Not a Facility but 'Our Home'... The Secret of a Nursing Home Where Seniors Smile [SeniorBiz Insight]

Professor Kim Jeong-geun, Department of Silver Industry, Gangnam University

There is a common concern among those working in the senior business sector. When the moment comes that one becomes physically frail and must rely on someone else's help, is there a business model that can do more to enable elderly people to live better lives? Some believe that as physical dependency increases, living a better life itself becomes impossible. They tend to think that from this point onward, medical expertise?namely treatment?is more necessary than a business model, thus setting limits on the role of senior business. However, there are senior business models that make a better life possible even when one must depend on others. Today, we will introduce some of these cases and, through them, suggest the role of senior business experts.

The first place to introduce is Chase Memorial Nursing Home in the United States. Bill Thomas, the attending physician there, decided to eliminate the boredom, loneliness, and helplessness he observed at the nursing home where he worked and create a lively, autonomous, home-like space. To achieve this, he placed green plants in every room and transformed the yard from grass to a garden with vegetables and flowers. Unlike grass, which remains green without change, vegetables and flowers bloom, wither, and bear fruit, showing dynamism. With permission from the local government, he brought in two dogs, four cats, and 100 birds. Additionally, a daycare center and playground were established at the nursing home so that employees’ children could visit their parents anytime. The living creatures brought new vitality to the nursing home. Subsequently, the elderly residents began watering plants themselves, moving around to walk the dogs, and greeting and talking with the children when they came. As a result, the medication intake of the Chase nursing home residents was reduced by half, and symptoms of anxiety and mortality rates also decreased. Although physically uncomfortable, the environmental changes at Chase Memorial Nursing Home helped residents find reasons to live on their own, improving their satisfaction with later life. This transformation changed the nursing home from a gloomy, treatment-centered space into a home-like place where residents could find their own value.

The second place to introduce is Ginmokusei (銀木犀), a senior housing facility in Japan. Located in Urayasu City, 200 km from Tokyo, it is a service-providing senior housing model not found in Korea. Unlike other similar facilities in Japan, Ginmokusei was designed so that residents could live comfortably as if in their own homes. To this end, residents are not forced to give up what they want to do for safety reasons. For example, residents are free to drink alcohol or smoke if they wish. Residents with dementia are not prevented from going outside through the front door because it is not locked. When dementia residents want to go out, staff accompany them. Rather than controlling residents to reduce risks from accidents, staff help residents choose the life they want to live independently. Also, there is a small shop on the first floor where local children can come anytime to buy things, and in the lobby, children can eat and talk with friends and family. Although the elderly residents here have physical disabilities and are certified under Japan’s long-term care insurance system similar to Korea’s, they interact with local residents and go out freely, finding their roles. Living in a place like their own home without giving up their ‘self’ is a factor that makes this place preferred by many elderly people.

The last model to introduce is Beacon Hill Village in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The two models introduced earlier are senior business models led by the top executives of each institution, but Beacon Hill Village is a community cooperative created by local residents. People aged 50 and over who want to continue living independently in their own homes can become members by paying a membership fee, and members can purchase necessary life support services such as cleaning and shopping at low cost. This model, based on seniors helping seniors, is a community model that enables independent living at home as long as possible without going to a facility, and it has established itself as a global innovation model.

Recently, senior business is shifting from limiting elderly people’s choices under the guise of safety to expanding the range of choices so that even those with physical difficulties can live meaningful lives. We need senior business models that transform nursing homes?places elderly people really do not want to go and where children feel uneasy after sending their parents?into new senior housing. We hope that more experts in Korea will consider innovative senior business models that value the quality of life.

Junggeun Kim, Professor, Department of Silver Industry, Gangnam University