Catholic Eldercare

07/24/2026

This afternoon, we're pleased to introduce you to Madalyn, our Life Enrichment director for our Blaine community. Madalyn grew up in Spring Lake Park and recently married the love of her life. They have two cats that they absolutely adore! She had always wanted a job like the one she's in now so she was excited to step into the role four years ago. It has been a huge journey, but she has loved it! Madalyn's favorite part of her job is making meaningful relationships with her residents. They have become such an integral part of her life and they make each day more special. When she's not at work, you can always find Madalyn on a trail on her scooter--her favorite activity! Her and her husband also enjoy boating, fishing and just being outdoors in general. She also loves car shows and playing card games with her friends. If she could be on any game show, she's love to be on Wheel of Fortune because she grew up watching it with her mom...and it would make her feel really smart!

Madalyn does a phenomenal job of providing fun and engaging program to our Blaine community and we're so excited to have her on our team!

07/24/2026

Happy Friday! Meet, Erin, our bubbly and sweet lead Activity Coordinator & Music Therapist for our River Village communities. Erin grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and lived there during her 9 year teaching career. In 2021, she moved to Minneapolis and decided to pursue her masters in Music Therapy at Augsburg University. Immediately after completing her internship, she joined the team at Catholic Eldercare and has deeply enjoyed getting to know residents and families across our continuum over the last 15 months. Erin has 2 delightful children, Judah (12) and Emelia (10), and a goldendoodle named Molly who keeps them well snuggled at home. Music therapy had always been an interest of Erin’s, despite earning her degree in Education from St. Olaf. She previously taught middle school choir for 9 years and during that time, she began dreaming of other ways to utilize music as a tool for connection. Erin loves how music therapy shows us that music is about so much more than the product, but can serve as an extremely beneficial way to connect with one’s self, others, movement, memories, goals, etc. Seeing music through this lens drew her into this profession and she’s so thankful she made the leap! Erin has a general love of this field of work simply because she is passionate about connecting with others through music. She loves how certain songs open up doors for residents to share about themselves and their life stories, and finds incredible joy in getting to know each resident individually. Through her time with Catholic Eldercare, Erin has developed a deep passion for working with the memory care population and loves witnessing how music can open up memories for processing and sharing. Music making is a central passion for Erin, but she also enjoys getting out into nature as much as she can. She loves camping, hiking with her whole family, rock climbing, bouldering and playing pickleball. If Erin could choose any game show to be on, she’d love to be on Survivor as she often watches it with her daughter while scheming together on how wonderful it would be to have a mother/daughter season to sign up for!

Being around Erin is like being wrapped up in the warmest hug, on the brightest day. She emanates her radiant light wherever she goes and can bring a smile to your face with her mere presence. We are so fortunate to have her leading our River Village team and dedicating her skills to providing meaningful engagement to that community. Thank you for all you do, Erin!

07/23/2026

This afternoon, we're so excited to introduce you to Lacey, our MainStreet Lodge Assisted Living Activity Director. Lacey is a board-certified music therapist who has been part of our team for more than four years. She earned her master's degree in Music Therapy from the University of Minnesota after growing up on a small farm in South Dakota. Throughout her career, she has provided music therapy services in schools, assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities, and memory care settings, supporting individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Her favorite part of her job is sharing the healing power of music, connection, and the special bond between people and animals.
A lifelong musician, Lacey plays piano, guitar, ukulele, violin, saxophone, and several other instruments. Outside of work, she's passionate about working with dogs as a professional trainer and loves spending time outdoors hiking, paddleboarding, playing volleyball, and exploring new adventures. Her partner, Huckleberry ("Huck"), is a seven-year-old Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler) who was rescued in 2021. Equal parts intelligent, energetic, and affectionate, Huck is happiest with a tennis ball in his mouth or showing off his favorite tricks in exchange for treats. He has completed extensive obedience and therapy training and is a Certified Therapy Dog through Therapy Dogs International. If Lacey could win any game show it would be Wipeout because it would combine her love of the outdoors while being physically and mentally challenging!

There is no challenge that Lacey can't overcome and she consistently goes above and beyond to meet every request her residents have. We are so fortunate to have Lacey's talent, can-do attitude, and dedicated service leading our MSL team. Thank you for all you do!

07/23/2026

Meet Nicole, one of our incredible Board-Certified Music Therapists! Nicole grew up in River Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and earned her degree in Music Therapy from the University of Iowa. She has worked with older adults since 2020, but joined our team at Catholic Eldercare 3 years ago. Nicole has always had a passion for helping others and has been involved in music her whole life. Fostering connection and a better quality of life through music brings her a lot of fulfillment and joy. Her favorite part of her job is spending time with her residents. “They're so much fun to work with and are such amazing people!” In her free time, Nicole enjoys baking (her coworkers love this about her too 😉), rock climbing, and spending quality time with her friends and family. If she could win any game show, she would like to win "The Voice" because she would get the opportunity to work with renowned musicians...and she enjoys singing of course.

Nicole has shared her music therapy skills across our organization during her time with our organization, leaving her footprint in every corner from Adult Day Services, to Memory Care and both Minneapolis based Assisted Livings. Her impact has been deeply felt and we are so grateful to have her in our team!

07/22/2026

Next up, we're thrilled to introduce you to Cindy, our 3rd floor Memory Care Activity Coordinator. Cindy was born in a small town in Iowa about 7 miles from the Minnesota border. Her mom worked at a bank and her dad was a carpenter. She was raised with two brothers and a sister. After attending Oak Hills Bible Institute in Bemidji, she received her BA in Christian Ministries from Northwestern College in Roseville, MN. Cindy is single but lives with her close friend whose kids have become her adopted kids & grandkids. She has worked at Catholic Eldercare for nearly 25 years, but has been in senior care for 43 years. Her grandfather lived in a nursing home and from a young age, Cindy knew she wanted to work with nursing home residents. Her favorite part of her job is talking to and engaging residents. Outside of work, Cindy is an avid sports fan--especially basketball--and loves cheering on the Timberwolves & Lynx. If she could be on any game show, she'd like to try her luck on The Wall because it's such a fun game show with dropping the balls!

Cindy truly has a unique gift for engaging with our memory care residents and words can't express how lucky we are to have her on our team, supporting our residents! Thank you for your years of dedicated, compassionate service Cindy, we appreciate you so much!

07/22/2026

This morning, we're happy to introduce you to Jen, our current first floor Activity Coordinator. Jen was born and raised in the Twin Cities and attended Trinity First Lutheran School & Minneapolis Lutheran High School in Edina. She is a former Minneapolis 911 Operator and was an Activity Director for an Assisted Living community in Edina. She joined our team at Catholic Eldercare in 2025 and has provided amazing, compassionate care to her residents. Her favorite thing about her job is that she has the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives and help them through these final stages. In her free time, Jen enjoys long walks with her shorkie pup, traveling, spending time with her family and live theater. If she could be on any gameshow, she would like to do Family Feud with her family to compete with.

We're so grateful to have you as part of our team, Jen!

07/22/2026

Meet, Heather, our wonderful 2nd floor Activity Coordinator at the Care Center. Heather was born and raised in Wisconsin and moved to the Twin Cities in 2023. She has 2 adult children and 2 grandchildren. Heather Graduated as an Occupational Therapy Assistant in 2013 and practiced as an OTA until she moved to Minnesota. She had loved working with older adults in the occupational therapy space, but thought Therapeutic Recreation sounded fun and would offer more variety than OT, so she joined our team at Catholic Eldercare and has never looked back. Her favorite part of her job is making the residents happy (which she does an incredible job with!) Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, arts & crafts, and exploring new places around Minnesota. If Heather could win any game show it would be Wheel of Fortune, because she's always loved watching and playing along...and the money would be nice too 😉

Heather, thank you for always bringing your infectious good attitude and creativity to our community, we are so fortunate to have you on our team!

07/21/2026

Next up, we’re so excited to introduce you to Julia, our Assistant Therapeutic Recreation Director, Music Therapy Supervisor & Wellness Coordinator. Julia was born and raised in Golden Valley. She went on to attend the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in Music Therapy to fulfill her loves for music & helping people. After graduating in 2020, she moved back to Minnesota and completed her internship at Catholic Eldercare under Kiran’s supervision. Julia knew working with older adults was going to be her jam because “oldies music is the best, duh!” She joined the Music Therapy team at Catholic Eldercare in 2021 and fell in love with the residents & staff. In 2022, she moved to Maryland and worked as a Music Therapist near Washington DC. Finally, in 2025, she moved back to Minnesota and rejoined the Catholic Eldercare team as the assistant director. Julia’s favorite part about her job is getting to interact with the residents. She loves learning about what music they listened to as young adults and enjoys bringing those memories to life. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, camping, crocheting, gardening, baking, and spending time with friends, family, and my cat.

If Julia could win any gameshow, it would have to be Jeopardy. Her and her husband watch it every day when they get home from work and love to play along and see how many answers they know!

Julia, thank you for being part of our team, your consistent leadership and bright ideas. We’re so fortunate to have you at Catholic Eldercare!

07/21/2026

This week, we're excited to celebrate our dedicated Therapeutic Recreation team in honor of National TR Week. Throughout the week, we'll be introducing you to the many faces behind the FUN in our Catholic Eldercare communities, so you can get to know them a little better.

First up is our Campus Life Enrichment Director, Kiran who oversees Therapeutic Recreation, Music Therapy, Pastoral Care, Wellness and Pet Programming for all of our Minneapolis campus'. Kiran lives in Maple grove with her high school sweetheart, Eric and their 2 daughters, Eloise (3) & Cecilia (1). She was born in Bloomington, Indiana and moved to Minnesota in middle school. She has been a musician from an early age, playing piano, singing and later taking up the flute which led to her obtaining her degree in Music Therapy & Flute Performance from the University of Minnesota in 2012. Her first practicum placement was with older adults and she immediately realized her passion for serving this incredible population. She went on to complete her internship in a skilled-nursing facility and has dedicated her Music Therapy practice & career to enhancing the quality of life of older adults. While her degree and training are in Music Therapy, she has always worked as part of a Therapeutic Recreation team and has enjoyed the balance of providing both music and non-music programming to her residents. She created a nationally-rostered internship program and realized she was passionate about helping others hone their skills to provide high-quality, engaging programs and develop a love for older adults. She joined the Catholic Eldercare team as the Therapeutic Recreation Director in 2020 and has grown the program greatly. While much of her work is behind the scenes, she loves stepping in to do activities with the residents. Her favorite part of her job is helping her team come up with fun new activities, and seeing them be successful in carrying them out.

Outside of her work at Catholic Eldercare, Kiran teaches yoga, enjoys reading, crocheting, being on the water and spending time with her family. She also serves on the board of directors for the Music Association of Minnetonka and has been the principal flautist for the Minnetonka Symphony for nearly 10 years.

Our Therapeutic Recreation team LOVES playing games with the residents, so we asked what gameshow they thought they could play and win. For Kiran, she thinks she would dominate at Family Feud or America Says because she's acquired a ton of random trivia knowledge throughout her years as an activity professional!

02/19/2026