Category: Seek On Blog (Consumer)

This has been an exceptionally difficult year for millions of individuals, families, and communities. And yet, even in the midst of unexpected hardship and loss, the resiliency of the human spirit continues to shine all around us. To find out how people are managing, we asked half a dozen men and women ranging in age […]

The secret to optimal health is [CUE: DRUM ROLL…] “Eat right and exercise more!” Sound advice, to be sure, but what exactly does that look like for older adults trying to manage their diabetes? And what are the obstacles that prevent seniors from making healthier choices? To answer these questions (and many more), we turned […]

Dining it or ordering pick-up – watching your blood sugar doesn’t mean you have to give up eating out. Most restaurants, even fast-food places and chain restaurants that are well-known for serving high-calorie foods, offer menu items that can fit into a low-sugar/low-carb diet. The trick is to plan ahead, do a bit of research, […]

“You need to get into their world. Know what they like, who they are, even when they can’t comprehend or remember.” This is what Ajibola Ola, senior care specialist, with Lifesprk, believes sets you apart from being a caregiver hired to do a job versus one who becomes their family and improves a person’s life […]

Free Webinar on Living a Sparked Life with Diabetes During COVID and Beyond Too often, chronic illnesses like diabetes hold people back from living what Lifespark calls a “sparked life.” Internationally renowned geriatrician and Lifespark Independence Officer, Dr. Bill Thomas, is on a mission to change that mindset with a simple, four-pronged approach he calls […]

Lifespark’s Diabetes Awareness Campaign November is National Diabetes Awareness Month but given that one in four adults (26.8%) age 65 and older has type 2 diabetes, Lifespark is devoting the next three months to diabetes awareness and education. There’s another, even more urgent reason we’re focusing on this chronic condition: COVID-19. According to the Centers […]

When my dad’s heart failure finally caught up with his kidneys, his nephrologist recommended hemodialysis. So for the next two-plus years, three times a week, four hours at a pop, my dad would sit in a recliner while the dialyzer filtered his blood. Tedious and uncomfortable, but predicable. Except when his fistula would become completely […]

I was at work when I got the word that my mom had three months to live. I rushed to her house, entered without knocking, and joined her on the couch. There we sat. Not hugging. Not crying. (Those intimacies had never come easily to us.) Finally, Mom said, “In my will, you get Grandma’s […]

My parents expected to live out the rest of their lives in their beloved South Minneapolis home, exiting “feet first,” as my dad liked to say. Then life happened. My mom’s osteoarthritis made it hard to walk and my dad’s congestive heart failure left him exhausted. So we added banisters, stationed walkers on both floors, […]

The importance of addressing health care needs now Concerns about COVID-19 prompted us to delay my 89-year-old mother’s cataract surgery until she couldn’t tell the difference between her cat and a couch pillow. Finally, convinced that the infection-control measures implemented by her ophthalmology clinic were rigorous enough, we went ahead with the procedure. In hindsight, […]