Sherbrooke Village in Saskatoon
In 2023, The Eden Alternative published a “White Paper” entitled: “What is the return on investment for implementing the Eden Alternative Approach to person-directed care”.
The findings:
Nursing Turnover
Registered Nurse turnover was 5.9% lower and total nursing staff turnover was 5.2% lower for Eden Alternative member homes.
Staffing Data
An additional 2.6 hours/day of resident care is provided relative to non Eden Alternative homes. This means that there are higher employee-resident ratios providing more person-directed care.
Complaints
Lower complaints with 1.63 average complaints as compared to 6.0 complaints per non-member home.
Occupancy and Satisfaction
Occupancy rates 85% versus 75% in non Eden Alternative homes. RN turnover 42% versus 50.5%; staff turnover 42.7% versus 54.1% demonstrating higher staff satisfaction.
Conclusion
This White paper demonstrates relationship-based care models foster a supportive work environment where employees feel valued, leading to increased job satisfaction and lower staff turnover.
To read the full Paper click here.
Finding out about the journey towards more appropriate care models expressed through the Eden Alternative care model ( Drs.Bill Thomas and Allen Power) should have been the benchmark for all housing of older persons and those with dementia.
However the concept in Canada seemed domed to failure with the dependency on LTC facilities for various reasons, the least of those was to become more like “ home” which could not and will not take place under Health care.
Change the care model, changes the care .
Thanks for your encouraging support for changing the care model. Regrettably even with several existing and proven innovative models to care (including the Eden Alternative), change is hard to come by! We will continue our advocating efforts and maybe one of these decades long-term care homes will change from ‘institutions to homes’. Several homes are bringing about this change but they are few and far between.