A New Century of Care

          Uplands has inherited a rich legacy of care and service from our founder, Dr. May Cravath Wharton. It is a legacy we are committed to extending into a new century for the people for whom this rural part of Tennessee is home.  

          The vision is a new Wharton Home to replace the nursing home named in honor of Dr. Wharton nearly fifty years ago. But the vision is far more than a new building. The vision is for a new home, a real home, which nurtures the human spirit – where the things elders suffer from the most – loneliness, helplessness, and boredom – have no place. 

The new Wharton Home has been designed to support a very different kind of elder care known as the Eden Alternative. It is an approach based on the idea that humans were meant to live in a garden full of life where meaningful activity, companionship, and spontaneity are a part of every day. Gone are rigid schedules, long shiny hallways that foster dependence on wheel chairs, alarms, buzzers, rumbling carts – all the things you might find in a hospital, not a home. 

          Instead, each resident's room opens onto their shared living room, complete with a fireplace, comfortable chairs, and a door that leads to a beautiful secure garden. Staff offer not only medical care, but companionship aimed at helping each resident continue to do whatever he or she finds most meaningful. Residents are supported in giving as well as receiving care. 

         The new Wharton Home will consist of two duplexes, each side providing a home for 15-16 residents. Below you will find a link to sketches that show the floor plan for each building and a view into one of the living rooms. You will note that even semi-private rooms have a wall divider and that each resident has his or her own window and own personal space. 

         The vision is an exciting one. The challenge is to raise the five million needed to build this wonderful new home. Half of that amount has already been given or pledged, mostly from the Uplands' residents themselves. We invite you to help make this vision a reality. Please click on How to Make a Gift for more information. 

   Thank you for helpng extend Dr. Wharton's legacy of care. 

Related links: External rendering of the New Wharton Homes 
                      Floor plans of the New Wharton Homes
                      Living room rendering of the New Wharton Homes 
                      Message from Dr. Braun, Medical Director and Campaign Chair 
                      The Eden Alternative Principles 
                      Does it Make a Difference? 
                      How to Make a Gift 
                      Creating A Life Worth Living Video
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