Category: Stories

George Wojack, 80, is an avid card player. Before his health began to decline, he frequented the casinos and enjoyed playing evening card games among friends and family. According to his family, he was always shy and reserved. He would keep to himself in the quiet peacefulness of card playing. Yet he knows every game from […]

At Target Field That Is… Dorothy and Leona have been described as baseball fanatics, and seldom miss a televised game. It was only natural then that Dorothy shared her love of the game with her Life Care Manager (LCM) while they were creating Dorothy’s Life Plan. At the heart of our whole person senior care solution […]

Lois has always loved music. According to her Lifespark Life Care Manager (LCM), a registered nurse, Lois was raised on farm land in Killdeer, North Dakota, and anytime there was music in the town, her whole family would dance. Music holds many special memories for her. At 85 years old, she has great remembrances of dressing […]

Baking cookies for the holidays is a family tradition for many. But it was a struggle for Lifespark client Elizabeth, who has Lewy body dementia, a brain disease that causes progressive loss of memory as well as spatial problems and falls. She never thought she’d be able to enjoy that special tradition again. Lifespark had the […]

When Bob and his wife Meg were referred to Lifespark, their physician felt every day was a struggle for them. On the roller coaster of crises, Meg had been in and out of the hospital multiple times, with each hospitalization adding to their mounting health care costs and emotional trauma while slowly robbing Meg of […]

Sparking lives doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a process that takes place before you open yourself up to another person and trust them with your wishes, goals and fears about aging. Mary Schenach has formed a bond with her Life Care Manager, Vicki, that has changed their relationship from nurse to ‘surrogate daughter.’ Mary says of […]

Betty Kobilka lives in Reflections, the memory care unit at Summit Place. She meets with her group of friends in the unit often because she enjoys their company. She’s always been outgoing and a well-dressed woman who paid attention to her appearance – a real fashionista. It’s not as easy as it once was for […]

Rollie and Doris are husband and wife, an active couple throughout their 68 years of marriage. Ping pong games, swimming, faith, love – these are what motivated them to be a strong team together. At 91 and 93, they are discovering that some of the activities they used to love are still possible with a […]

Mel Michiels is an Air Force veteran. While in the Air Force, Mel worked in North Africa preparing bombers.  He was an airplane mechanic, flight instructor, pilot, painted planes and he did sheet metal work. His spark? He is very proud of the fact that he painted a plane for a famous racer named Steve […]

Erna Collins had a health scare that nearly cost her life. Three years later, Erna is getting ready to celebrate her 98th birthday in October and attended a family reunion this past summer. How? Lifespark, helped create a new pathway. Mary, a nurse who is Erna’s Life Care Manager, visits Erna weekly, monitoring her health […]