What are Otterbein Small House Neighborhoods?

Posted on: June 5, 2024

Would you rather choose a hospital-like nursing home for long-term care, skilled nursing, or post-acute rehab, or your own home? Most people want to stay home or return home as quickly as possible. 

But what if there was an alternative?

That’s where Otterbein SeniorLife’s “small house” model comes in.

What Are Small Houses?

Otterbein’s Small House Neighborhoods are places where our skilled nursing and rehabilitation elders are liberated in a non-institutional environment. There are no long corridors, no nurses’ stations, and no call lights.

Each SeniorLife Neighborhood consists of five 7,000-square-foot ranch homes, and each home has 12 private suites with a secured entry. One house in each neighborhood is dedicated to our rehab guests, while the rest are reserved for long-term and memory care. The neighborhoods are located in residential areas and blend in with the rest of the community.

They’re also quiet, with a staff of universal workers who move with the elders throughout the day, whether that’s preparing meals, doing laundry and housekeeping, and more. Plus, family members are always welcome to visit.

See why Otterbein SeniorLife Neighborhoods can be safer than traditional nursing homes during COVID-19. >>

Otterbein Perrysburg Small House residents

Services at Our SeniorLife Neighborhoods

In addition to a real-home environment with family-style meals, our elders enjoy beautiful surroundings with all the comfort of personalized skilled nursing and rehab care. Their health and happiness are our top priorities.

The neighborhoods are a place for our rehab guests to heal after surgery, illness, or injury, or compassionate care for those who need 24-hour specialized attention. Our services include:

Rehabilitation and Therapy

Our expertly trained therapists work with your physician to create a customized plan to help you heal as quickly as possible. In our neighborhoods, you’ll find:

  • In-house therapy suites

  • Expert physical, speech, occupational, or respiratory therapy

  • Recovery from orthopedic injuries, joint replacements, cardiac recovery, stroke and neurological recovery, oncology care, and more.

Otterbein Perrysburg Small House resident doing in-house physical therapy

Here’s what one of our rehab guests had to say about her stay at an Otterbein SeniorLife Neighborhood:

“My stay here at Otterbein Monclova was fantastic. The people, the facility, the food – everything was great. They’ve given me some self-reassurance and exercises. I really appreciate everyone that’s here.”

― Deborah F.

Skilled Nursing Care

Our friendly RNs and LPNs work with your physician to coordinate the individualized, specialized care you need, whether that’s long-term care or memory support.

Our Small House Neighborhoods are Expanding

Across the country, there is a high demand for non-institutional, real-home care settings, and Otterbein is delivering by expanding each of its neighborhoods. That means even more elders will be able to experience the benefits of small house care, which has been lauded by The Washington Post, The New York Times, and more.

Otterbein Union Small House under construction with future Otterbein Union Small House resident in a wheel chair and staff member.

Small House … Big Difference

When you visit one of our SeniorLife Neighborhoods, you’ll feel the difference as soon as you walk in the door. At each of our small houses, our elders decide when they wake up, eat, and get dressed, and what they do. From the personalized decor to helping with meals or having family over, the neighborhoods feature what we call the Small House … Big Difference.

See the Difference >>