SHERIDAN -- As plans continue on an innovative model for residential long-term elderly care in Sheridan, statewide interest in similar projects is also increasing.

Green House Living for Sheridan is only in the midst of fundraising but project manager Sue Sharp said several communities across the state want to build similar "cottage-type nursing homes," where residents eat home-cooked meals at a dining room table and have their own room and bathroom.

"Right now, it's a pilot project for the state of Wyoming," Sharp said. "All eyes are on Sheridan."

That statewide interest is part of the reason national aging expert Dr. Bill Thomas will be in Sheridan on Tuesday and Wednesday to lead a series of discussions about the future of long-term care in Wyoming. The creator of the "Green House" concept, Thomas believes long-term care can include pets, plants and private bedrooms and bathrooms.

"If you've been in a traditional nursing home, it tends to be a sterile environment," said AARP Wyoming's Joanne Bowlby. "There's usually not a very home-like setting."

That's where the Green House concept differs, she said. Instead of a large structure that has more than 100 patients, Green House homes are small and personalized. Eight to 12 people live in a home that's centerpiece is a living area and a kitchen, Bowlby said. Each elderly citizen has his or her own bedroom and bathroom, and residents see the same staff members daily and feel more comfortable and less confused in a home-like environment.

"Meals are served in a family like setting. They can help prepare the food if they like," Bowlby said. "Or they can do crafts at the dining room table, just like you or I would at home."

Bev Morrow, administrator of the aging division for the Wyoming Department of Health, knows firsthand the importance of preserving a home-like setting. As her own parents entered nursing homes, she saw how all their choices were taken from them.

"They lost all control over their own lives," she said.

Morrow is excited about the possibility Green House projects eventually may pop up across the state.

"If we can create a long-term care environment that feels like home and preserves their dignity and their choices ... to me that's the way people should be able to live out the last months or years of their lives," she said.

Sheridan will soon be home to the state's first Green House, and Sharp said construction should start in May 2009. An update on Sheridan's project will be part of the two-day workshop that is co-sponsored by AARP Wyoming and Green House Living for Sheridan.

Though they have already raised $1 million, Sharp said another $4.3 million is still needed. Green House Living for Sheridan will house 48 residents in four cottages, admitting the first elders in June 2010, she said.

"We're already getting a lot of calls on these," she said.

The idea is not unique to Wyoming. Across the nation, Sharp said there are about 1,200 Green Houses being built. As Wyoming officials look for ways to house an increasing retiring and elderly community, Green House committees have already been formed in Jackson, Casper, Lovell and Riverton. From the small communities to the big cities, the Green House concept is ideal for all population sizes, Bowlby said.

"They are appealing in Wyoming because we do have a small population and some aging members have had to leave their homes and their towns and go to a long-term facility 200 miles away," Bowlby said. "These could possible be replicated in smaller communities and allow people to stay in their communities."

Thomas will speak from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday at Sheridan College's Whitney Building CTEL Room 136. He will explain why he believes Wyoming and America need alternatives to the traditional model of long-term care. The presentation is open to the public. On Wednesday, the workshop continues at the Sheridan Senior Center from 7:30 to 11 a.m., where Thomas will join state experts in a discussion about the future of long-term care in Wyoming.