Welcome to Green House Living for Sheridan

Chairman Doug Osborn sent this letter to the volunteer task force and board who have been working so hard this past year bringing Green House Living for Sheridan to the elders and their families throughout the State of Wyoming.

Dear Task Force Members,

I have been trying to get myself motivated to write this letter, and feeling a little
down about our current status on the project. So I went back to last year’s
letter for some inspiration. I have attached it for your information.

Where the first year of our operations (we started in January 2007) seemed to fly by
and was filled with lots of new-to-us tasks and opportunities that we were able
to work on and tick off our successes, this year has been quite different. I
believe we have made significant advances and have become a much more solid
team.  We carried on with the details and major tasks faced by the
corporation - learning about the Green House® culture, design development,
operations planning details, financial requirements and alternatives, working
with other Green House projects, working with major partners in education,
government and donors, spreading the word about our project, and very
importantly - fundraising.

Speaking for myself, I have come to learn what many of you told me when we started -
“fundraising is hard and takes time”. As we enter our third year of
development, I am a believer.

But I am also a believer in the real worth of the Green House project - nationally,
for the state of Wyoming and for the Sheridan community. If we
succeed in trailblazing in Sheridan, the state will open up to the
Green House concept and changes in the long term care of our citizens
will begin to happen. New nursing homes will be built on
this model; modifications to existing facilities will be made to improve life
for their patients along the lines of the Eden Alternative and incorporate as
much as possible of the Green House formula. In the long run, elders in need of
skilled nursing care will find in these alternatives a place to live and grow,
and an answer to the institutional life now found in conventional nursing
homes.

As always, the answer to tough problems is to persist. I believe we must - and we
will in time be able to look back on this effort as one of the most satisfying
things we have done in our individual lives.

Happy New Year to each of you and to your families who support you in this effort!

Doug
Osborn

President

Green House Living® for Sheridan

(307)684-9254

The attachment - 2007 letter

Dear Task Force Members,

This has been a good year for THE GREEN HOUSE® for Sheridan. Congratulations to all of you and
thanks for your passion for our elders and for all your good work this year on
our project.

A year ago Carmen, Keith and I took a trip to Tupelo to visit the Mississippi Methodist
Senior Services Green Houses and to participate in a daylong training program
at that facility. We became convinced that the “story” about this approach to
senior skilled nursing care is factual and a very good thing for the elders who
are in need of this level of care in an environment very much like home. The
elders who live there and the folks who provide the care seemed universal in
their praise for this approach. We had an extra day there so the three of us
spent it in forging a plan to make that dream come true for the Sheridan community. Most
of your names were identified as critical to the success of the endeavor.

On January 10, (2007) of this year we held our first meeting with the Task Force and
continued the planning and began some of the implementation work. Since then we
have:

• Formed up a Task Force Team with impressive individual credentials and motivation
• Applied for and were accepted into the national Green House® Project
• Formed Alternative Elder Living, Inc. a non profit corporation registered in the State
  of Wyoming
• Applied for and were granted (finally!) 501C3 non-profit status by the Internal Revenue
  Service
• Assisted in the passage of Senate File 0089 which authorizes increased and improved
  senior health care choices in our state
• Applied for and received pilot status from the State as an alternative care facility
  along with a $75,000 grant in August
• Contracted with NCB Capital Impact for technical services on the project
• Received a gift of land very suitable for our first four houses
• Received our first training session from NCB in October
• Applied for and received approval for a $125,000 loan from NCB
• Contracted with TSP Inc. architects and engineers for the design of our new facility
• Submitted preliminary drawings and plans to the Wyoming Department of Health for their
  approval
• Began providing support to Wyoming organizations interested in pursuing Green Houses for their communities
• Began coordination with the City of Sheridan on utilities and planning
• Began fundraising and financial planning for our initial four houses

The year has gone by quickly, but as you know we have made very substantial
progress. That progress is directly attributable to your dedicated efforts and
I am very grateful to all of you. The year 2008 will require us to focus on
fundraising early to allow us to borrow the additional money we need to
complete design and begin construction. We will no doubt have bumps along the
way but I know this group will react quickly and overcome any obstacles.

I look forward to continuing to work with each of you and wish you and your
families a very Happy New Year.

Doug
Osborn, Chairman

The 19^th of January will be a memorable day for my
Mother. She’ll be 99 years old, although she probably won’t remember.
Mother came to live in Sheridan when she lost her capacities to be on
her own from a stroke in 2001.  We were lucky, as we found a most
endearing caregiver to help take care of her so I could go to work and
raise my son.

The best situation for our parents when they become frail, forgetful
and dependent is to have our parent in our home to be taken care of. 
Finding the caregivers for morning, noon and night in a small town like
Sheridan is very difficult, and managing their schedules is a full time
job. With our caregiver in tow, the nursing home became our only
alternative. But what about the elderly in a nursing home, who cannot
speak, walk, see, or hear who have no advocate?

While the nursing homes are necessary, what is the ideal for our
elders when they cannot be safely on their own?  A for-profit
institution is a corporation based in another state whose focus is to
make money while providing care for the elderly. That very principle of
turning a profit mandates that the facility meet (not exceed) the
minimum legal requirements of law for staffing, food prep and
cleanliness. Their mission guides them–to make a profit and meet
regulations. Does a nursing home whose corporation located in New York
City really care about my Mother in Sheridan?

The Green House® Living for Sheridan is a non-profit,
community-based, eldercare home whose mission is to focus on elders
continuing their life journey with dignity and respect. My Mother at 99
requires a level of nurturing and loving kindness that simply cannot be
met by the caring and overwhelmed staff at the nursing home. She needs
someone who is there for her-to give intimacy and love that only an
advocate can provide. Sheridan’s Green House model would provide
intentional direct care not available yet to my Mother at 99. And would
still cost the same as a traditional nursing home situation.

When I am visiting my Mother and see those CNAs and RNs who are
working so hard, I know how we have to change the fundamental way we
take care of our elders-for those who want to care and those who need
care.

This is our call to action! Happy birthday, Mom!

Liz Howell is a passionate volunteer for the Green House Living for
Sheridan project. You only have to read the story above to know why she
feels the way she does. Thanks, Liz!

Ray Clark’s Dream …by Linda Clark

My late husband, the Rev. Ray Clark was instrumental in bringing the
concepts of The Green House long term care initiative to Sheridan. He
spent his life-time spearheading new projects that made living,
especially for elders, safer and more enjoyable. Ray began to spread
the vision and philosophy noted gerontologist, Dr. Bill Thomas was
writing about in his book, “What are Old People For?”
This was an alternative to and improvement on the traditional medical
model of long term care. He spoke with enthusiasm about the homelike
environment with plants, a central kitchen and hearth, private rooms,
flexible schedules and self-governing staff.
Ray had lots of experience with nursing homes and spoke highly of the
dedicated staff he encountered. Still elders were institutionalized and
he knew something had to
change. He also knew since he had worked on so many capital campaigns
in our community the generosity of Sheridan, WY would support the
concept and embrace the vision.
The Green House effort was Ray’s next project, but God called him home.
Now, I’m involved on the Task Force and working on the Culture
Committee to help bring about the change that was his dream. From
“Silver Threads” by Linda Clark

The mission of GHLS includes facilitating opportunities for other Wyoming communities to move towards alternatives in elder living using the Green House model. Riverton, Jackson Hole, Lovell, Gillette, Casper, Unita County, and Gillette sent representatives to  Sheridan for the September 23 workshop to help advance the effort in thier own communities.  Dr. Bill Thomas, creator of the Green House concept and the Eden Alternative spoke to a group of 22 encouraging them to take next steps. Following Dr. Thomas’ workshop, Melissa Honig, Guide from NCB, Capital Impact, Inc., the non-profit consulting organization dedicated to the Green House concept, provided a two hour workshop for interested communitiies. At a brief meeting following the two day workshop, the groups exchanged contact information and will meet by phone conference call hosted by Melissa Honig to help one another with the process. The Sheridan project is very appreciative of Melissa and her generous support. If you are interested in bringing a Green House to your community, contact Sue Sharp, Project Development Coordinator, Sheridan 307-752-0687.

Green House Living for
Sheridan Invites Comments from Nursing Students

Several second year nursing students at Sheridan College recently had the good fortune to be present at Dr. William Thomas’ presentation on not just the Green House Project, but providing care for the elderly in general. Dr. Thomas conveyed his message in a non-traditional style, utilizing a Grimm’s fairytale and stories from Greek mythology to make his message more immediate. While some may have been dismayed at his storyteller’s approach, others were intrigued and entertained by the unique methods he used to relay his sincere beliefs regarding care for the elderly.

“Dr. Thomas reminded me of Robin Williams in the movie ‘Patch Adams’. His ideas were grand, his methods were unconventional, and he was so patient oriented. I was impressed that he went from the excitement of the ER to geriatrics because of his compassion for the elderly. His use of Greek mythology clearly explained his position and reasoning for his proposed change, and the need for us to look closely at our current long term care status. He has devoted his career to the pursuit of solutions to this concern and I applaud his initiative and drive.” -Barbara Anderson
I started nursing school with no sense of where I wanted to practice. My participation in weekly clinicals at several different nursing homes helped me make a decision; I do not want to practice as a geriatric nurse. Why? Perhaps the idea that these individuals require more care and assistance, or the idea that they are at the end of life, that I have to repeat myself several times, or that they need reminders to put their glasses on and put their dentures in. For some reason or another, I knew this type of nursing was not worth my effort. Enter Dr. Thomas and the Green House: I became captivated by the idea that elders possess the richest of qualities-that is, life experience. Elders are alive, full of experience, dynamic, and fortunate for having reached their elder years. Dr. Thomas conveyed his passion for our elders by way of showing, not telling. No suit, no tie, no podium to stand behind, no prepared speech but rather just himself, his ideas and experience, a small microphone, a simple chair, a hooded sweatshirt, casual khakis, and bare feet in Birkenstocks. From here, Dr. Thomas welcomes the audience to join him on a journey, a journey where old age is the goal and there is continual growth in all members involved. This journey forces the audience to reconsider their ideas about becoming an elder and how elders are treated once they get there. Dr. Thomas shares his own experiences in practice, tells ancient Greek myths, and somehow comes out making sense about why the elder is the most valuable asset to a community. I leave the forum thinking “Awesome. I want to be a part of this transformation where elders live with dignity and respect.” Through sharing his passion as a nursing home abolitionist, Dr. Thomas transformed the way I think about geriatrics-It is a privilege to work with elder individuals. Thank you Dr. Thomas! -Josie Granger

Perhaps the most essential element that Dr. Thomas imparted on those gathered is the fact that our elders are a gift to our communities, not merely a problematic portion of the population that needs taken care of. Far from the typical modality of treating elders as a burden, Dr. Thomas encourages us all to pay respect to those that have come before us. In providing care for the elderly, it is essential that our perception of the elderly (and the aging process in general) must change. Wyoming, owing to its relatively small population, is well situated to become the first “nursing home free” state in the nation. Dr. Thomas believes that this can happen, and community based movements like that taking shape in Sheridan are path towards that greater goal.
Sheridan College Health Science Division is excited about the opportunity of working with The Green House Living for Sheridan Project, as it unfolds in our community.

Barb Anderson
Diana Charlson
Tami Elmer
Josie Granger
Stacey Oven
Erin Smart
Daniel Walton

Trudy R. Munsick

Dean of Health Sciences

Sheridan/Gillette Colleges

PO Box 1500

Sheridan, WY  82801