Our Philosophy

Nearly 10 years ago, St. John's committed to culture change by becoming Rochester's only registered Eden Alternative nursing home. Now, we are committed to changing the physical structure in which we deliver Eden-based care.

The vehicle for physical change chosen by St. John's is the Green House® model. In this model, with its Eden Alternative foundational elements, elders are valued, respected, and reintroduced to a home environment, in which they will live during their final years. St. John's extends the principles of this model to include a community approach that not only brings elders back to a home, but back to a home in their former communities.

The Green House® model is a radical new approach to skilled nursing care, where each element — care philosophy, organizational structure, and architecture — is carefully crafted to remove "institutionalization" from long-term care. Warm, caring relationships are the basis of each day. Residents, referred to as "elders," live as part of a "family" in the community while still benefiting from the full range of clinical services provided by St. John's.

To learn more about how you might contribute to the important work of St. John's, please call the St. John's Office for Advancement at 585-760-1265 or send e-mail to: info-sjf@stjohnsfoundation.org