The Eden Alternative

What The Eden Alternative does

The Eden Alternative is a Rochester, NY-based non-profit organization founded in 1992 by Dr. Bill Thomas and Jude Thomas to drive culture change in elder care through a person-directed methodology called the Eden Approach. Its framework is built on the Ten Principles of The Eden Alternative and the Seven Domains of Well-Being (Identity, Security, Connectedness, Autonomy, Meaning, Growth, and Joy), and is designed to eliminate what the organization terms the "three plagues" of elder care: loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. The methodology is delivered through certification programs (Certified Eden Associate Training, Eden Educator Training), specialized dementia care curricula (Dementia Beyond Drugs co-developed with Dr. G. Allen Power, The Well-Being Approach, Decoding Distress), self-study course bundles, the Eden GROWTH Model for care planning, and the Dementia Action Alliance programs integrated in November 2024. The organization also offers consulting services and the Sarah Rowan Scholarship Fund for financial assistance.

The Eden Alternative monetizes through a hybrid non-profit model with five identifiable revenue streams: Eden Membership subscriptions (General and Individual tiers with bulk enterprise access), professional services from training and consulting engagements, donations collected via the GiveLively platform, and a small merchandise storefront through Printify. Its go-to-market is sales-led, relying on annual International Conferences, in-person trainings, online learning via the Eden Membership and Evolve platforms, and a multi-channel marketing footprint including a podcast ("Shaping the Future of Aging"), blog, newsletter, and active social presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. It serves a hybrid segmentation of long-term care communities, dementia care settings, healthcare professionals, and family care partners. The organization operates with 1–10 employees from Rochester, NY, and reports impact across more than 20 countries via a Global Alliance and a network of Value-Added Partners including NALTCV, Connect, SAGECare, CL360, Holleran, Connected Communities, and HPP Brookes.

Name

The Eden Alternative

Legal name

The Eden Alternative

Website

https://edenalt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Eden Alternative is a Rochester, NY-based non-profit founded in 1992 that delivers the Eden Approach — a person-directed elder care methodology built on Ten Principles and Seven Domains of Well-Being — through certification programs, training, consulting, and Eden Membership, serving long-term care communities, dementia care settings, healthcare professionals, and family care partners across 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Elder Care Education and Consulting

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Person-directed care
• Elder care education
• Dementia care training
• Culture change consulting
• Well-being programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Eden Membership: The organization offers General and Individual membership tiers providing access to Eden communities, person-directed care resources, educational content, and bulk access to online learning platforms.
2. Educational Programs and Training: Revenue generated from Certified Eden Associate Training, Eden Educator Training, self-study courses, coaching calls, and workshops such as Dementia Beyond Drugs offered both in-person and online.
3. Donations: The organization accepts donations through GiveLively platform and has a dedicated Sarah Rowan Scholarship Fund providing financial assistance for education.
4. Consulting Services: Consultation services provided to organizations implementing the Eden Approach for person-directed care transformation.
5. Merchandise Store: Products available through Printify storefront including branded merchandise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Eden Alternative is a non-profit organization that provides the Eden Approach, a person-directed elder-care methodology built on the Ten Principles and the Seven Domains of Well-Being. It delivers this methodology through membership subscriptions, certified training programs (Certified Eden Associate Training Online and Eden Educator Training), self-study courses, dementia-care programs (Dementia Beyond Drugs, The Well-Being Approach, Decoding Distress), and consulting services to long-term care communities, healthcare professionals, and family care partners.

Product overview

The Eden Alternative is a non-profit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs, training courses, membership services, and consulting for person-directed elder care. The core offering is The Eden Approach®, a philosophy and methodology guided by Ten Principles and Seven Domains of Well-Being designed to eliminate loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. The portfolio includes certification programs (Certified Eden Associate Training Online, Eden Educator Training), dementia-specific courses (Dementia Beyond Drugs with Dr. G. Allen Power, The Well-Being Approach, Decoding Distress), self-study bundles (The Groundwork and The Framework), membership programs, consulting services, and online learning collaboratives. Following its 2024 acquisition of Dementia Action Alliance as an outreach mission, the organization expanded to include DAA's virtual support groups, educational webinars, and programs led by people living with dementia. The organization also operates the Shaping the Future of Aging Podcast and offers the Sarah Rowan Scholarship Fund for financial assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Eden Approach®: The organization's core methodology for person-directed care
• Eden Membership
• Dementia Beyond Drugs
• Ten Principles of The Eden Alternative®
• Domains of Well-Being®
• Certified Eden Associate Training
• Sarah Rowan Scholarship Fund

Products and services

• The Eden Approach® The core person-directed care methodology guided by Ten Principles and Seven Domains of Well-Being, designed to eliminate loneliness, helplessness, and boredom in elder-care settings.
• Eden Membership A membership program offering General and Individual members access to the Eden Community, resources for implementing person-directed care, practice guides, and networking opportunities.
• Certified Eden Associate Training Online (CEATO) A 12-week online training course providing comprehensive education in person-directed long-term care philosophy, enabling participants to become Certified Eden Associates.
• Eden Educator Training In-person training for deepening knowledge of The Eden Approach and becoming certified Eden Educators to broaden organizational impact.
• Dementia Beyond Drugs A transformative approach to dementia care co-developed with Dr. G. Allen Power, offered as in-person (2 days) and online (8 sessions) courses, focusing on person-directed practices that empower people with dementia to live with dignity, joy, and connection.
• The Groundwork and The Framework Bundle A self-study course bundle covering The Groundwork: Rethink Your Paradigm and The Framework: Reveal the Possibilities, providing foundational education in the Eden Alternative approach to person-directed care in a compact online format.
• Decoding Distress A course by Dr. Al Power providing tools to understand and address distress in dementia care, including approaches to care conferences based on the Eden Alternative Domains of Well-Being.
• The Well-Being Approach (Dr. Al Power) A self-study course by Dr. Al Power exploring the Seven Domains of Well-Being to help care partners empower people living with dementia to live a life worth living.
• Care Plan Stories: The Elder Voice Initiative An online class teaching care teams to write care plans incorporating elders' stories in their own words, honoring identity and building relationships while meeting regulations.
• Upholding Well-Being in Dementia: Online Learning Collaborative A group learning collaborative exploring building identity, connectedness, security, autonomy, meaning, growth and joy into care partnerships with peer teams.
• Consulting Services (eMPOWER) Consultation services to empower organizations in implementing The Eden Approach and transforming their care communities.
• Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) Programs An outreach mission of The Eden Alternative offering virtual discussions, support groups, educational resources, and programs led by people living with dementia, including 'Caring Conversations' and 'Exploring Dementia' series.
• Sarah Rowan Scholarship Fund Provides scholarships for online and in-person education for those needing financial assistance to access Eden Alternative training programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduction in staff turnover through empowered cultures and consistent caring relationships
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• TZMO SenicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 September 2025TZMO Seni is a Value-Added Partner of The Eden Alternative. They provide products that help restore dignity, confidence, and proper rest to people's lives in elder care settings. The partnership was highlighted during the 27th International Long-Term Care Conference in Poland where over 1,000 specialists from 30+ countries attended. TZMO's core values of Innovation, Responsibility, and Experience align with The Eden Alternative's mission.
• Dementia Action AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) joined The Eden Alternative as an outreach mission in November 2024. Together they further the mission to serve individuals living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their care partners. DAA maintains its existing services and activities, shares the Eden Board of Directors, and its Advisory Board (all living with dementia or MCI) remains intact following the motto 'Nothing about us, without us!'. The organizations co-created 'Raising The Bar: Creating A Better Society In Which To Live With Dementia' practice standards for both Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing.
• LifesparkflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Eden Alternative is partnering with Lifespark on 'Playing to Win: A Global Symposium on Aging Magnificently', a 10-session online event. Dr. Bill Thomas, Eden Alternative founder, will share a positive view on aging, help understand ageism and how to combat it, and offer ways to shift wellness efforts from 'me' to 'we'.
• Value-Added PartnerscoreOthersThe Eden Alternative maintains relationships with multiple Value-Added Partners including NALTCV, Connect, SAGECare, CL360, Holleran, Connected Communities, HPP Brookes, and others. These partners help achieve Eden members' goals through products and services that support person-directed living.
• Global Alliance PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Eden Alternative shares a Global Alliance with partners around the world. Today, their work has an impact in over 20 countries, with Eden Alternative affiliates operating in various international regions including South Africa.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL): The assisted living arm of AHCA/NCAL, representing assisted living providers nationally and providing education, publications, and advocacy. NCAL is an industry-body peer serving the same operator customers Eden's culture-change programs are sold into.
• LeadingAge: A large national association representing non-profit aging services providers, including assisted living and nursing homes. LeadingAge offers broader industry advocacy, education, and member services, overlapping Eden's culture-change and education mandate within a much larger portfolio.
• Relias: A large healthcare workforce training and compliance platform serving senior care, home health, and hospice providers. Relias is a scaled incumbent offering persona-directed care and compliance courses that compete for the same training budgets Eden targets.

Emerging players

• CareAcademy: An online training platform for home care and senior care professionals. CareAcademy offers certification-style caregiver training similar to Eden's Certified Eden Associate Training Online (CEATO), but is venture-backed and software-led versus Eden's non-profit model.
• Validation Training Institute: A non-profit organization providing training and certification in Naomi Feil's Validation method for communicating with older adults experiencing dementia. It is a comparable specialized training and methodology peer serving elder-care professionals.

Direct peers

• Pioneer Network: A non-profit advocacy and education organization dedicated to culture change in long-term care. Pioneer Network operates the same culture-change movement that Eden was instrumental in founding, sharing conference, education, and coalition-building activities.
• PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute): A national non-profit focused on direct-care workforce training and quality improvement in long-term care. PHI is a comparable workforce-education and culture-change peer serving similar nursing home, home care, and assisted living audiences.
• The Green House Project: A non-profit culture-change movement for elder care, also originating from the work of Dr. Bill Thomas. It pursues similar person-directed care goals in skilled nursing and assisted living settings, making it the closest conceptual and operational peer to The Eden Alternative.
• Activated Insights (formerly Healthcare Services Group University): Provider of training, certification, and quality measurement for senior living communities. Activated Insights competes in the same customer segment (senior living operators) with education, engagement surveys, and culture programs analogous to Eden's offerings.

Others

• Dementia Alliance International: A non-profit organization of people living with dementia, advocating for rights, education, and support globally. While DAA (US-based) joined Eden as an outreach mission, DAI operates internationally with a similar dementia-advocacy mission and is a thematic peer in the dementia community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EdenAlternative
• Facebookfacebook.com/theedenalternative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-eden-alternative
• Instagraminstagram.com/theedenalternative
• Xx.com/edenalt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Eden Alternative