The Inspiration Behind Sage Eldercare Solutions

As Sage Eldercare Solutions approaches its 25th anniversary in September 2026, we are taking a walk down memory lane. In this blog, we explore the influences that led to Sage’s founding and reveal our origin story.

First, you’ll find a broad overview of Sage’s 25 years below: a timeline of the journey that began in 2001, marking key milestones.

 

We begin with Nina Herndon, who was inspired to found Sage Eldercare Solutions in 2001. Kari Rogenski, Co-Creator of The Hummingbird Project and Director of Marketing and Business Development at Sage, interviewed Nina in October 2025 about Sage’s origins. Here is what we learned about Nina’s inspirations, beginning in early childhood, that led to the founding of Sage.

This is the first ‘chapter’ of the story, tracing Sage’s origin and evolution from its founding in 2001. Look for more chapters over the next six months.

An Undeniable Pull to Older Adults

Sage was born from something deeply personal — a lifelong love for older adults, experience navigating personal loss, and an unwavering belief that families deserve something better: more human, more actionable, and more compassionate care than what the world had to offer. For Nina, this calling didn’t begin with a formal business plan. It began in childhood, woven quietly into her earliest memories, and only grew stronger with every year that followed.

As Nina recounts, “an undeniable thread” led her to a career in eldercare. Her path to Sage was not the result of a single moment but of a pattern in which nearly every formative experience brought her closer to older adults and their stories. Although seemingly random, the pattern clearly reveals a consistent theme.

The pattern first became evident in high school, as Nina explains.

“My college essay was about someone I visited every Friday in high school… at a nursing facility.”

“My summers during college were spent on Capitol Hill as an intern working on the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act… which included advocating for funding for Meals on Wheels and congregate meals for seniors.” 

By the time Nina reached AgeWave as Director of Communication, she could finally name what had always been there: a gravitational pull toward addressing the issues facing older adults.

Yet Nina’s inspiration began much earlier in her youth. Like so many, Nina’s grandparents played a transformative role.

Grandmothers as the emotional foundation

When Nina speaks of her grandmothers, Sage’s origin becomes deeply personal. As Nina explains, “It really all starts with my grandmothers.” These were not abstract influences. Nina’s grandmothers’ influences were formative. Her recollections of her two grandmothers are palpable:

About her Swiss grandmother: “She called me ‘schätzle’ (translates to little treasure) and took me to every beach in the area when I stayed with her for a few weeks over the summer. She kept butterscotch candies in a special three-tiered glass jar… and fruit stripe gum in the pantry. Those little treats felt so special.” 

She remembers her other grandmother with humor and affection: “She would walk around the house talking to herself… calling herself by name, Priscilla. ‘Priscil, be sure and water that plant as she passed it on her way to do something else’ or ‘Priscil, do you need that pantsuit in all three colors?’ She wasn’t forgetful — she was just having an ongoing dialogue with herself. I thought she was hilarious.” 

Above, we share a photo that captures the essence of spending time at the beach with a grandmother, and a photo of Nina with her ‘hilarious’ grandmother, creating indelible connections that help instill Nina’s lifelong affinity for older adults.

Nina is not alone in experiencing the power of grandparents. The early positive imprinting of grandparents is a common theme at Sage and The Hummingbird Project. These lifelong influences quietly shape Sage’s culture. As Kari observes—and Nina affirms—this “grandparent origin story” keeps appearing among Sage team members. Kari Rogenski (this blog’s author) was similarly influenced by a close connection with her grandmother. Find two photos of Kari with her grandmother below, which served as an impetus for her career pursuit in eldercare.

“Almost every person has a story that starts with grandma or grandpa… that drove Sage team members’ passion to do the work.” 

How a personal loss instilled a “fire in my belly”… and a lifelong advocacy

Nina’s mother died of cancer when Nina was in her twenties, before she had insights into the healthcare system, chronic illness, or how families are forced to navigate decisions without guidance. It took Nina time to recognize how deeply her mother’s death shaped her work — but once she saw the connection, it was unmistakable.

Nina, in retrospect, plainly names her the source of her inspiration:

“Even though it felt like it was all about my grandmothers, it was probably quite a bit about my experience losing my mother as well. I lived at home with her with no formal support, no idea that hospice was an option or what it offered, and no idea it could be any different for my mother or me.” 

Looking back, Nina sees how that loss became a source of purpose.

I really got a fire in my belly…I wanted to be at the center of addressing how families could be better equipped with knowledge and guidance for decision-making as they navigate the challenges of aging. I saw that the healthcare system was fragmented, that resources were available, and that advocacy skills often make a big difference in the outcomes, but so few were facing these challenges with any kind of guidance from someone who knew the choices and could help them make wise decisions. 

For the first many years of Sage, I thought this passion was born out of my affinity for older adults and frustration with the indignities I saw older people experiencing, but clearly, took me a long time to realize the connection between my mother’s passing away and my wanting to do the work at Sage.

Above, find a photo of Nina with her mother.

AgeWave and the moment Sage became necessary

The idea for Sage crystallized when Nina landed the Director of Communications position at AgeWave in 1997. AgeWave was known (and still is) as the leading think tank and consultancy analyzing the profound impacts of population aging across all facets of society and business. The role was a natural fit for Nina.

At that time in the late 1990s, the internet was experiencing its first major growth spurt. Businesses were rapidly adapting to the new digital world. As Nina describes it:

There was a widespread push to put everything we knew online. That universal move to the internet just didn’t sit right with me. Relying on internet resources felt like using a directory or the yellow pages, with little tangible, humanistic content.

Nina’s realization became a turning point:

I thought, I’ve been studying older adults for years now. I want to go solve problems for these people.

So Nina went back to graduate school with a clear intention to draw on her inspiration to pursue a Master’s in Gerontology and then to create a care management practice in San Francisco. The rest is history… or better yet, stay tuned for the next chapter of Sage’s Origin Story.

We know that this early chapter laid the foundation for a mission and culture that inspire our clients, partners, and employees today, 25 years later.

 

Interested in learning more about Sage Eldercare Solutions and The Hummingbird Project? Contact us here or email us at info@sageeldercare.com.