The Cedars in Portland has received a $4 million donation from a Waterville couple to build a first-of-its-kind “household” model of senior homes in Maine.
Cedars’ president Kathy Callnan says the households will look and feel like private homes, starting with a front door that opens into a foyer.
“That then leads into a living room with a fireplace, a den, a dining room that abuts a spacious, open well-lit kitchen that’s actually open 24/7, just like your own home,” she says. “We are moving from an institutional model of care to a person-centered approach. So the resident is making decisions, literally, about when to get up, when to go to bed when to eat, and how to spend their day.”
Residents can use rehabilitation and skilled nursing services if needed.
Liz Geller says it’s an innovative vision for senior care.
“It will serve as a model for the state of Maine — the whole state — and hopefully, beyond,” she says.
The Cedars will build six households that can each house 20 people. They’re expected to open in the spring of 2018.
