[5] U.S. News & World Report described Thomas as a revolutionary, "With his startling common-sense ideas and his ability to persuade others to take a risk, this creative and wildly exuberant 46-year-old country doctor has become something of a culture changer—reimagining how Americans will approach aging in the 21st century.
"[6] In 2014, Thomas organized a "non-fiction theater" roadshow bus tour to 25 cities nationwide featuring spoken word, film, art and live music performances.
[11] Though he planned on a career in emergency medicine, a part-time position as the medical director of a small rural nursing home in New Berlin, New York, turned into a full-time and lifelong passion for improving the well-being of older people.
The Eden Alternative put forward a critique of the status quo in long-term care and offered a creative way to “change the culture” of nursing homes by bringing growth and laughter into the lives of elders.
Thomas founded the Eden Alternative non-profit organization in 1994, which has grown to include affiliates in Japan, Australia, Scandinavia, Europe, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as the fifty states.
In spreading the Eden Alternative philosophy nationwide, Thomas said he saw that America's nursing home buildings were “aging faster than the people living inside them.” This led him to imagine a new approach to long-term that became known as the Green House.
[15] In November, 2008, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) said the Green House model "has shown promise for both improving the quality of life and care in these settings," and should be piloted.
[17] In 2008, Thomas led a team of experts from the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC to create the nation's first elder-friendly emergency department at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.