Our "Eden" Vision

The Eden Alternative is the foundation of several of the transformations Hillsdale County Medical Care Facility has undertaken since 1998, the beginning of our journey. We have 124 private rooms and 23 semi-private rooms in neighborhoods that are designed to be home like and comfortable. Each neighborhood has a dining room and a fully functional kitchen.

The Hillsdale County Medical Care Facility has added several bird aviaries as well as individual birds in many resident rooms. We have several facility pets including cats, dogs, and bunnies. The goal is to eliminate loneliness, boredom, and helplessness. Part of the effort to do this is to provide stimulating interaction with animals, children and each other.

There are several trained Eden Associates on staff and we continue to provide the training for others. The Eden associates watch for opportunities to make changes to continue our journey towards a resident centered home environment and away from an institutional feel. “Residents do not live in our facility, we work in their home.”
 


What is the Eden Alternative™?

The Eden Alternative is an innovative philosophy of long-term care. It believes that loneliness, helplessness and boredom account for most of the suffering experienced by our Elders in today's long-term care settings.

The Eden Alternative seeks to eliminate these plagues by creating a vibrant living and working environment for its Elders and staff.

This environment offers companion animals, the opportunity to give meaningful care to other living creatures, and the variety and spontaneity that is inherent in this enlivened setting.

In addition to the environment, Eden homes are resident-centered; encouraging independence and honoring the relationships that exist between the Elder and the caregiver.
In short, Eden sees the long-term care environment as a habitat where people can continue to grow

www.EdenAlt.org