Invacare Interior Design joined forces with Cottages of Lake St. Louis in Missouri to help design the first Green House Project model community in Missouri.
THE GREEN HOUSE PROJECT ® model is an innovative approach to short term rehabilitation and innovative skilled nursing and is built to resemble a traditional residential neighborhood.
The Cottages feature six homes with ten private rooms each, all with private ensuite full bathrooms. Homes feature high-vaulted ceilings and a fireplace in the hearth rooms, with a wall of windows leading to the large landscaped patios and beautiful garden area. Each home offers a large, open kitchen with a breakfast bar, where all of the cooking is done, along with a spa, and den for multiple gathering points for elders and their always-welcome families.
“I believe that the GREEN HOUSE project model offers a wonderful, comfortable environment for elders to engage with our caregivers and maintain their dignity, privacy and high quality of life,” said Kathy Beamer, CFO of Cottages of Lake St. Louis. “Elders here have many choices, from waking up naturally, without a schedule, to what they want to eat and how they want to spend their day.”
Beamer’s familiarity with Invacare post-acute care products, combined with industry conversations led her to Invacare Interior Design (IID).
“It’s become a very simple process because Invacare Interior Design is located so conveniently and I’ve been so welcomed into the showroom and design studio there,” she said. “I had ideas in mind and wanted to make sure they materialized, but the team [at IID] has been very collaborative in helping make our ideas reality. They graciously included our granddaughter, Ava, a budding designer, in the fabric selection and design process.”
“Studies have shown that elder, family and caregiver satisfaction is much higher in this model,” said Al Beamer, Cottages’ CEO. “Caregivers work in one home and our high staffing ratios allow time for them to get to know the elders and their families, and their natural rhythms and preferences. The design is more inviting and will be a place family and friends want to come visit. We visited a Green House community on a day when two granddaughters of one of the elders had come with their sleeping bags to spend the night at their ‘Grandma’s House.”
Each cottage has the latest safety, security and technology features, including an overhead lift track in each bedroom to provide safe, stable lifting. Large, cottage-style front doors and even a doorbell allows family and friends to visit their loved ones in their new home.
“It all comes down to the design and details here,” said Kathy. “Many design elements that seem intuitive, such as having one dining room table to serve the ten elders and two caregivers instead of three tables of four, have actually been extensively studied. We do our best to keep up with the best practices for every element of our homes. The Cottages have benefitted from tapping into the extensive healthcare expertise of Invacare, while also focusing on a style that speaks to the children of our elders.”
The Invacare Interior Design Team chose two color pallets for the pairs of cottages to help residents better identify which home is theirs. Each cottage also features a spa room with an Invacare jetted tub, and a beauty station.
“We feel that the Green House focus on “Real Home, Empowered Staff and Meaningful Life’ is the best way for elders to maintain a high quality of life. We want them to feel loved,” said Beamer. “Finding Invacare Interior Design was perfect in matching this goal. The Team has been mindful of the elders’ best interests, at a great price and with a beautiful design.”
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About the Cottages of Lake St. Louis
Our mission at Cottages of Lake St. Louis is creating loving homes where Elders continue to live fulfilling lives, supported by quality care, choice, and positive relationships along with state of the art amenities, rehabilitation and consistent friendly caregivers. In our homes the daily routine of each Elder is decided by the elder, not a schedule on the wall. Our goal is to facilitate the elders’ independence and ability to pursue their interests.
