Industry leadership through professionalism, innovation and cost-effective solutions

LivHOME, the nation’s premier professionally led at-home care provider, is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality care to seniors and their families in the most efficient and cost-effective way. We do this through:

1. Care Management–led model—enhanced quality of life for seniors, professional oversight to ensure care compliance, reduced risks (and costs) and support for families.
   
   
2. Integration of the latest technology—communication, monitoring, safety and socialization to most efficiently and effectively manage care needs.
   
   
3. Staying current with industry trends and leaders—resources and tools to help shape the future of senior care.
   
   

Executive External Advisory Board Members

Richard Della Penna, MD

Richard Della Penna, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer of Independa, Inc., a San Diego–based company whose vision and passion is to usher in a world where integrated technologies vastly enrich the lives of professional or family caregivers and their care recipients. Richard was with Kaiser Permanente for 32 years before becoming a member of Independa’s executive team in December 2009.

He held multiple leadership positions at Kaiser, including Physician in Charge of Continuing Care Services in San Diego, Elder Care Coordinator for the Southern California Region and National Clinical Lead for Elder Care. His clinical and care improvement activities have focused on home care, care management, depression in older adults, dementia, interdisciplinary team training, long-term care, transitional care, advanced illness care and hospice. Dr. Della Penna was the 2010 recipient of UCLA’s David H. Solomon Award, which is given annually to an influential leader in the field of geriatrics.

He is a member of the board of directors of the National Alzheimer’s Association, the Veteran Administration’s Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Commission, and the Practice Change Fellows Advisory Board.

Monika White, PhD, MSW

Monika White is an experienced practitioner, educator, researcher, author, lecturer and administrator and has worked in both public and private sectors. For the past 35 years, her work has focused on coordinating health, mental health and community-based service delivery systems for older adults and their families.

A leading authority on care management, eldercare services, caregiving, volunteer programs and healthy aging, she speaks and consults nationally and internationally.

A graduate of the USC School of Social Work, she is the former President/CEO of Center for Healthy Aging in Santa Monica, CA. Currently, she is Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Social Work and the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The recipient of numerous awards for her contributions to the field of aging, she serves on a number of local and national boards and committees. 

Executive Internal Advisory Board Members

Steve Barlam, MSW, LCSW, CMC

Steve Barlam co-founded LivHOME in 1999 with Mike Nicholson, Chief Executive Officer. Since 1984, Steve has worked exclusively in the field of geriatric care management. His experience draws from work in both the nonprofit family services arena as well as from his own private for-profit care management firm. Steve is a Certified Care Manager (CMC) and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Steve earned his master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Steve is a recognized leader in the field of geriatric care management and is professionally active as a speaker and writer at both the local and national levels. He is actively involved in the professional credentialing process for care managers through his involvement with the National Academy of Certified Care Managers. Steve additionally serves the interests of the geriatric community through the following associations:

• National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, past board member and president
• Stroke Association of Southern California, board member and past president
• National Academy of Certified Care Managers, board member
• National Association of Social Workers
• American Society on Aging

Mike Nicholson

Mike Nicholson co-founded LivHOME in 1999 with a vision of delivering professionally led at-home caregiving services to seniors nationwide. Adding caregiver supervision to care management’s core competencies of understanding, planning and managing enables one professional point of contact to ensure older loved ones can live safely and securely in their own homes for as long as possible.

Prior to starting LivHOME, Mike was:

• VP Operations for a $30 million N.E. region staffing firm, which was sold to an international company
• Founder/President for start-up staffing company, with revenues that reached $5 million, which was sold to international staffing company
• Regional VP for 21-office medical staffing company
• President of national medical staffing/home health agency company with a $75 million run rate, 65 offices, 21 states

As we expand the LivHOME footprint horizontally, we continue to seek and implement new service lines and technologies with the goal of lowering costs and keeping seniors out of the hospital, emergency rooms and facilities.