Tom Keith, right, talks with Samuel Thomas Jr.

Some of the residents in the Lutheran Home at Toledo (Ohio) might call Thomas Keith '02 a “young whippersnapper.” But it wouldn't be out of disrespect. It would only be because at 25 years of age he's considered young to be an executive director of the skilled nursing and assisted living complex in East Toledo.

For Keith, the nursing home is a comfortable environment in which to work. As a child, he spent a lot of time with his grandfather and always seemed to be around elderly people. When it came time for him to find a part-time job while he was in high school, a local nursing home was a good option.

He worked in the kitchen yet still had the chance to interact with the residents there. He enjoyed that part of the job so much that he took the initiative to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.). He worked as a C.N.A. during his senior year in high school and throughout college at various health care facilities around Bowling Green and Toledo. He gained valuable experience that provided a solid foundation for his future career. What started as a means to making some extra dollars ended up being an opportunity that gave direction to his life.

He discovered that working with the elderly was more than just a job. He became very interested in studying gerontology and changed his first major at BGSU from physician's assistant to gerontology.

“I enjoyed the faculty support from the gerontology department,” he said. “It was easy to get to know many of the professors and feel comfortable going to them with questions; they were a very close-knit group.” He has maintained many of those friendships and contacts that he made during his coursework at BGSU.

He completed his administrator-in-training internship at Mount Washington Care Center in Cincinnati and was promptly hired as the business office manager. Once he obtained his nursing home administrator's license, he moved back to Toledo to be the assistant administrator at the Lutheran Home at Toledo. He then was promoted to executive director for the campus.

The rigors of health care regulations can be demanding, he admits, but the diversity of the position, and the interactions with residents, staff and family members makes each day “something new.”

“No matter how tough things get because of government funding cutbacks or nursing staff shortages, I enjoy knowing that my work goes towards improving and maintaining the quality of life for our residents,” he said.

The challenges are ongoing in health care for the elderly; however, he also is very excited to be at the forefront of major changes that are starting to take place in nursing facilities. “Long-term care is changing, as the Baby Boomers start to come into the system,” he said. They will bring with them demands for facilities to provide Internet access, movie channels, Jimmy Buffet music rather than Big Bands, he explained. “It's a challenging but exciting time to be in the long-term care industry.”