The Eden Alternative

We are a Registered Eden Alternative home. That means the way we treat residents is like we would a friend or beloved family member. The Eden Alternative® is an approach to care that recognises the importance of treating a person’s heart as well as heart condition. While we do our best to heal bodies, we must feed spirits.

We encourage new ideas, spontaneous acts of kindness, thoughtfulness and consideration throughout our resident’s home.

Edenising is not so much a destination, but a journey. We travel life together, making it more worthwhile for our residents, and the staff providing the care. Edenising focuses first on the residents, their wants, needs and wishes. Treatment is provided through this care process.

Eden Principles

By combating loneliness, helplessness and boredom we reduce most of the suffering experienced by our elders or residents in Aged Care, through the Eden Alternative™.

There is one problem statement – Principle One – which is all about the three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom. The other Nine Principles identify the challenges and the solutions to providing a person centred care environment for all residents.

The 10 Principles are:

The three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom account for the bulk of suffering among our Elders.
An Elder-centered community commits to creating a Human Habitat where life revolves around close and continuing contact with plants, animals and children. It is these relationships that provide the young and old alike with a pathway to a life worth living.
Loving companionship is the antidote to loneliness. Elders deserve easy access to human and animal companionship.
An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.
An Elder-centered community imbues daily life with variety and spontaneity by creating an environment in which unexpected and unpredictable interactions and happenings can take place. This is the antidote to boredom.
Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health.
Medical treatment should be the servant of genuine human caring, never its master.
An Elder-centered community honors its Elders by de-emphasizing top down bureaucratic authority, seeking instead to place the maximum possible decision-making authority into the hands of the Elders or into the hands of those closest to them.
Creating an Elder-centered community is a never-ending process. Human growth must never be separated from human life.
Wise leadership is the lifeblood of any struggle against the three plagues. For it, there can be no substitute.