Project ECHO and Embodied Labs Selected to Create First-of-Its-Kind ​​Dementia Care Initiative

Linthicum, MD (Aug. 26, 2019): The Green House Project (GHP) is proud to announce the launch of an initiative aimed at taking dementia knowledge and understanding to a new level of care innovation. GHP has joined forces with Embodied Labs, a virtual reality immersive technology platform that promotes better understanding and knowledge of dementia, and Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a guided-practice telehealth platform that amplifies capacity through case-based learning and access to subject matter experts.

The initiative, dubbed Best Life Impact, is the first of its kind in the field of aging services. In addition to improving the lives of people living with dementia (PLWD), who are the focus of the case studies, Best Life Impact seeks to empower participants to be leaders in dementia care.

“The powerful combination of these disruptive innovations creates a synergistic transformation for the caregivers and PLWD alike,” said Susan Ryan, GHP senior director. “I have no doubt that Project ECHO and Embodied Labs—two proven models—will catapult education, knowledge, and empathy to new levels in memory care.”

Described as a “revolution in medical education and care delivery,” Project ECHO utilizes the Zoom platform for technology-enabled collaborative learning to connect specialists with multiple other healthcare professionals through simultaneous interactive videoconferencing.
“We are excited to be partnering with The Green House Project to help senior living professionals gain new knowledge, expertise, and ideas in their efforts to better care for individuals living with dementia,” said Sanjeev Arora, MD, Project ECHO founder. “The combined impact of the passion and commitment of those caring for people living with dementia with the ingenuity of the ECHO model will, we anticipate, drive extraordinary improvements in dementia care and knowledge in the field of aging services.”

Embodied Labs is an innovative technology company that uses virtual reality to help care partners spend a few minutes as an individual living with dementia, in their world. This virtual learning experiencehelps all Best Life participants approach individuals with more empathy and knowledge about dementia. “Embodied Labs is honored to be selected by The Green House Project to enhance its Best Life approach,” said Carrie Shaw, chief executive officer of Embodied Labs. “Our immersive training platform challenges stereotypes, helping those supporting people living dementia to provide better, more understanding care. We’re empowering the staff by giving them hands-on, personal experience using virtual reality.”

The following 11 senior living provider organizations will participate in Best Life Impact to create this powerful combination of care and knowledge: Ave Maria Home (Bartlett, Tenn.); Clark Lindsey Village (Urbana, Ill.); Eddy Village Green (Cohoes, N.Y.); Hover Senior Living Community (Longmont, Colo.); Jewish Home Family (Rockleigh, N.J.); John Knox Village-The Woodlands (Pompano Beach, Fla.); Leonard Florence Center for Living (Chelsea, Mass.); Methodist Senior Services (Tupelo, Miss.); Mt. San Antonio Gardens (Pomona, Calif.); Saint Elizabeth Home (East Greenwich, R.I.); and Village on the Isle (Venice, Fla.).

Integral to the initiative are three individuals, who will serve as the Best Life Impact subject matter experts: Anne Ellett, MSN, NP, GHP’s dementia specialist and author of the Best Life dementia care approach; Al Power, MD, noted geriatrician, author, and educator; and Michael Belleville, an individual living with dementia and patient advocate.

This effort is part of GHP’s Green House 2.0 initiative, which was launched earlier this year to leverage the organization’s 15 years of experience, wisdom, and evidence base by expanding its offerings to include consultancy services in cultural transformation; leading-edge dementia care; and more.

​GHP would like to thank the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and itsSenior Adviser for Program Development, Nancy Barrand, who connected GHP with Project ECHO, and thus set in motion this groundbreaking partnership.

About Project ECHO

Project ECHO is a movement to demonopolize knowledge and amplify the capacity to provide best practice care for underserved people all over the world. This low-cost, high-impact intervention is accomplished by linking expert inter-disciplinary specialist teams with multiple primary care clinicians simultaneously through teleECHOTM clinics, where experts mentor and share their expertise via case-based learning, enabling primary care clinicians to treat patients with complex conditions in their own communities.

About Embodied Labs

Embodied Labs, headquartered in Los Angeles, is the leading VR immersive learning platform for home care, senior living, hospice, medical and nursing schools, hospitals and employers interested in training HR departments to better support its caregiving employees. Working collaboratively with health care, medical experts and seasoned Hollywood filmmakers has led to Embodied Labs winning the AARP Innovation Labs Global Challenge, OpenIDEO Challenge and the XR Education Prize Challenge funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.