You may know him as one of the agebuzz guest bloggers, but for those in the know, Lance A. Slatton is one of the nation’s premier long-term care experts, authors, podcasters, and social media influencers on aging, long-term care, and family caregiving. Founder of the highly-rated home care company Enriched Life Home Care Services in Michigan, Lance has long viewed his mission as not only providing superior care to his home care clients and their families, but equally in training and supporting both his paid employees and the countless unpaid family members who work together to keep older adults aging successfully in their homes. And born out of the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic, his highly rated podcasts provide valuable information to hundreds of thousands of older adults, family members, and even professionals around the world about a range of issues related to aging and caregiving.

Because of his mission to educate and share his experiential wisdom, Lance was recently invited by The Elizabeth Dole Foundation (EDF) to be a member of the press at their National Convening on Military and Veteran Caregiving Conference in Washington, DC. The Foundation, dedicated to supporting military families and veterans, specifically convened national experts, politicians on both sides of the aisle, policy staff, and experienced family caregivers to discuss the variety of challenges faced by military family caregivers and veteran caregivers (and caregivers more broadly). The theme of this year’s conference was “A Blueprint for Action: Mapping the Future of Caregiving in a Changing World,” and speakers and workshops alike addressed current conditions and goals for the future. Listening to personal stories from professionals and with participating family members, along with the wisdom from the many breakout sessions, Lance became better acquainted with the caregiver support programs run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, along with the wide range of support and programming hosted by the EDF, including the Dole Caregiver Fellowship Program. This fellowship provides a multi-year leadership and support program for military and veteran caregivers, intended to highlight the challenges of military and veteran caregivers and create connections and networking opportunities across the country.     

The theme of this conference shone a light on 4 major concerns: Caregiver emotional and mental-health well-being; Economic mobility; Caregiving youth and families; and Creating a stronger ecosystem to support caregivers and veterans. One of the unique aspects of military and veteran caregivers is that they often deal with trauma and disability among younger adults, so that family caregivers may also be juggling career demands or parenting of children in addition to caregiving responsibilities. While the unique circumstances of military and veteran caregivers require a distinct approach (which the EDF supports), there are similarities with the broader caregiver community that all caregivers share. There are economic concerns, feelings of isolation and invisibility, and the need for support and education regarding how best to care for a family member while also ensuring the health and well-being of the caregiver. Lance had the opportunity to interview many of the participants and came away from the conference with a renewed sense of optimism that by working together, regardless of background or politics, family caregivers, support organizations, businesses, and policymakers can find common ground in the shared mission to help caregivers carry out their responsibilities toward their care recipients. For more information on this conference and its takeaways, read Lance’s post published by McKnights.

Lance himself is very well aware of the toll that family caregiving can take on the lives of family caregivers. At a young age, he himself became the primary family caregiver for his ailing dad for over 2 years and had to abandon his plans to enter medical school. The compassion and resilience he experienced as a family caregiver have clearly infused the work he now undertakes. Fortunately for the aging and caregiver communities, his pivot into the arena of long-term care has benefited hundreds of thousands of people across the country and beyond, both through the direct care his agency provides and through the podcasts he produces that create meaningful conversations with experts on a range of topics related to home care, aging, and caregiving. And agebuzz readers also benefit from the wisdom he shares in the guest blog posts he creates for us. We thank Lance for introducing us to the work of The Elizabeth Dole Foundation and for all of the information and insights he shares as a leader in the world of caregiving.

Lance A. Slatton, CSCM, is a healthcare professional with over 18 years in the healthcare industry. Lance is a senior case manager at Enriched Life Home Care Services in Livonia, MI. He is also the host of the podcast All Home Care Matters, a podcast and YouTube channel. By subscribing to All Home Care Matters, you will gain access to a wealth of information and tips that can help you provide the best possible home care for your loved one. Lance also produces and co-hosts three additional shows: Conscious Caregiving with L & L with Lori La Bey; The Caregiver’s Journal with Cindy and Christina Hardin-Weiss; and The Care Advocates with Dr. George Ackerman. Lance writes a monthly column on McKnight’s Home Care website, DailyCaring, and agebuzz. He was named a 50 under 50 for 2023 and was named the Top Healthcare Influencer for 2025. Lance’s new book, The All Home Care Matters Official Family Caregivers’ Guide, is a road map for family caregivers from the start of their caregiving journey to the end, and everything in between. Lance’s personal website is www.lanceaslatton.com, and he can be reached at [email protected]