Patric J. Murphy, Sheridan Press General Manager, Managing Editor, writes an editorial talks about Green House Living of Sheridan.

No doubt each of us has (or has had) a loved one who is aging and needs or may need more care than we can provide, and as I age, this issue of “aging” is becoming more real to me.

With that in mind, I write this week about the Green House Living project, whose supporters hope to make a reality in Sheridan in the coming years (the legal name for the project is Alternative Elder Living Inc. doing business as Green House Living For Sheridan).

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A culture change for the future of nursing home care

Thirty Sheridan residents boarded a Sheridan College bus last Tuesday, November 17th for a fun and important journey to Billings to tour the Green House cottages at St. John’s Lutheran Ministries. The purpose was to generate community support for the proposed Green House cottages in Sheridan. The building of these cottages will change the culture of long term care for elders. The Green House Living for Sheridan volunteers believe that actually seeing elders in this unique home setting is the best way to build the support that is needed so that it can become a reality in Sheridan.

After boarding the bus, participants enjoyed breakfast and an introduction to the day’s activities. Craig Johnson, who has received both critical and popular praise for his novels including The Cold Dish and Death Without Company, regaled the audience with Wyoming stories from his books and delightful anecdotes from his recent book tour in France.

The staff at St. John’s and the national Green House project greeted participants. A panel of St. John’s staff shared their perceptions about the differences between a Green House setting and a traditional nursing home. They stressed the importance of developing self-managed teams with the Shahbaz, universal workers who perform elder care as well as housekeeping, laundry, and cooking. The philosophy of the The Green House was reviewed by the national staff emphasizing the creation of intentional communities where the individuality of elders and staff is recognized; where autonomy and choice by the elders is honored; and where the quality of life is enhanced.

Everyone divided into six groups and toured the cottages. Twelve of the 30 Sheridan residents ate in the cottages in the shared dining room with the elders and the staff. The remainder had lunch with the national project staff and had rich discussion about the project.

The bus home provided everyone an opportunity to share their impressions about their experiences in the cottages, especially from those that had lunch in the cottages with the elders. The following were some of the comments shared: “there was a cohesiveness of people around the table”, “the setting was warm and welcoming”, “I was impressed with the private rooms and the individual expressions in each room—it feels like their home”, “The sparkle and interactions were lovely”, “the living area was filled with diversity and felt homey”. All in all, everyone believed that this is what all elders should experience at this point in their lives…it raises the level of care and the quality of life.

The challenge is now to share these messages with other Sheridan residents and to gather letters of support to show that this is indeed a community-wide effort.

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