Category: Seek On Blog (Consumer)

After my father died in 2016, I took a look at my mother’s living will, written in 2000, and wondered whether she still wanted all heroic measures. Once I explained to her what that could mean, she said, “I’m 87 years old. WHY WOULD I WANT THAT??!” (I think it was a rhetorical question.) We […]

Last fall, when we interviewed Tanya Castillo, RN, Director, Lifespark Community Home Care, for a blog on the warning signs that an aging parent might need some help, she mentioned broken appliances, dirty dishes, neglected pets, poor dental hygiene, strong body odor, incontinence, and unpaid bills as red flags for family members. We caught up […]

Financial planner Melissa Machlitt, CRPS, CRPC, has never been affiliated with Lifespark—not as an advisor, partner, or consultant—but she’s been a super-fan since 2006. That’s when she first learned about the company’s mission to help people age magnificently. “An executive from Lifespark, which was called AgeWell at the time, met with our team of advisors […]

Connie*, a member of Lifespark COMPLETETM, lives on her own with the help of her Lifespark team and her adult daughter, Heather, who lives in Nashville but visits as often as possible. “Heather is a great example of how family involvement—even from afar—can make such a difference in the lives of our clients,” said Dana […]

If you’ve been following Lifespark on social media or in the news lately, you may have heard the organization described as a complete senior health company. Does this mean Lifespark has shifted its focus? Not at all, said Dr. Nick Schneeman, Lifespark Chief Medical Officer. “Our commitment to seniors and to helping people age magnificently […]

Jim Lynn was just seven years old when his father died, leaving his mother to raise six children on her own. Three months later, in July 1949, he was in a car crash that left his family alive but sprawled unconscious on a lawn. “With no father, and my mother in the hospital, I was […]

When Nina, 83, enrolled in Lifespark COMPLETETM in 2021, she wasn’t struggling with chronic health issues, she didn’t need in-home care, and she wasn’t interested in moving to a senior community. In fact, when Candice Pautzke, RN, Life Manager, first met her client, Nina told her she was doing fine. But over time, as they […]

As a former firefighter and chaplain, Craig Gordon had witnessed hundreds of deaths throughout his lifetime, but when his beloved father, Don, started to decline, it was a completely different experience. “My dad had never been hospitalized or taken any medications—he was a laid-back guy who liked going to Bridgeman’s after church on Sundays and […]

“I’m convinced Laurie has nine lives,” said Brooke Anderson, RN Case Manager, Lifespark Community Home Care, who began working with her client in August 2020. Although Laurie, now 77, was struggling with several chronic health conditions, including lymphedema, vascular wounds, depression, and pain, she initially only wanted help with medication management. For Brooke, that meant […]

Linnea* and her husband, Gary*, enjoyed a full and active life, splitting their time between their home in Maple Grove and their lake house on the North Shore. That lifestyle hit a wall in December 2020 when Gary suffered a stroke. Almost overnight, this formerly independent man struggled to walk, speak, and swallow, lost the […]