The key to aging well is not only in sports, food or other stimulating activities, but also in being surrounded by people. Whether surrounded by family members, friends or pets, the result will be beneficial for the health and morale as well as for the longevity of seniors. Dr. Bill Thomas has an idea on the issue to improve their well-being ...
"Aging is a good thing"!
With this particular statement, Dr. Bill Thomas, a physician from the prestigious Harvard Institution, a teacher and specialist in geriatric medicine and elder care, is shaking up old age paradigms and upsetting our certainties. His workhorse is to improve the daily life, health and well-being of elderly people living in retirement homes; he is convinced that aging is not a handicap.
Many people have resigned themselves to the idea that aging inevitably leads to isolation, neglect and, above all, dependence on third parties. Such a state of mind, so far legitimized by these fears, is totally unfounded for Dr. Thomas, who rejects it en bloc and fights vigorously.
According to him, if old age is inevitable, it should in no way be perceived as a handicap. On the contrary, Dr. Thomas goes so far as to say that old age, rather than representing anxiety or anxiety, can be a real boon to many "seniors".
Dr. Thomas's approach to the development of seniors
It was in 1991 that Thomas became the medical director of a nursing Homes in upstate New York. As soon as he took office in this establishment, the report on the atmosphere that prevailed was appalling in more ways than one and led him to take radical measures.
Obviously, this place was absolutely not favorable to the well-being of its guests, much less to their personal development. He quickly realized that a profound transformation was urgently needed. Thus he decided that the establishment would acquire several pets, despite the violation of the state law in force on this aspect. On his recommendations, the place of plants, a garden of flowers, a kitchen garden and a nursery for the employees were also given.
The results were astounding. Indeed, a happier mood was observed among seniors, who became more and more enterprising and dynamic.
From a medical point of view, their state of health was becoming less and less worrying and the use of drugs dropped considerably.
This approach, which Thomas has dubbed "Eden Alternative", has been a great success since, since the experiment has been replicated in similar institutions in many countries around the world.
In addition, Dr. Thomas was the forerunner of the "Green Houses", homes where residents have a bedroom and an individual bathroom.
Convinced that the austerity of a place undoubtedly affects the vitality and enthusiasm of its occupants, its initiative has produced, again, dazzling results. In just a few weeks, the use of wheelchairs by seniors for their travel within the nursing home has been totally abandoned.
Thus, the now well-established idea that the environment has a great deal of influence on the mind and on the health and well-being of people, is once again reinforced by Dr. Bill Thomas's valuable approach.
Whatever our age, we all need to be well surrounded!
