Learning from Hannah: Secrets for a Life Worth Living

This book uses Dr. Thomas's talent for storytelling to advance his ideas. The Eden Alternative is a way for Long Term Care facilities to be a real home to the people that live there, a place families will enjoy visiting. The changes are very low tech and save money in the long run. The environment these changes create is not only wonderful for the people who LIVE there, but for the staff as well. I encourage anyone with family in a facility to read this book.

This book is meant for every man,woman and child regardless of age. In a society where we have grown to see aging as repulsive rather than merely a part of living, this message is invaluable. Dr. Thomas tells a beautiful story of his own growth and journey toward understanding the value of our elders. It is an issue that can no longer be avoided. Change is inevitable. This book offers us a guide to help facilitate that change.

I just finished "Learning from Hannah". What an awesome book! It is so thought provoking. It speaks not only about the life style we need for our elderly but the need for community and connectedness for everyone. This book will make you think about our modern lives and what life could or should be. I hope it starts a revolution in the way our society approachs life.

Learning from Hannah - Secrets for a Life Worth Living by William H. Thomas, M.D. VanderWyk & Burnham, MA. 1999. 240 pp. $21.95 hardcover. illustrations. Like a fable, Learning from Hannah divulges deep truths about human nature while imparting a timeless moral message. The author Thomas is so identified with his novel that its main characters have the names of the author and his wife, Bill and Jude. Nearly losing their lives when their sailboat capsizes in a storm while on vacation, Bill and Jude survive by being swept to the island of Kallimos. There, they come under the care of Hannah. While helping them to regain their strength, Hannah teaches them a wisdom arising from a natural, communal way of life, the way of life on Kallimos. The core of this way of life is the relationship between elders and younger generations whereby the younger take care of the older, who in turn impart their wisdom to them to make their lives richer and more meaningful. Among the precepts Bill and Jude learn are "Trust in each other allows us the pleasure of answering the needs of the moment" and "To give care to another makes us stronger". Thomas's novel is one of the ways he is publicizing his ideas about the place of elders in society. Besides writing this book, Dr. Thomas founded the organization the Eden Alternative to lead the way in this area. Also, this summer (1999), the author, his wife, their five children, and his parents will be traveling by bus across the U.S. to stimulate interest in his timely ideas and proposals.Henry Berry, Book ReviewerEditor/Publisher, The Small Press Book Review

This book, written by an open-minded, caring physician details an account of living on a fictional island called Kallimos. Kallimos is a place where the elderly are treated with respect, and where the laughter of children, the spontainety of animals, and the diversity of plants centers around daily life. While this is a fictional story, it represents an actual effort by Dr. Thomas and his associates to change nursing homes all across North America, and to make them into lively, wonderfully diverse places to live, not just exist. This book is written on a level that can be enjoyed by anyone, and is an excellent resource for those that love and care for the elderly. Another book that I am a fan of that is by Dr. Thomas is "Life Worth Living--How Someone You Know Can Still Enjoy Life in a Nursing Home. The Eden Alternative in Action." This book is a "non-fictional" account of incorporating animals, plants, and children into an otherwise "institutional" setting. Both are great! Please check them both out! You want be disappointed, I promise!