'Granny Pods' for Loved Ones

Backyard cottages offer safe, high-tech alternatives to nursing homes

from: Inside E Street, June 18, 2012

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After watching parishioners wither in nursing homes for years, Pastor Ken Dupin channeled his frustration into action. Working with health care firm N2CARE, Dupin and his team helped design the MEDCottage, a variation of the backyard "granny pods" common in other countries.

The 12x24-foot prefabricated house starts at $85,000 — less than the cost of traditional long-term elder care — and includes innovative safety features like webcams and cushioned floors that allow the family member privacy and the caregiver freedom. Take a tour of the Baez-Page family's MEDCottage, the nation's first, in Alexandria, Va.

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