Today, about 300 long-term care centers across the country have adopted his “Eden Alternative” concept – to bring pets, children and plants into facilities to alleviate loneliness and boredom. Another 250 “Green Houses” incorporate his ideas into new construction, built for no more than 10 people, with kitchens and living rooms at the center, instead of nursing stations.

But change hasn’t come fast enough.

“I realized if I kept doing this for another 20 years, I was apt to be disappointed,” said Thomas, 56, of Ithaca, N.Y. “I came to understand that the issue went beyond long-term care. It’s about our culture and our society. It’s about ageism in our society.”