Living a Sparked Life at 93 Years Old

At a young 93 years old, St. Louis Park resident Beryl Stoller is definitely the life of the party But it wasn’t always that way.

Beryl lives at , a SilverCrest Community in St. Louis Park. Beryl was born on Pearl Harbor Day. She speaks fluent French and carries the latest edition of the New York Times with her everywhere she goes. Something else Beryl loves? Getting dolled up for an event!

As a young woman in New Jersey in the 1950s, one of the activities Beryl most enjoyed was getting dressed up to go out on the town with her husband Leonard. Her daughters Val and Wendy loved to help mom get ready. Beryl would try on dresses, jewelry and other accessories, and the girls would ether give her a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.”  Getting ready to go out was as much fun as the evening itself, because Beryl loved the exchange with Val and Wendy.

But Beryl hadn’t had the chance to focus on such fun activities in the past few years since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which led to an arduous medication regime, frequent falls, and subsequent clinic visits. While the medical interventions seemed necessary, Beryl’s daughters Val and Wendy felt that their mother’s quality of life was severely compromised by her condition. The lady they knew who loved to dress up and go out was not able to enjoy her life as she had in the past.

Then, Wendy and Val found Lifesprk. While Lifesprk believes that medical interventions are necessary, a Life Care Manager was also assigned to work with Beryl and her family to discover Beryl’s needs, make a list of priorities, and create a plan from which to operate.  Beryl and her daughters decided together that their priority was to limit aggressive medical interventions, in exchange for a better quality of life and happiness.  Beryl’s Life Care Manager, Ethel Muchlinski, agreed and honored their wishes.

With Lifesprk’s help, Beryl was granted a wish to spend a day on the town with her daughters. Her day started out primping and pampering at Spalon Montage in Edina and included hair, nails and makeup services. Then, the girls went just down the street to pick out an accessory at Fringe Boutique.  Afterward, Beryl and her daughters enjoyed lunch at D’Amico. The day spurred fond memories for Beryl and also brought back the excitement and joy that so many elders lose in the second half of life.

“We want more people to discover the opportunities for living a sparked life for themselves,” explained Joel Theisen, Founder and CEO of Lifesprk.

Beryl is proof. It is possible to live a life filled with purpose and passion… no matter what your age!