As a nurse and now CEO of a complete senior health company that serves older adults, Joel Theisen, BSN, RN, Lifespark Founder and CEO, has spent decades around serious illness, aging, and death. He’s watched families make extraordinary decisions under impossible circumstances.
He’s also discovered that choosing hospice or palliative care isn’t about giving up — it’s about focusing on what matters most.
In Joel’s latest article in Kiplinger, he shares his observations working in health care, explores common misconceptions about hospice and palliative care, and encourages families to talk openly about their wishes long before they’re needed.
By waiting so long to start hospice, they miss many of the services that make hospice so valuable, such as expert pain management, emotional support, spiritual care if desired, social workers who help families navigate difficult decisions, and bereavement resources that continue after a loved one dies.
Joel says, “The measure of a good ending isn’t whether we exhausted every possible medical intervention. It’s whether we honored the person’s wishes, reduced unnecessary suffering, and gave them a chance to remain themselves for as long as possible.”
