Eldercare focus of live call-in program on Wyoming PBS

— May 23, 2014

(News release) — Wyoming PBS brings together experts to discuss the issues facing Wyoming communities as they rise to the challenge of caring for their elders in “Wyoming Perspectives: Eldercare.”

This live call-in show will be broadcast Thursday, May 29, at 7 p.m., and will also be streamed live online at www.wyomingpbs.org. The program uses the expertise of its guests to offer viewers the opportunity to discover what other Wyoming communities are doing and to find the resources and contacts for local initiatives. As panelist Tim Summers of Cheyenne says, “There are many things you can do to improve.”

Program host, Deborah Hammons, and expert guests will examine the issue of how Wyoming currently manages eldercare and discuss ways community efforts can change it. Guest panelists include Deb Fleming, Ph. D., Director of Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Wyoming; Tim Summers, Wyoming State Director of AARP, serving 92,000 Wyoming residents; Carmen Rideout, Sheridan Senior Center Director and original Board member for the Sheridan Green House project; and Dale Bell, award-winning filmmaker whose most recent documentary efforts chronicle the Sheridan Green House project.

Viewers can call in questions during the live program to 800-495-9788. Questions will also be accepted via email at eldercare@wyomingpbs.org and Twitter by using the hashtag #WyElderCare. Twitter and email questions will be accepted both prior to the live broadcast and during the program.

For 10 years, Bell documented the Sheridan Green House project to capture for a national audience how a small Wyoming community came together to dramatically improve its care for elders, and Bell has been working with Wyoming PBS to present the program locally and nationally. 

“Wyoming PBS will be broadcasting the full 90-minute documentary on the Sheridan Green House to our Wyoming viewers when it is complete later this year,” said Wyoming PBS General Manager Ruby Calvert. “For now, we are proud to present a 20 minute segment from this longer program, together with the important live discussion, to show what is possible in some of our small Wyoming communities for quality elder care.” 

Sheridan Green House, one of 260 Green House Projects nationally, represents a revolution in long-term care, creating small homes that return control, dignity, and a sense of well-being to elders, while providing high-quality, personalized care. A Green House home differs from a traditional nursing home in terms of facility size, interior design, organizational structure, staffing patterns, and methods of delivering skilled professional services.

Nationally, 25 percent of those age 85 and older live in long-term care facilities. In the next 10 years, Wyoming’s 85-plus population is projected to more than double in number, pressuring the state’s nursing homes to accommodate a new era of residents. Are the facilities ready, and are communities ready to place their family members and neighbors in the facilities as they currently exist? As Carmen Rideout said, “Sheridan is a small town with a lot of spirit.  It takes a lot of persistence.”

“Wyoming Perspectives: Eldercare” is sponsored in part by AARP Wyoming.

About Wyoming PBS:

Wyoming PBS is a non-commercial, educational institution and cultural resource dedicated to connecting and enriching Wyoming lives through innovative media. Wyoming PBS can be found on various cable, satellite and over-the-air channels across Wyoming. Local content can also be accessed on ROKU, Apple TV and Xbox over-the-top devices, and online at www.wyomingpbs.org.