FAQ for Residents & Families

Many potential residents and their families have lots of questions about the Leonard Florence Center specifically because the Center is so different from any other type of skilled nursing facility.  Here are just a few of the most common questions we receive from individuals and families:

What is a Green House®?
A radical departure from traditional skilled nursing homes, different in architecture, size, and organization, it is designed to give the home character and its residents autonomy.

Where did the concept of a Green House® originate?
Harvard-trained geriatrician, Dr. William Thomas, who felt that traditional skilled nursing homes did not enhance an elder’s quality of life, took the institutional model of care and made structural, aesthetic, organizational and philosophical changes to create the Green House® model. 

What does being the first urban model Green House® in the country mean?
Until now, Green Houses have been developed as free-standing buildings on rural or suburban sites affiliated with traditional skilled nursing facilities, but LFCL takes the Green House® concept to a city setting for the first time within a single 93,000-square-foot building.

Will the Green Houses® serve any specialty populations?
There are two houses that serve specialized populations, one for those living with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and another serving those with multiple sclerosis (MS).

How does the staffing compare to a traditional nursing home?
We offer a skilled clinical team like many other traditional nursing homes that includes nurses, therapists, social workers and dieticians.  Organizationally, however, there are differences with regards to the duties and roles each of our staff engage in.  For example, universal caregivers known as the shahbazim perform housekeeping, laundry and cooking tasks as well as provide care to elders.  The shabbazim are expected to become a part of each household, interacting with residents as they would as extended family.

Are there licensed nurses to care for the residents?
Our licensed nurses are part of a clinical team that provide skilled care 24 hours per day.  Typically, there is one licensed nurse to support two of our Green House® homes.  Our licensed nurses visit residents to administer medications, perform treatments and document medical information.

In the private residences, what furniture is provided?
Each private room comes complete with a bed, nightstand, locked 6-drawer dresser, telephone and wall-mounted LCD television. However, residents are encouraged to bring their own personal affects from home to customize their space.

Can I eat non-kosher food at the Leonard Florence Center, even though the kitchens in each home are kosher?
Residents are welcome to eat non-kosher food in the comfort of their own room.  Due to the kitchen and dining spaces being kosher, non-kosher dining is only permitted in one's private room. 

Do you have more questions?  Contact a member of our Admissions Team by clicking here.

LFCL Entity Site

I believe in the work that the Foundation does because it believes in creating a better system, better facility, better program for the future. That matters to me.

I knew my mother would be well-taken care of at any facility that was under the Foundation, because of the reputation. And I was right.

This organization doesn’t treat my dad like a patient, they treat him like a person. He is given the best care possible, and it’s because they believe in treating the whole person, not just the illness.

I began volunteering at Foundation’s Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home and realized what a special place this was. Residents are happy, and the staff care. I enjoyed being here, too.