Category: Change On Blog (Professional)

Even if you’ve never played ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,’ you probably know the concept: take any actor, living or dead, and trace them back to Kevin Bacon in six jumps or fewer. Swap actor for health care professional and Mr. Bacon for Michele Murray, Lifespark Community Liaison, and you get a sense of the […]

“Working for a company that not only changes hundreds of clients’ lives on a daily basis but keeps the morale of the company high, is one of the most incredible gifts I get to be a part of,” says Nicolette Hart, Lifespark RN, LALD. And it turns out, Nicolette’s not the only one who feels […]

When Jill Eaton saw the job posting for Lifespark Community Liaison in 2022, she told herself, “Just go for it.” The role turned out to be a perfect fit, both professionally and personally. But more on that later. Jill started her career in 1994 as a licensed practical nurse (LPN), working in board and care, […]

“Weird” is the word Dillion Johnson, Lifespark Community Liaison, used to describe his career path to the health care industry. After getting a degree in information systems, Dillion landed a full-time job at a global company based in St. Paul. But six months in, he just wasn’t happy. “The job wasn’t scratching the itch I […]

Working in skilled home health is not for everyone, but for many of the nurses who’ve joined Lifespark Home Health after years of hospital and clinic nursing, it’s a great fit, said Kelly Stocke, RN, Lifespark Home Health Clinical Educator. What motivates a seasoned nurse to explore a career in home health varies from person […]

“I tell my clients all the time what a huge gift it is for me to have an entire hour to talk with them,” said Wendy Laine, MD, who joined Lifespark after 20 years as an emergency medicine physician. Nearly every day, these conversations uncover a long-standing concern, question, or need which the client never […]

Central to Lifespark’s mission to help people age magnificently is helping them stay healthy at home. For individuals with heart failure, the stakes are particularly high. According to the National Institutes of Health, heart failure in the United States accounts for roughly 700,000 inpatient admissions and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. It’s […]

Dr. Bill Thomas (a.k.a., “Dr. Bill”), nationally renowned geriatrician, author, and Lifespark Independence Officer, has a lot to say on the subject of sleep, starting with the sober observation that Americans, independent of age or region, have poor sleep hygiene. “As a nation, we’re not getting enough healthy, restful sleep, and the problem gets worse […]

“Hospitals can be dangerous for older people,” said Dr. Bill Thomas (a.k.a., “Dr. Bill”), nationally renowned geriatrician, author, and Lifespark Independence Officer. “This is why Lifespark is laser-focused on helping seniors avoid unplanned and unnecessary hospitalizations.” In fact, new data from Minnesota hospitals show that one in six days of inpatient care was deemed unnecessary. […]

Even before completing his doctorate in physical therapy, David Orman, DPT, knew he wanted to work in home health. “In outpatient settings, you tend to get bogged down treating one body part, like you’re the shoulder guy, or you’re the spine guy, whereas in home health, you see such a variety of clients and conditions. The work never becomes a monotonous […]