The economy may have forced people to think more about their retirement but there is still one aspect of aging that most Americans are not considering—long term care—says a recent national survey.

Always on the move, Bill Thomas, MD, is a man with a mission: to challenge conventional views on aging. Provider recently caught up with Thomas at a sit-down discussion with students from The Erickson School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Shirley Payne shared her passion with her three sons, 10 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren. The sole woman in an all-male household, she relished the opportunity to lead a local Mariner Girl Scout Troop on the water and expose the young women to the joys of sailing.

Signature has a track record as a successful “turnaround company,” but Gulfport would be an uphill climb, to say the least. Nonetheless, the company decided to take on the challenge, knowing this facility was a needed community resource.

The combination of caring for his parents and questioning the traditional nursing home model of care created turmoil. When Tom took over the 246-bed nursing home, it was one of the worst nursing homes in Wisconsin.

So the baby boomers are growing old. The question is, are they growing up? Because the generation that more or less invented youth culture is now more or less in charge of the money, the politics, and even the means of cultural production.

It's easy for providers to become shell-shocked. But veteran operator Debbie van Straten says embracing a person-centered care philosophy hasn't just helped her residents, staff, and patients: it's renewed her sense of mission, and her sense of self.

The problem is, in a long term care setting, residents are—by definition—not marooned. They are literally surrounded by their peers, and given often round-the-clock care by hard-working people who really, truly want the best for them.

Meet Joyce Simard, founder of Namaste Care, geriatric consultant, author, and one of this year's 20 To Watch honorees.

Provider’s inaugural 20 To Watch continues this month with profiles of seven honorees who—just as they did last month—shine bright as glittering examples of what’s best in long term and post-acute care today. An assistant administrator, a director of engineering, a dietitian, a nurse, an administrator, an owner, and a founder of a nonprofit organization all have the spotlight this month.