I have often quoted Bill Thomas, MD, geriatrician, in prior blog posts. His words first crossed my desk in a publication in early 1998 – only three months after my father’s call for help and my early days with boots on the ground at my mother’s bedside.
“Other cultures view caregiving as an opportunity to honor their elders for who they are now. We need to transform the way we think about and care for our elders.” – Bill Thomas, MD, geriatrician, thought leader, and innovator
His words resonated. Why do these words continue to impact my mission today? In my research during the few short weeks following my hometown arrival (1998), it appeared he was the first physician to counter the conventional biomedical community of that period in history. As I stood at the window reading the publication, the sun streaming in over my shoulders, his words deeply validated what I knew to be true.
Beginning in my early career years when I taught overseas, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe, Russia, Scandinavia, and later, the Far East, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico where I now reside. Being at home in other cultures, I have witnessed how families surround and support elder loved ones and each other.
In the first two decades of the 21st century, more pioneers, more influencers, and more leaders began to emerge to speak, teach, write, share on social media – and lead. Being in my hometown, researching and welcoming evidence-based findings, the conversations changed over the years, bringing into our collective conscience the need for change.
The words of Dr. Thomas and other pioneers were pointing in the right direction toward a more humane future.
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But now…? What is happening?
Today? The silence now feels too much like complicity. We must name what is happening – because what we refuse to confront, we allow to continue.
25 years later, I find myself asking whether we have grown numb to a government…
- that turns cruelty into an acceptable political strategy
- that prioritizes the wealthy over the vulnerable
- that clouds the future of elder care with uncertainty
- where daily injustices befall “the least of these”
- where elder care remains unstable and underfunded
- where the family carer continues to face growing burdens without support
The urgency for transformation – especially for those living with dementia – has only intensified. The downward spiral is unmistakable, even if national media rarely acknowledges it.
And turning to Project 2025, it is appalling and unspeakable to find no mention of “dementia” or “caring for people living with dementia.”
This silence speaks volumes. Is there any turning back?
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It’s just one reason ABeautifulVoice.org launched the International Writers Center – to amplify voices from other cultures that still understand how to honor the vulnerable as fully human. Can their stories help inspire and restore a more compassionate moral imagination here at home?
Because who we are – as a nation – is revealed in how we care for those who can no longer care for themselves.
Learn more here:
International Writers Center – A directory listing of authors, bio’s, and stories. It’s a work of love – where reflection meets renewal – a space for creative voices exploring care, conscience, and the human spirit. I invite you to visit and take a look around.
Following Dr. Snyder’s call to conscience found in the featured meme, we are reminded again of the quiet power of presence. Compassion lives in the moments when we pause long enough to truly be with another person. We are reminded by the beautiful stories from other cultures included in the Writers Center that presence itself can heal the human spirit. Welcome. 
P.S. Visit ABeautifulVoice.org for more reflections.
Author:
Susan Troyer, e-magazine author and curator
Member:
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