Chelsea and Adi Nov are the
owners of two adult family
homes on Mercer Island. Between the “little house” and the “big house” they have 10 seniors
living in all capacities, from semi-independent to hospice. “They’re like family members,” says Chelsea. “We totally fall in love with them.”
It’s no surprise, then, that some residents become known as “grandma” or “grandpa,” especially since some residents have lived in the Novs’ houses for four years, and Chelsea and Adi are there on a daily basis. The Nov Adult Family Homes are “the anti-nursing home,” says Adi. “I had a health-care staffing agency prior to this. I learned the ins and outs of all these places, and I learned there were a lot of things I didn’t like about the larger institutions. So I decided to start my own and do it the way I thought would be the best model for the way care should be.”
Their adult family homes are like a nursing home only in the type of residents they house. The residents of the Nov homes, however, get the feeling of being at home, not visiting. They can bring their own furniture from home—one couple, married for 67 years, has re-created their living room—and can set their own schedules. Common areas of the house are just that—open to all. If residents are able to cook for themselves, they are allowed, and Adi and Chelsea say they will take their residents wherever they might want to visit. There are far fewer residents in the Nov homes, also. The small number of residents helps create a more
residential, one-on-one atmosphere. By state law, adult family homes can house only six residents. The Novs have a maximum of four residents in one house and six in the other. In addition to the residents, each house has a licensed nursing assistant—a caregiver—on-site 24 hours a day. The caregiver is responsible not just for checking on residents but also for cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and being a friend. The Novs insist on only hiring caregivers who have a real passion for the job, and Chelsea says their staff will often joke with residents and even do hair and nails. In addition, there is a nurse on call, and Adi says they turn to his father, who is a physician, for any after-hours needs. Chelsea and Adi aren’t doing the caretaking anymore, but it wasn’t always that way. For the first couple of years after they opened their first home, they were doing all the caregiving, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We had no social life for years,” says Adi. Eventually, they were able to hire some help, and they now employ five nursing assistants.
Even though there is a nursing assistant on-site all day, every day, Chelsea and Adi remain very hands-on. They visit daily and Chelsea does the bookkeeping for the company—they are heavily regulated by the state, and everything that happens in a home must be documented. The pair also take their residents to all doctor appointments. “We do it so that we can see what is going on instead of getting secondhand information from doctors,” says Adi. Chelsea and Adi also speak with their residents’ family members at least once a week. “We’re very involved with the families,” says Chelsea. “It’s very important to us to have a good relationship with them.” Part of that relationship includes an open-door policy. Family members are welcome in their homes at any time, and there is no limit on the number of visitors a resident can receive. Recently, a resident was in hospice care, and when he was passing away, Adi says the house was filled with friends and family. “There must have been 15 people
in our little house ... They just
took over our house and we love
it because we love to see that
support.” The Novs rarely get a day off, and even if they do, the cell
phone is never far away. Even though the couple recently brought their daughter, Ayden, into the world, they haven’t stopped. In fact, Ayden is quite popular with the residents. “We thought pet therapy was great in our house, you should see their faces light up when they hold the baby,” says Adi. “You’ve never seen anything like that. It doesn’t matter how severe their dementia is or anything.” Seeing their residents happy and having fun is a big reward in a job that can be incredibly draining, both physically and emotionally. They always have to be available, which makes it hard to have family time, and because they get attached to their residents, it is hard to watch them deteriorate. Those things are worth it, however, because they know they’re helping people live as comfortably as possible. “When a family member tells me how grateful they are for the care (a loved one) has received, that makes working 24 hours straight bearable. I think that’s what keeps both of us going,” says Adi.
Limited free time and a hectic schedule doesn’t stop Chelsea and Adi from looking toward the future. They want to open more homes with the same caliber of service they currently provide. They truly believe adult family homes are a great way for seniors to live on their own even when they require additional care. “It’s a place where I would definitely put my family members,” says Chelsea. Adult family homes are still a new concept for many people, and the Novs say they still get questions about people not truly understanding what one is. “Whether someone is looking for a place to move or not, we’re very open to educating people about what adult
family homes are,” says Chelsea. “It’s a great alternative. You get a lot more care, a lot more bang for your buck.” Personalized care along with the homelike atmosphere is the biggest draw for those looking to move a family member into one of their homes. And word is slowly getting out. For a recent opening, Adi says they had four people inquire in one day. While there aren’t too many specific requirements to move in, there are things Chelsea and Adi look for. When a family is interested in having someone live in their home, the Novs first meet with the family and learn as much as they can about the person who would move in. If it seems like it might be a good fit, Chelsea and Adi then go to meet the potential resident wherever he or she might currently live. If that meeting goes well and the family is still interested, the Novs’ nurse will do a full assessment to make sure it would be appropriate for the person to live in an adult family home. The Novs say the only thing that really disqualifies a person from entering one of their homes is aggressive behavior. It’s important to maintain a comfortable environment. Because there are so few residents, each person must mesh well with the others, or the whole balance can be upset. “Usually we’re very open to accepting anyone, whether they can go for a walk or they’re bedridden,” says Chelsea. The Nov Adult Family Homes have been open for about five years, and in that time, the business hasn’t even been listed in the phone book. The Novs receive inquiries for space through word of mouth—both from the doctors they work with and the families that currently have loved ones living there. “It’s definitely been a ‘you build it they will come’ sort of thing,” says Adi. For more information about the Nov Adult Family Homes, or about adult family homes in general, contact Chelsea or Adi Nov at 206-948-2209 or chelsnov@msn.com.
