Lifesprk, leader in whole person senior services, and Tealwood Senior Living, leaders in senior living management, have partnered to bring 35 senior living properties across multiple states under Lifesprk Senior Living.
“The current senior housing market, accelerated by the pandemic, created significant opportunity to provide a markedly different approach to senior living,” said Joel Theisen, RN, BSN, Lifesprk CEO. “Both Lifesprk and Tealwood are well-positioned to seize that opportunity by joining forces to serve seniors more fully, connecting them to everything they need in one system to age magnificently and transform the way people experience senior living right now.”
Howie Groff, President of Tealwood Senior Living shared that Tealwood’s strength has been operating a strong suite of senior living options with a holistic approach. “For years, we’ve been excited about the opportunities for innovation with predictive medicine and integrating value-based models,” said Groff. “The timing was right to build off our strong foundation and bridge the technology – Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning – with community-based services to drive highly customized client-centered experiences within senior housing. Together with Lifesprk, we are able to tap into this powerful platform and improve the senior living experience.”
“This is a fundamental shift in how a wellness experience can be delivered where people live,” explained Theisen. “Change is needed. There’s a lot of pressure being placed on occupancy and at the same time, workforce availability is unable to keep pace.” According to data from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) and Minnesota State Demographer, there has been a 6.8% drop in senior housing occupancy over the past 10 years which began long before the pandemic and an anticipated 46% drop in labor needed to support a growing aging population.
“Instead of addressing myopic, acute needs, we can partner to broaden our capabilities bringing the clinic to them including acute care at home and integrating holistic approaches in a way that’s never been done before. Together, we are combining reimbursement opportunities that create better life experiences with a focus on home, housing, and wellness, not one or the other.”
Tapping Expertise of Dr. Bill Thomas
Dr. Bill Thomas, internationally renowned geriatrician and Lifesprk’s Independence Officer is a key architect in designing the holistic model that will deliver this new experience under Lifesprk Senior Living. Dr. Thomas is also the founder of The Green House Project and Eden Alternative whose efforts respectively focused on partnering with senior living providers to create person-directed, relationship-rich living environments and shifting the care paradigm towards a more collaborative partnership.
“All the arrows are pointing to home and community as the locus for innovation. If you don’t pay attention to this you will end up a low occupancy and lower outcome environment,” said Thomas. “The high level of health and medical services needed during COVID will not disappear, but it won’t, nor should it, go back to the way it was. It needs to be interwoven into the fabric of their wellbeing.” Dr. Thomas adds, “Five to ten years ago it wouldn’t been relevant having a doctor and nurse leading the way but it’s incredibly important in today’s world. Combine that with the senior living knowledge of Tealwood leaders and you get a powerful shift to the age-old story.”
Integration plans for the 35 Tealwood properties to Lifesprk Senior Living are underway which spans the Upper Mid-West. Lifesprk Senior Living is already working on plans for new senior living contracts and properties.
“The alignment of our cultures is very exciting,” said Groff. “At the end of the day, we are people taking care of people. As it always has, that journey matters a great deal.”
