The Household Model

The Household Model is a person-centered approach that shapes the physical environment, organizational structure, and interpersonal relationships in ways that create an atmosphere of genuine home. Residents have clear opportunities to make choices about how they want to spend their days. In addition to private rooms and bathrooms, each household will contain common areas including a front door, foyer, living room, den, dining room, kitchen, spa, and sunroom.

“The Household Model™ is visionary,” Kathryn Callnan, President and CEO of The Cedars, declares. “It’s earning praise all across the country and fast becoming best practice as an enlightened approach to senior care. And as a former nurse I can tell you that it is exactly what residents, their families and their caregivers desperately need.”

Action Pact, developer of the Household Model,  is internationally recognized for researching and creating this evidence-based model of care. As we prepare to physically transform our community into a true home environment, we are navigating an enormous paradigm shift in how we provide our award-winning care.

TRANSFORMATION TO A PERSON-CENTERED CULTURE

“The Cedars is a pioneering organization,” explains Megan Hannan, Executive Leader at Action Pact. “They aren’t just building beautiful new buildings—they’re completely transforming the life and work inside those buildings.”

Rather than rotating staff across floors and assigning tasks on a predetermined schedule, the Household Model groups 16 to 20 residents into households and provides them with a close-knit team of versatile employees able to meet needs and respond to requests as they arise. It sounds simple, but it’s a seismic shift in the way CNAs, RNs, therapists, managers and even housekeepers are traditionally trained to work.

The Cedars has assembled a diverse steering team made up of staff from all departments, organizational leadership, current patients and their families. This group meets regularly for intensive training on how to re-conceptualize caregiving from the bottom up. Excited and energized, they are already finding ways to implement this new thinking.

By breaking down barriers between departments and blending roles, employees gain new skills, develop their leadership capabilities and find their work more effective and rewarding. At a time when there is a critical shortage of senior care workers, the Household Model empowers staff and creates a stable, skilled, efficient and inspired workforce.

The Household Model creates closer relationships between patients and caregivers, improves the health and wellbeing of elders, and is cost effective to run.