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Becoming Part of the Eden Registry PDF Print E-mail

eden_tree_plaqueWhat is the value of the Eden Registry?

First and foremost, belonging to the Eden Registry allows your organization to use the Eden Alternative name and logo in your advertising.  Google the term The Eden Alternative and you will get over 9 million hits. The Eden Alternative website receives up to 8000 hits per month, 60 percent of which are new visitors to the site. Visitors spend an average of four minutes on the website and are trying to learn more about The Eden Alternative and find an Eden Registry home.

The Eden Alternative received about 30,000 media impressions last year.  We have operations in most U.S. states, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Scandinavia.  Eden Alternative training has also been held in the Faroe Islands and Iceland.  The Eden Alternative name is gaining much more recognition worldwide, not only among those involved in Eldercare but also among consumers.  We get calls and emails from health care professionals who want to relocate to an organization implementing The Eden Alternative, family members looking for an Eden Alternative Registered Home for their loved ones, and from people looking for a place to live. We only recommend homes that we have a relationship with us through the Eden Registry.

Listen to a webinar recording that walks you through the process of joining the Eden Registry, the benefits, the renewal process, and the Path to Mastery: the Art of Creating a Caring Community. The webinar lasts about 45 minutes.

Briarwood Healthcare, an Eden Alternative Registered Home is now also Deficiency Free!  Our annual certification survey ended yesterday and surveyors acknowledged in a big way our culture change efforts and Eden Alternative Philosophy in action. 
                                                                                             ~Walter Collins

The Eden Alternative name alone carries great value for an organization.  But there is also more that you will receive with your registration:

•    Permission to use the Eden Alternative® trademarked name in your marketing information and for public relations purposes
•    A beautiful inlaid wooden plague we call the Eden Alternative Tree to display as long as you remain on the Registry. It is a tangible symbol to demonstrate to those within and outside of your home the commitment, progress, and achievements happening on the Eden Alternative journey
•    A certificate and letter from our co-founders, Dr. Bill and Jude Thomas, suitable for framing
•    Your organization listed on our website with a brief story and a link to your website
•    A personalized brochure you can share with visitors
•    A press release for the local media
•    A copy of the Eden Alternative® Animal Welfare Guidelines
•    A free subscription to The Vine our monthly electronic newsletter for Registered Homes, providing a listing of upcoming Registry calls, stories from your peers and other resources
•    Access to the Eden Alternative network of homes around the world for sharing stories and information
•    Participation in quarterly teleconferences, some of which include Dr. Thomas providing new insights and ideas
•    Discounts such as Advantage Trust (a division of Health Trust Purchasing Group) and/or participation with our Value-Added Partners, such as It's Never Too Late computer system and LifeBio
•    Access to online submission of Eden Warmth surveys for Elders, employees, and families with the ability to receive back an aggregate report of the results by question at no cost
•    The ability to submit annual fiscal data online to be collected and aggregated as comparative data to assess your home’s progress on key measures related to your peers on the Eden Registry
•    Access to private “Registered Homes Only” pages on the Eden Alternative website where additional tools, resources and educational support materials are located
•    The Path to Mastery: the Art of Creating a Caring Communtiy, available only to Eden Alternative Registered Homes, is a tool designed to guide and monitor progress on the Eden Alternative journey and provide a way to compare your home’s growth to that of your peers on the Eden Registry


More Information

Why a Eden Registry?

As a way of honoring those who would undertake the hard work of transforming their institutions into warm Human Habitats, The Eden Alternative maintains the Eden Registry.  We want others to know about  homes that are creating a place where life is worth living and where people want to work.

What is the Registry?

The registry is not an accreditation or in any way an indicator of quality.  It is simply a public commitment to strive for the Principles and practices of The Eden Alternative. Elders and families must still make every effort to ensure that their needs can be met by the organization and work hard to build a relationship with the care partners in the home. Please understand that The Eden Alternative has no operational control over any long-term care organizations. Our work is delegated to providing education and resources, not monitoring.  We feel it is important, however, to honor those who would make a commitment to strive for a human community that supports the growth of all.

How It Started

The Eden Registry is patterned after the Scouts.  Registered Homes are agreeing to abide by the Eden Alternative Principles and to work toward creating a better world. So, just like in the Scouts, you will find Eden Alternative Registered Homes at all different stages of the process.  This doesn't mean one is better than another, just at a different point.  The important thing to remember is that the organization has made a commitment to strive for a better way and that implementing The Eden Alternative is a never-ending journey.

The Eden Alternative Tree Plaque

Eden Alternative Registered Homes receive an “Eden Alternative Tree” plaque to display in their home. The purpose of the Tree is to let others know of the home's commitment to the Eden Alternative journey and to display the 'Symbols of Recognition' the organization will choose as they implement the Eden Alternative Philosophy.   The Eden Alternative Handbook (a companion book to "In the Arms of Elders") provides organizations with a pathway to implementing each Eden Alternative Principle. As a home works to incorporate the Ten Principles into their culture, they will earn the right to display a symbol of recognition for each Principle, which they can place on the plaque to demonstrate progress.  The symbols they decide to display on the Eden Alternative Tree are chosen by those who live and work in the home as having particular meaning related to that Principle for their own community.  When to be recognized for the hard work that has been done for each Principle should be a decision made by the Elders and their employee and family care partners. Think of it this way: We already have a rule-driven, punitive regulatory system designed to punish those who give bad care. What we have lacked, until the Eden Registry, is a principle-driven reward system designed to honor and celebrate those who aspire to raise the art of care partnering to a higher level.

Full integration of The Eden Alternative impacts the physical environment, organizational structure, and psycho-social interactions of the organization.  Individual Principles highlight different aspects of the Eden Alternative Philosophy.  In establishing goals for growth, homes may consider how to best live out each Principle for the benefit of the Elders, care partners, and the organization as a whole.  Keep in mind that implementing The Eden Alternative is a journey, not a destination.  True community is found in the struggle to build lasting, meaningful relationships.  As a home struggles to find community, they need to take the time to celebrate their journey together.