Last week, Next Avenue named Dr. Bill Thomas among the top Influencers in Aging in 2015. The list is the first in an annual series recognizing 50 inspiring thought leaders, innovators, doctors, authors, advocates, experts, executives and others changing how we age and think about aging.
Dr. Bill Thomas
Founder of The Eden Alternative and Green House Project
Dr. Bill Thomas believes “everything we think we know about aging is wrong.” His work in a nursing home inspired him to challenge the status quo about how we treat our elderly, and he founded the website ChangingAging.org as a platform for innovators to share their ideas.
Thomas’s achievements include an effort to revolutionize long-term care by creating the Green House Project, a home-like alternative to nursing homes and retirement communities. His work was featured in a 2014 documentary, Homes on the Range, on efforts to bring the Green House movement to a small town in Wyoming.
Following his 2014 book tour for Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper, and More Connected Life, Thomas is now visiting cities around the country with a theater production called Age of Disruption Tour, in which he urges us to challenge ageist stereotypes.
Dear Bill
You listed 44 of the 50 best books on aging and yet it did not include Aging Well by George Valiant. I found this hard to believe. His anecdotes from the longitudinal studies were great as were his conclusions at the end. It seemed like good advice based on sounder science than most such books are and certainly seems like it should be on any unbiased list in my opinion. Greg
Your disruptive work in this industry is sorely needed. Thank you, Bill.