Of the half-million women in the United States who miscarry each year, those most at risk are women who do not have children or who have had a prior bout with depression. And the emotional toll of a miscarriage, including sleep problems and suicidal thoughts, can be similar to that felt by women whose babies die after birth. The scene represents a concept that integrates plants, animals, and kids into nursing homes. Called the Eden Alternative, it is employed in more than 100 nursing homes across the country. Dogs, chickens, and llamas are full-time residents.
Some locations maintain barns and gardens or share space with kindergartens and summer camps.
William Thomas, the onetime nursing home director who pioneered the philosophy, has found that residents exposed to plants and animals in the home he directed used fewer medications. Drug costs decreased by almost half. Inc. All rights reserved.