a residential community. The goal of this residential Green House model is to impact the perception of aging, as community members are encouraged to interact with older adults. The purpose of this GRC MSW student group project is to conduct a quantitative cross-sectional study to better understand community perceptions of aging based on whether community members had contact with the Green House. The study questions whether having a Green House home within a residential community impacts how aging is perceived. Self-administered surveys were distributed to 150 individuals from three communities of similar socioeconomic status. The dependent variables of interest are community perceptions of aging. Independent variables include exposure, interaction, and knowledge of Green House homes. Univariate analyses describe the key variables, and bivariate analyses compare differences in how aging is perceived between the three communities. Based on previous research, it is anticipated that exposure to Green House homes will positively impact how aging is perceived. This research project provides an opportunity for social work practitioners to gain knowledge and practice competency regarding the rapid changes in the field, as well as an opportunity to understand how the Green House movement can impact community perceptions of aging.
Description
Social Work Poster Session
