Today's consumers expect a different kind of experience than in the past.  Employees want to work for a company who values them.  In a world of choice, both customers and employees have many options.  Organizations who define themselves in the marketplace as those who commit to delivering an exceptional experience and are leaders in creating a better world, find themselves in a position to attract and retain top quality employees.  They also create lifelong customer relationships built on their exceptional and highly respected brand.  In providing options for living with care, however, many people choose to stay at home at all costs because they don't believe they have any viable choice.

The Reality of Care in our Society Today

• The U.S. Census Bureau projects the number of older people
  will double from 35 million to 72 million by 2030. 
  
• Living longer increases the risk of chronic disease.
  
• Sixty nine percent of all Americans who reach 65 are expected to need care at some point in their lives.
  
• An older more informed, empowered and self-determined population will need support at the same time our health care workforce numbers are in decline.
  
• Changing family dynamics are limiting the ability of families to provide caregiving.
• Our society values youth and independence. 
  
• People who provide direct care to our elderly and people with disabilities are some of the lowest paid workers. 
  
• Annual turnover rates in long term care settings often exceed 100%+,* potentially impacting the quality of care able to be provided.
  
  *(PHI and NCDHHS, March 2004 as quoted in Direct Care Workers in Long-Term Care
  Research Report by Bernadette Wright, AARP Public Policy Institute, May 2005. Accessed on 12/31/08 at http://www.aarp.org/research/longtermcare/nursinghomes/dd117_workers.html)
• Eighty million baby boomers (U.S. Census Bureau) are now facing decisions on how to care for their parents while also considering the choices available to meet their own care needs.  In many cases the options available today are not choices, but sadly last resorts.  Variations of "I'd rather die" are common sentiments.
• The moral and economic issues are just beginning to surface.

The True Nature of Care

EarthWonders® and our partners are shaping the nature of nursing, assisted, memory, hospice, palliative and in-home care in a new and exciting way.  Nature's 3.8 billion years of wisdom shows us the natural way to create life-affirming and life-sustaining communities through the Ecology of Caring Integrated Approach™.

A glance into the natural world makes it evident that aging is a natural process where all life has value and is to be honored and celebrated at all ages, all stages and through all seasons.  Inspired by Nature, EarthWonders Communities™ use evidence-based research connecting nature and health to enhance the health and quality of life for all those connected through care.  Sustainable living practices promote a lifestyle that meets our needs today while working to protect the environmental legacy we leave for future generations.

An EarthWonders Community transforms the traditional model of "being cared for" into "living with care"; a natural choice where life focuses on caring for ourselves, each other, and our planet.  Our communities are homes where people choose to live and work. We invite you to learn more about choosing a new reality for work, for living, to offer to the world.