A voice for change, Dr. Bill Thomas was featured in the very first regional Alzheimer’s Association publication, Spring 1999 issue, which I received after my hometown arrival in late ‘98.

It was an unforgettable moment in which his compelling words totally resonated. Even today, two decades later, his words illuminate a radical shift which has the power to transform our culture. At a personally stirring level, these words felt like  validation of the path upon which we had just embarked. It was one of those moments.

“People with Alzheimer’s don’t need their memories or communication skills to have relationships with others. . . . A major blindspot for Westerners in providing care is our view of Alzheimer’s disease as a terrible blow. . . . Other cultures view caregiving as an opportunity to honor their elders for ‘who they are now’ rather than viewing them as a corrupted version of what they used to be. . . . We need to transform the way we think about and care for our elders.”

The inspiration of a pioneer movement – The Eden Alternative

Having already visited local care facilities and resources available in the community, I immediately attempted to locate an Eden facility in the region. Since Google and Yahoo were relatively new in the late 90’s and very little information was to be found online, I began networking via phone and spoke with an RN educator in St. Louis involved with The Eden Alternative. To my delight, I would meet up with her at a conference 13 years later – by which time, the cultural “shift” was underway.

In that 1999 phone call, I learned that the movement had been co-founded by Dr. Bill Thomas and Jude Thomas in 1994 only five years earlier, so no facilities in the Midwest had yet been impacted.

And so – the Eden Alternative would serve as inspiration on an on-going basis – as we created a home which would provide a sense of place befitting the needs of Mother and Dad. The transformational ideas of this pioneering geriatrician, speaking out for change in the culture of dementia care, were resonant.

Today, the Eden Alternative is an international movement which has impacted 16 countries.

A Sense of Place: Befitting the Needs of Mother and Dad

After purchasing a modest home built on land adjacent to the large farm where my parents had served as management partners for almost three decades, we were separated from the woods on the farm property by a fence which Dad had built many years before.  

We were drawn back by our connection to the surrounding land and its history. We felt welcomed by the familiar woods, fields, and nature. It was a place we had loved.

In this place, continuity of care would further enhance feelings of familiarity, privacy and safety, dignity and respect – and autonomy – for our very independent-minded parents. It was a place where Mother and Dad would continue to share in “Real Life Pleasures” while being nourished in every way.

Our new home immediately earned the whimsical title, “the ranch.”

Eden at Home

In addition to The Eden Alternative, Dr. Thomas has also developed Eden at Home in which the needs of caregivers are also seen as the needs of care receivers. The Eden philosophy empowers the care partner team and strives for the well-being of the whole care partnership – both caregivers and care receivers.

Important Tenets

The Eden vision is to eliminate these conditions of the spirit – loneliness, helplessness, and boredom – no matter where one resides. In addition, Dr. Thomas seeks to end ageism – across the age spectrum – with a focus on what one is capable of doing, regardless of life-stage.

The Power to Transform

Dr. Thomas has been named by The Wall Street Journal as “One of America’s Top 10 Innovators.”

Bill Thomas, MD, is…

  • Co-founder, The  Eden Alternative – EdenAlt.org
  • Founder, ChangingAging.org
  • Founder, TheGreenHouseProject.org
  • Author of many books including Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper and More Connected Life
  • Co-founder and CEO, Minka Houses

________________

Author: Susan Troyer