The Second Wind Tour

Dr. El and Dr. Bill Thomas

Last month I had the chance to attend the launch of Dr. Bill Thomas’ new book, Second Wind. Bill Thomas, founder of the Eden Alternative and creator of The Green House, has written many books about changing the culture of care in nursing homes. In his new book, he shifts his focus to helping readers understand the background of our youth-obsessed culture and to encouraging a more positive outlook on aging.

The Second Wind event was a combination of music, drama, education and entertainment that left attendees feeling hopeful, energized, and positive. It was exciting to meet so many like-minded people engaged in improving long-term care. LTC often gets bad press, but there are many, many people out there striving to make things better for our elders.

One of these people is Dan Cohen, MSW, Executive Director of Music & Memory, which is a program designed to bring individualized music via iPods to residents with dementia. I wrote here about the astounding success of this program in engaging elders who have previously seemed lost within their dementia. I met Dan Cohen once before and was pleased to see him again at the Second Wind event, where we took the selfie below.

Dr. El and Dan Cohen, MSW of Music & Memory