The Cottages

The Cottages at St. Martin's is a new community on St. Martin's campus for elders requiring nursing home care. It represents a transformation in the way elder care is provided.

The Cottages at St. Martin's

With an on-going commitment to the enhancement of quality of life for elders, St. Martin's in the Pines is now operating a unique and revolutionary care model for those requiring long-term skilled nursing. "The Cottages at St. Martin's" are the first residential-style nursing homes to be built in Alabama and part of a national movement known as THE GREEN HOUSE® Project. As a pioneer in the state, St. Martin's serves as a beacon of hope for culture change in long-term care.

It's simply home

The GREEN HOUSE® model creates a small, intimate community for a group of 10 elders. A radical departure from traditional skilled nursing homes, The GREEN HOUSE® home alters size, interior design, staffing patterns, and methods of delivering skilled nursing services.

Its primary purpose is to serve as a place where elders can receive assistance and support with activities of daily living as well as clinical care, but without the assistance and care becoming the focus of their existence.

The physical transformation is only one element of The GREEN HOUSE® model. Staff responsibilities are dramatically different from those in a conventional nursing home. The traditional certified nursing assistant receives a new role of universal care worker called a "Shahbaz". Each is given additional training, in ways to protect, sustain, and nurture the elders living in The Cottages and to take on a broader array of responsibilities, including facilitating meaningful activities, cooking, light housekeeping and laundry. Each house is also served by a clinical support team of nurses, medical directors, social workers, physical therapists, and others. These professionals are not stationed within the houses, but visit according to a schedule, much like a home-health model.