Our Team

Jeri Gort

MSW & Owner

Jeri is a former social worker with over 35 years of experience supporting families, including school social work and loved ones with memory loss. She is proud to continue the vision of her father, who founded Caring Companions, one of the first non-medical companion care companies. As co-owner of Joyful Companions Home Care, Jeri is dedicated to showing love and grace to every family and individual served, reflecting her commitment to glorify God by serving others with joy. She leads our team of caregivers with compassion and energy, asking each caregiver to embrace one simple mission every visit: To Bring Joy!

Jeri enjoys spending time with her nine grandchildren, playing golf, discovering her next bible study, and supporting her mother, who has been in memory care for over a decade.

Lindsay Walker

MSW, LGSW, Owner & Social Worker

Lindsay is a graduate of Bethel University and holds a Master's of Social Work from the University of St. Thomas/St. Catherine's, where she focused her studies on supporting family caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease. As an Area Emphasis in Aging Scholar, a hospice care intern, and a Certified Senior Advisor, her work is shaped not only by years of professional service but also by her personal experience caring for family members in memory care, giving her an understanding of the journey families walk through.

Lindsay has faithfully served with Joyful Companions Home Care since 2008, helping carry forward the organization's mission of Serving With Love & Grace. She desires to share the joy of the Lord with others through compassionate, individualized care.

Outside of work, Lindsay and her husband stay busy with their three children's activities and cherish time together on the beautiful lakes of Minnesota and Wisconsin in the summertime. She also finds joy in gardening — especially growing peonies and dahlias.

Kim Holmstadt

Home Care Coordinator, BSW

Kim has a bachelor's degree in social work from Bethel and began her career as an adoption social worker at New Life Family Services. God blessed her with a beautiful set of identical twin daughters, born much earlier than expected. Kim had the privilege of staying home with her daughters, one of which had significant disabilities. She taught her so much in her 22 years of life. Kim is honored to bring those skills here as she hires others to be caregivers. God has provided just the right place for her to use the talents He has given her.

Joyful Companions is known for their outstanding caregivers, and due to Kim's diligence, effectiveness, and kind personality, she works to build genuine relationships between staff, clients, and their families. Walking the stroke recovery journey with her father, she understands the importance of hiring kind-hearted caregivers. Kim lives in Ramsey with her husband and daughter. She also has 3 stepdaughters and enjoys taking ballroom dance classes!

Aubrey Kaumba

BSW, LSW, Home Care Coordinator / Social Worker

Aubrey was born and raised in southeastern Minnesota and developed a heart for the aging population early on through her family's involvement in her church's widow ministry. As a teenager, she became a caregiver at her local assisted living facility, an experience that deepened her appreciation for older adults and the stories and wisdom they shared. This passion led her to pursue social work as a way to continue to build meaningful connections and support older generations.

Aubrey earned her bachelor's degree in social work from Northwestern College in Iowa, with a minor in developmental psychology. She brings professional experience in memory care, assisted living, hospice, and resource coordination.

She is excited to join the Joyful Companions team as a social worker and is grateful to be part of a faith-based organization, as her personal faith guides both her life and her work. Aubrey lives in Savage with her husband and enjoys baking sweet treats, thrifting for good deals, trying new recipes, and exploring a variety of crafts in her free time.

Joleen Langert

Care Coordinator

Joleen has over 25 years of Customer Service, Scheduling, and Operations experience, including 10 years in a Minneapolis area hospital. Her desire to serve others is driven by a deep appreciation for the medical/healthcare industry, paired with a heart for helping people on a tough journey. Joleen has walked the road of Parkinson's, dementia, and cancer with several family members and understands many of the difficult issues that accompany these diagnoses. She studied at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.

Joleen brings great skill in working with others and is eager to provide the right caregiver match within our client schedules.

Allison Livermore

Hiring Manager and Office Administrator

Allison is a graduate from the University of Minnesota with a background in administration, HR, marketing, management and finance. For 25 years her aptitude for seeing the big picture while focusing on the details provided a variety of career opportunities including advertising, manufacturing, non-profit administration and real estate investment. As Joyful Companions is known for their outstanding caregivers, Allison's experience, discernment, and kind personality will help to build genuine relationships with new staff and in turn serve our client families well.

Minnesota has been home for Allison's entire life, giving her the opportunity to be with family and help with aging grandparents. Learning to see life through their aging eyes, taught her many lessons of empathy and compassion. Her favorite roles are wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She enjoys time with family and friends, writing, reading, golf and an occasional horseback trail ride.

Emily Gonzalez

Scheduling Coordinator

Emily is thoughtful, compassionate, and lighthearted. She was born and raised in Wisconsin, moving to Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota and still enjoys living in Minneapolis.

Emily has always been passionate about healthcare and improving the well-being of others. After volunteering at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Emily discovered her passion for providing companionship and emotional support to seniors, ensuring they feel valued and cared for.

With seven years of customer service, Emily has strengthened her ability to establish genuine connections cultivating compassion and empathy for others with diverse backgrounds and in various stages of life. She is excited to serve the mission of Joyful Companions and support our caregivers in making a positive difference in the lives of older adults.

Shelby Anderson

Scheduling Coordinator

Shelby is a compassionate and kind person. She grew up in Edina, Minnesota and is someone who has always enjoyed working for this population when given the opportunity. She always wanted a career that focused on helping others. She graduated from Edina High School, followed by an undergraduate degree in social work from St. Catherine University, and a master's degree in healthcare and human service administration from St. Mary's University.

The ability to make a difference has always been a driving force in her life. She has worked in a variety of social work internships that have involved older adults. Being able to enrich herself in their lives and to be able to help in any way possible is always a great experience that brings her joy.

Shelby enjoys reading, traveling, watching the Minnesota Wild and hockey in general, baking, and taking her paddle board out to the lakes.

Malorie Sanderson

Community Relations

Malorie went to the University of Minnesota Duluth. For the past five years, Malorie has worked as a teacher and is now continuing to grow in the human services profession. Malorie has personal experience with older adults, having had grandparents who lived with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's. The field of caregiving has always held a special place in her heart, as she understands firsthand how important it is to have compassionate people and trusted resources to lean on.

Malorie has always been passionate about serving others and helping people grow. Malorie believes building strong relationships in the community are essential to effectively supporting others. Malorie is excited about offering education on how companion care can meet unique needs and ensure quality of life for seniors.

She is compassionate and committed to those around her. Outside of work, Malorie enjoys spending time outdoors – whether it's fishing on the lakes, camping, or hiking! She enjoys reading and baking, recently took up sourdough bread making – and she's loving it!

Jeaneen Kolles

Bookkeeper

Jeaneen comes to us as a graduate of Augsburg with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She was searching for a part-time position in a company that has a purposeful mission! Jeaneen wanted to work in a smaller organization that has a family-like culture, compared to the corporate sector. She is thankful to have found a role that allows her to work in such a nurturing environment, sharing her accounting and finance career experience.

As part of the Joyful Companions team, Jeaneen handles all billing and payroll questions. She also assists our clients with their Long-Term Care insurance reimbursements. Jeaneen is kind, friendly, and hard-working, enjoying hiking, gardening, cooking, and pickleball in her free time!

Amy Hesselgrave

Weekend On-Call Support

Amy has a degree in Business Administration. Her background includes 20 years of managing multi-family housing.

In 2011, Amy transitioned to senior housing as the campus director at a senior independent and assisted living facility. She has experience assisting her parents in their own home and joined Joyful Companions in 2014.