Management Team

The Management Team oversees all functions and services of the company, and actively participates in the handling of complex cases.  The Management Team’s advanced education, experience and field knowledge renders its members necessary and vital resources for each of the company’s employees.

Shay Jacobson

   Founder, President, Expert Life Care Manager

Master's Degree, Nursing Administration and Oncology, University of Iowa

Registered Nurse, Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, University of Iowa

Notary Public, Illinois

• Founded Life Care Innovations, Inc., in 1995, and has led the company from its inception to its current level of growth and prosperity.

• Has worked at the University of Iowa Hospital, Rush Presbyterian St. Lukes Medical center, Rush Home Infusion Therapy program, and various other hospitals and home care agencies.

• Full-spectrum professional expertise gathered through positions as Clinical Manager of Women’s Oncology, Hospital Supervisor, Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Educator, Graduate Adjunct Faculty, Infection Control Coordinator, Nursing Home Administrator of a specialty nursing home for clients with Aids,  Director of Marketing as well as her current role as president of Life Care Innovations.

• Member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, Life Service Network, and several estate planning councils and business groups.

• Prolific lecturer for local and national organizations including the National Association of Head and Neck Nurses, American Cancer Society, DuPage Bar Association, Fox Valley Estate Planning, DuPage Estate Planning, Chicago Bar Association Estate Planning, Illinois Continuing Education for Lawyers, the Financial Planning Association for Illinois and many more.  Over the past six years she has spoken on guardianship, elder abuse, animal-assisted therapy, life care planning, preserving assets for the disabled, and negotiating with third-party payers.  Ms. Jacobson speaks to both professional groups and lay persons.

• Ms. Jacobson has served as expert witness on complex personal injury cases and contested guardianships.

• Has developed educational programs for clients and their families for dealing with the complexities of their illnesses, coping with the impact of their illness (for the American Cancer society), animal assisted therapy,  and courses for caregivers of the handicapped.  Has been a co-producer of an educational program called “Not Just for Seniors.”

• Specialties include home and hospice care, complex individual and family systems, and challenges presented by chronic illness, death and dying.

• Medical and psychiatric knowledge base enriched through training at Edward Hines VA Hospital and Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.

• Thorough understanding of geriatrics and addictions counseling.

• Member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Completed graduate school internships working with chronically mentally ill patients at Hines VA Hospital and at Renal Care Group on a dialysis unit. Co-authored two articles published in the American Journal on Mental Retardation.

• Served as Social Work Supervisor at Our Lady of the Resurrection, and provided couples’ counseling at the Loyola University medical Center Sexual Dysfunction Clinic.

• Gained valuable experience and insight through case management with chronically mentally ill residents in a long-term care facility, and became well-versed in medical social work.

• Worked as a volunteer at InTouch Hotline, a crisis line, at University of Illinois at Chicago.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Multiply-published writer whose work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune Magazine, Florida Magazine, and in two college anthologies.  Ms. Kern published a collection of personal essays in 1998.

• Twenty years experience in the business world, including twelve years concentrated in market research.

• Prior employers include Cahners Publishing, Conway/Milliken and Strategic Research Corporation.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Areas of expertise include accounting, human resources, web page development, and IT management.

• Has developed training programs for the company. Involved in orientation and continuing education of new software.

• Assists with complicated client accountings and manages client checkbooks.

• Helped develop LCI's therapy dog program and is herself a certified handler of two dogs through Therapy Dog International.

Business Development Team

The Business Development Team concentrates its efforts and energy on increasing the company’s profile in the community, deepening existing relationships with valued clients, and fostering LCI’s continued growth in an increasingly complex marketplace.

• Strong experience attained through work in a wide range of health care settings and specialties, including hospital, assisted-living facilities, extended care facilities, home care, medical/surgical equipment, and pharmaceutical clinical work.

• Professional posts have included Regional Life Care Manager, Business Development, Territory Manager, Field Coordinator, Marketing/Equipment Specialist and Clinical Specialist.

• Co-producer of program for public access television.

• Member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and Board Member of Casa Esperanza Project, a women and children’s homeless shelter.

• Licensed Registered Nurse, State of Illinois.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Business development background has built expertise in home infusion therapy, pharmaceutical compounding, home medical equipment services, home health nursing, and care management services.

• Training at National Louis University in marketing/communications and healthcare leadership.

• Involved in community outreach and has served as a track/field coach for 20 years.

• Member of several estate planning councils, chambers of commerce and professional networking groups.

Expert & Senior Life Care Managers

Life Care Management services are provided by Senior Life Care Managers and Life Care Managers, who are social workers or nurses.  The Senior Life Care Managers have advanced education and certifications with extensive experience in Life Care Management.  The Senior Life Care Managers are utilized to supervise complex cases to assure quality and continuity of care.  They are the primary contacts on many complex cases.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Expertise attained through work in a wide range of health care settings, including hospital physical rehabilitation, intermediate care, long-term care, home care and psychiatric in-patient environments.

• Comprehensive medical social work experience enhanced by training at the Johnston R. Bowman Center of Rush-Presbyterian Hospital, the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and Marianjoy Hospitals and Clinics.

• Specialties encompass individual and family assessments, resource procurement, government entitlements, interdisciplinary care coordination, family and peer education, court testimonies, and public speaking.

• Member of the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and the National Guardianship Association.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Expertise encompasses adult and geriatric psychiatric care, discharge planning, medical social services, addictions therapy and group, individual and family therapies.

• Twenty years experience with hospital-based medical, psychiatric and addiction treatment.

• Ms. Tucker has worked with Illinois Department of Human Services and Child Protective Services for seven years.

• Member of the National Guardianship Association.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Fifteen years experience providing comprehensive psychiatric and medical services.

• Wide-ranging professional history includes in-home psychiatric services, inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services for children, adolescents, adults, older adults and families.

• Well versed in crisis intervention services, homeless adult services and care of chronic disease patients.

• Prior employers include Traveler's and Immigrant's Aid, Metropolitan Family Services, COR Solutions, Inc., Wilson Care, Inc., and Resurrection Pro Care Center.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Professional posts include Vice President of Nursing, Illinois Director of Community Care, and Regional Manager.

• Accomplished in several health care categories, with special emphasis on assisted living, private duty, home care, telephone triage, gerontology, rehabilitation, Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

• Member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and the American Society of Aging (Forum on Religion, Spirituality and Aging; Healthcare and Aging Network; and the Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network).

Life Care Managers

Life Care Management have advanced education certifications and experience in Health/Life Care Management. The Life Care Managers oversee challenging cases and are supervised by Senior Life Care Managers.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Certified in CPR/AED by American Heart Association.

• Extensive work in the community, including service with Meals on Wheels, Kendall County Health and Human Services, Trailways Girl Scout Service, Chicago Blaze Rugby Club and Big Brother/Big Sister program.

• Member of Phi Alpha Honor Society.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Garnered valuable experience in health care and discharge planning through an internship at Olympia Fields Osteopathic Hospital & Medical Center.

• Well-versed in nursing home admissions, regulations and care planning.

• Member of Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key National Honor Societies.

• Served as Director of Social Services at Colonial Manor Healthcare Center and Chateau Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and provided social work assessment and referrals for home health care agency.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Experienced with multiple populations, including children, teens, and adults.

• Trained in crisis intervention, problem-solving and risk assessment, and well versed in insurance and hospital-related issues.

• Clinically skilled with children experiencing abuse, neglect and other difficult family dynamics.

• Facilitated activities for senior residents of McAuley Manor Nursing Home.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Knowledge base and work experience encompass HIV/AIDS, the homeless and mentally ill, substance abuse, assessment and coordination of care, addiction and recovery therapy, and case management.

• Well-versed in crisis intervention and day treatment work with the mentally ill.

• A seasoned and sensitive bereavement counselor with experience in both hospice and home care settings.

• A specialist with Medicaid and assistance for those seeking state and federal entitlements.

Assistant Life Care Managers

Assistant Life Care Managers assist with specialty services, including routine bill paying, insurance negotiations, advocacy, and otherwise support Life Care Managers and Senior Life Care Managers in their work on cases.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Served as Resident Psychologist at Children’s Home in Zitavce, Slovakia.

• Fluent in English, Slovak, Czech, German and Polish, and has passive understanding of Russian and other slavik languages.

• Counseled underachieving adolescents and their families at Carlbrook School in Virginia.

• Experienced with individual and group therapeutic interventions and crisis intervention.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Specializing in work with traumatic brain injury patients, offering assistance with Activities of Daily Living, job coaching, vocational placement, and enrichment through music.

• Professionally experienced in several key settings, including psychiatric hospitals, and foster care, school and residential environments.

• Board Certified as a Music Therapist.

• A member of the Phi Alpha Honor Society.

Life Care Associates

Life Care Associates accompany clients to appointments, assist with household projects and activities, and are directed by Life Care Managers.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Skilled in interacting with clients and providing appropriate support in their lives.

• Five years experience as a substitute teacher, and ongoing involvement in community organizations.

• Member of the Shalom Board, assisting children with special needs.

Administrative Team

The Administrative Team manages all internal systems, ensuring that accounting and technical tasks are performed accurately and promptly. The team assists with projects and other office-based functions to keep systems running smoothly.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Lengthy history in working with children on group projects in the community.

• An experienced Eucharistic Minister.

• Manages goal-directed visits with clients, assists with checkbook management, public aid applications, art therapy and end-of-life arrangements.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Fully trained in accounting functions and experienced with audits.

• Trained in resolving customer service issues and proficient with both A/R and A/P.

• Highly organized and a skillful user of various software applications.

Career Highlights and Achievements:

• Developed and maintains entire technological systems company wide.

• Provides IT support to Life Care staff in both the field and office settings.

• Establishes and maintains systems for individual client use.