Category: Seek On Blog (Consumer)

When seniors come home from the hospital or transitional care unit (TCU), transportation is often an issue. Especially if you need a stretcher which requires a specialty vehicle and a two-person assist. For those with more complex needs, if your transportation is not equipped to meet them, you may be required to stay in the […]

Alone and afraid, Grace* was experiencing symptoms she thought may be the sign of a heart attack. She called the Lifespark Triage team. They escalated her concern to a Mobile Urgent Responder (MUR) who quickly came to her home. The responder did a full exam including the use of a SmartHeart® electrocardiogram (EKG). Five minutes […]

After traveling for much of his life, Stewart Lee enjoys being at home in his own apartment. Overall, Stewart is in good health. Good vision, good vitals and a desire to maintain his independence. His Lifespark team helps Stewart remain in an independent living apartment even as he’s showing early signs of dementia. He recently […]

“At 3:00 in the morning, I got up to use the bathroom. I had the worst side-ache of my life. I thought it was my appendix. Or maybe I was having a stroke,” said Debbie, a Lifespark Home Health client. One ambulance ride later, Debbie landed in the hospital where she would spend most of […]

Watching Roy compete at the World Championship Spark Challenge this past December was cause for celebration—not only because his phenomenal performance on the arm crank ergometer helped take his team to victory, but because this octogenarian athlete had been on hospice just a few months earlier. According to Wendy Zimmerman, Director of Community Life at […]

After a hip replacement surgery in 2022, Marlene had been transferred to a transitional care unit (TCU), the last place she wanted to be, according to her son, Kent. “Mom always told us that she wanted to walk out her front door into nature, not into a hallway next to someone else’s doorway,” he said. […]

A couple of years after her mother died in 2002, Carol* wanted her beloved father, Stan*, to move out to California where she could visit him every day and help him as he aged. But Stan had already begun dating Joan* and didn’t want to leave the Twin Cities. Carol accepted his decision, checking in […]

Listen to an audio conversation on this topic: When I was eleven, I became obsessed with learning how to ride a unicycle. It was a slow and painful process, involving ugly gashes, lacerations, road rash, and bruises, but I refused to give up. How my mom survived the bloodletting is beyond me, but never once […]

When Jackie Johnson, RN, took on the role of Director of Health Services at Boden Senior Living in Apple Valley, a Lifespark Senior Living Community, she had a singular mission for the residents: to make their final chapters good ones. “To do that, we had to ask ourselves questions like, how can we best support […]

Ginny* had a lot on her hands. As her husband’s primary caregiver, she was on call 24/7, keeping close watch on his health, nutrition, and medications. But despite her vigilance, Doug, 85, was having frequent falls and urinary tract infections (UTI) which needed immediate medical attention. And typical of most emergencies, Doug’s nearly always happened […]