Love a Senior Day is not your typical senior expo

Bill Thomas was headed for a career in emergency medicine until he took a part-time job caring for patients in a nursing home.

"I fell in love with the elders," he said. "People think 'aging' is all about decline when it is really just the name we give to growth when we are no longer young."

Thomas, now 60, has since become an internationally renowned geriatrician, author and elder advocate who has founded two nonprofits — The Eden Alternative, which works to improve elder care, and The Green House Project, which works to transform senior housing models.

"The Eden Alternative helps people running senior care facilities create environments that are much more like gardens and much less like hospitals," he said. "'Edenizing' requires effort and perseverance, but the payoff comes in the form of a better place to live and work. The Green House is also pretty simple. People can share a house and have a comfortable life while also getting the services and supports they need. All of my work has been based on really simple ideas."

Thomas will be guest speaker Saturday at the inaugural Love a Senior Day in Jacksonville. The intent is to "disrupt the traditional 'senior expo' model … in an inviting carnival-themed atmosphere designed to celebrate older Americans and those who care for them," according to the nonprofit Love A Senior Co. based in Denver.

"I’ve been working with families for so long and I see that sometimes as we age we forget we have choices for our life's future," said founder Carol Chiarito, who also founded CarematchAmerica, a company that helps families find care facilities for their elders.

"The problem is we don't really know these things until it's too late, and then we wish we'd known. My team and I started Love a Senior Day because we want to focus on bringing together home health, communities, residential services and senior services all in one place, but unlike the traditional model of a ‘senior expo' this one has fun activities like live music, carnival games, yoga and more. Our motto for guests is to live your life, forget your age.”

The Jacksonville event will feature Thomas and other speakers on issues affecting the senior population, such as local politics, health care and medicare. Also scheduled is Toula Wootan of Toula’s Tips for Caregivers, a popular local radio show and website.

"This event is a breath of fresh air when it comes to traditional trade shows for senior resources, that’s why I was so eager to bring it to North Florida," said Wootan, who partnered with Chiarito to organize the event. "It not only brings together those vital resources and information that caregivers and families and seniors need, but it also celebrates our older family members and friends. It’s fun and informative."

Thomas endorsed the concept.

"In Japan people celebrate 'Respect for the Aged Day.' It is a major public holiday and one of the busiest travel days of the year there. 'Love a Senior Day' should be a national holiday," he said.

The event will address what he called "the big-three issues" facing elders — health, wealth and dignity.

"Am I going to be healthy enough to live life on my own terms? Will I run out of money before I run out of life? How can I stay connected to the people and places I love most?" Thomas said.

He has a vision for his own elder years.

"I have observed that for many older people a big house leads to a small life," said Thomas, who also founded Minka Homes and Communities, which develops efficient, affordable compact homes. "I am hoping that I will be able to live where I want and how I want for as long as possible. I already live in a small house — about 700 square feet — because I want to have a big life."

Here's how families and the public can help elders lead quality lives, he said.

"Be respectful of elders' right to make their own choices. Be especially respectful of their right to make choices you disagree with," he said. "You are there to help them live where and how they wish. Bossy adult children are much more trouble than emotional adolescents."

Beth Reese Cravey: (904) 359-4109

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds, 510 Fairground Place. For more information and free advance tickets, go to  loveasenior.com/lasd-jacksonville-fl. Tickets at the door are $1.

Love a Senior Day