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In 1991, Dr. Thomas went from being an emergency room physician to the medical director of a nursing home in upstate New York. \u201cThe place was depressing, with old people parked in wheelchairs like frogs on a log, bored with nothing to do, just waiting for death to finally reach them. It was horrible,\u201d Dr.Thomas recalls.\xa0Sohe did the unthinkable.\xa0He persuadedthe facility and staff toget two dogs, four cats, several hens andrabbits, and 100parakeets, along with hundreds of plants, avegetable and flowergarden, and a day-care site for staffers\u2019 kids.At the time, therewere laws prohibiting animals in nursing homes.They went aheadanyway.\xa0Listen to the rest of Dr. Thomas\u2019 storyand find outhow we can change our misconceptions about aging, beingolder andwhy we don\u2019t need to fear our \u201celderhood.\u201d

Dr. Bill Thomas is an internationally recognized expert on aging.He co-created The Eden Alternative, an international nonprofit, and The Green House Project, both models to revolutionize nursing home care. In addition to teaching, speaking,and consulting internationally, he is currently a Senior Fellow of AARP's Life Reimagined Institute. A graduate of the StateUniversity of New York and Harvard Medical School, he lives in Ithaca, New York with his family.

originally aired on Between Heaven and Earth