Plan Your Lifespan

We are seniors, geria­tricians, uni­ver­sity research­ers, social work­ers, comm­unica­tion experts, and home care special­ists dedi­cated to help­ing older adults.

  • Lee Lindquist, MD MPH MBA

    Lee Lindquist, MD MPH MBA

  • Vanessa Ramirez-Zohfeld, MPH

    Vanessa Ramirez-Zohfeld, MPH

  • Amber Miller-Winder, MPH

    Amber Miller-Winder, MPH

  • Allie Schierer, BS

    Allie Schierer, BS

  • Alaine Murawski, LSW, AM

    Alaine Murawski, LSW, AM

  • Chris Forcucci, RN

    Chris Forcucci, RN

  • Phyllis B. Mitzen

    Phyllis B. Mitzen

  • Ernie G. Lee, CHRS

    Ernie G. Lee, CHRS

Questions

Is there a way to see Closed Captions on the videos?
Yes! Once the video starts, there is a small icon that says "CC" at the bottom right of the video. Click on that and then click “Yes” to enable them.
Will by information be secure?
Yes, your information will not be shared with anyone else.
Can I update my answers?
Yes, you can update your answers. Please re-visit the tutorial for detailed explanations about how the site works.
What if I forget my password?
If you entered your email when you signed up, you can always log in by entering your email. We'll send you a message with a link to click that logs you in.

Stakeholders

Vanessa Ramirez-Zohfeld, MPH

Lee Lindquist, MD, MPH, MBA leads Plan Your Lifespan as Principal Investigator. She is a geriatrician and Chief of Geriatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a published author, educator, and national expert in the care of older adults. She has been featured in over 200 media venues including: New York Times, Chicago Tribune, NPR, Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC. Dr. Lindquist grew up helping her grandparents. "We faced difficult decisions on what to do as their health worsened. Experiencing it firsthand and repeatedly with my patients, I believed that there had to be a better way." Plan Your Lifespan was born from the invaluable work of our dedicated team of amazing people. Thank you to all the inspiring seniors and seniors-to-be, especially our parents, spouses, and children.

Vanessa Ramirez-Zohfeld, MPH is a Clinical Research Associate in the Division of Geriatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She hopes that this tool can help families better prepare and plan for unexpected health events before a health crisis occurs, as well as link people to resources that they may not otherwise know may be available to them.

Amber Miller-Winder, MPH is a Research Project Coordinator in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. Amber leads various studies at Northwestern University's Center for Applied Health Research on Aging that are centered around cognition and aging. This study is of importance to Amber because she has had personal experience with loved ones battling dementia and frequent hospitalizations. Amber hopes that this website will be used among families as a tool to prepare for long-term care use that stays in alignment with the individual's end-of-life preferences and desires.

Allie Schierer, BS graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in the spring of 2021 and is currently a Research Study Coordinator in the Division of Geriatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a part of a research team that focuses on older adults’ decisions as they age-in-place as well as family caregiver supports for older adults.

Alaine Murawski, LSW, AM is a Research Study Coordinator in the Division of Geriatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a licensed social worker with a focus on the older adult population, specifically, older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and/or other related dementias, family caregiver supports, and community-based programs.

Chris Forcucci, RN is the Senior Vice President of Integrated Services & Research at Aging & In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana, Inc. (AIHS) and Director of Corporate Operations for GroundGame Health a nationwide managed care services agency which is a part of AIHS working in 26 states across the nation. Ms. Forcucci is a co-Investigator on this study. Prior to joining AIHS, she spent eight years working in nursing research at The University of Iowa. Ms. Forcucci is a member of the Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS), whose organization mission is to promote, disseminate, and use nursing research; and the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, a nonprofit organization that promotes health through partnerships between communities and academic institutions.

Phyllis B. Mitzen is the founding President of Skyline Village Chicago. The Skyline Village Chicago Board enthusiastically supported participation in this project as a natural extension of its mission and desire to plan for our future. Phyllis also consults with Health and Medicine Policy Research Group on long-term care reform policy, and she coordinates the Older Adult Studies Program at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Chicago Chapter of NASW.

Ernie G. Lee, CHRS, is the Founder, Chief Executive, and Marketing Officer at FirstVitals Health and Wellness Inc. FirstVitals is a healthcare service organization dedicated to the improvement of quality of healthcare for health plans, healthcare providers, and their members though innovative technology. FirstVitals has actively disseminated PlanYourLifespan.org across the Hawaiian Islands.