Aging In Place Directory

#69 - Interview With Dennis Lippy and Rick Thaxton of Accessible Living Atlanta

• Esther C Kane CAPS, C.D.S.

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A safer home shouldn’t look clinical, and it shouldn’t wait until after a fall. We invited Rick Thaxton and Dennis Lippy of Accessible Living Atlanta to share how they build beautiful, practical spaces that protect independence at any age, and why designing for caregivers is just as critical as designing for the person receiving care. From modern grab bars that blend into your bathroom to ceiling lifts that prevent back injuries, we walk through the upgrades that matter most and the small, low-cost steps that deliver outsized safety: better lighting, continuous handrails, decluttering, and zero-entry showers placed and sized for real bodies and real routines.

We also dig into the logistics families face. Zoning and ADUs for multigenerational homes, vertical platform lifts when ramps won’t fit, stacked closets that future-proof townhomes for elevators, and the funding landscape that too often surprises people, because Medicare doesn’t pay for home modifications. Rick and Dennis share how to tap VA benefits, state Medicaid waivers, and condition-specific grants, plus why it pays to involve an occupational therapist to align body mechanics with the built environment. The takeaway is clear: plan early, personalize to the home and the person, and build with aesthetics in mind so accessibility boosts resale instead of harming it.

Technology helps but isn’t a silver bullet, especially for bathroom falls, so layering solutions is key: non-slip surfaces, reachable controls, motion lighting, and thoughtful layouts that minimize transfers. Whether you’re supporting a parent, living with a progressive condition, or simply want a future-ready space, this conversation offers a practical roadmap to safer, smarter living. If this episode sparks ideas, share it with a friend, subscribe for more expert conversations, and leave a review to tell us which home upgrade you’ll tackle first.

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SPEAKER_00:

Well, I want to welcome everybody to the podcast. Thank you so much for coming. Today we have two amazing folks who are working to make the Atlanta area, Atlanta, Georgia area, safer for older adults. They are with um alatlanta.com. If you want to visit their website, they have a beautiful website. It's Accessible Living Atlanta. And we've got Rick Thaxton here. And we've got Dennis, what's your last name?

SPEAKER_03:

Lippy. L-I-P-P-Y.

SPEAKER_00:

Dennis Lippy as well. So they are going to tell us a little bit about who they are, what they are, and what they do. And thank you, boys. Thank you guys so much for coming.

SPEAKER_03:

So we really appreciate the opportunity to be here. We ran across a uh uh friend of mine who was with the Atlanta Regional Commission, and she was telling us about this CAPS program. So we went ahead and I got CAPS certified in 05, uh 06. I was one of the first ones. So CAFS is certified agent in place specialists. We thought we'd get calls just to go install grab bars and and uh so we we kind of went down that road. We were thinking we were going to do a lot of aging in place, and we would go and do these presentations and all everybody be ready to age in place, but everybody looks at it reactionary, yes, you know that's a nice idea, but I don't need that right now. So so that kind of went away, and then and and then but we kept on applying ourselves, and and we would go to senior uh provider network niches, that's where little networks were the people in the industry, and we would go to Gwynette and DeCab and different ones, and we slowly started getting more into the uh of uh accessibility, and also we found out that accessibility there's no discrimination on age. It happens, you know. We did a uh home modification for a six-year-old board cerebral pausing. We do a lot with disability trust, well, and we do a lot with aging in place, but right now it's it's it's the people who want to stay in their house and are programmed enough to understand that to do that they got to make the modifications, right? So um, so yeah, I've been uh we had another company and and uh and sold that in 2019, and I think Rick started with me, was at 2010.

SPEAKER_02:

2010, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

2010. And uh Rick's been handling our marketing, uh doing a great job, and and and he understands you know, we for a little while there we took him out of marketing and had him kind of in sales, and that didn't work out great, but we understood that the phone stopped ringing, and Rick learned a lot more about accessibility. And through the years, we've uh I've gotten a certification for CAC, C E A C It's Certified Environmental Uh Specialist, Environmental Consultant, uh, which are both kind of good areas if if people recognize it, it gives us a little bit more training, but a lot of our training's been on the job, right? Um, you know, through the years, we uh do ceiling lifts, we partner with people, do elevators. Um so that's that's kind of the the evolution, and I'm gonna let Rick share any tidbits that that he would like to.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I I actually uh uh met Dennis while I was working with a place for mom. Are you familiar with a place for mom, Esther?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, uh back then a place for mom sort of um uh had a monopoly on that industry in the in the meantime, there's been a quite a number of companies uh in the Atlanta area that's opening up this, which is good to provide some competition. But I met Dennis and uh kind of uh uh evolved away from a place for mom, and we got together in 2010, and I worked with him for 10 years until 2020, and he mentioned about selling the company, and at that point uh I left when he sold the company, and then he called me back about I guess it's almost three years ago, right, Dennis? Yeah, yeah, three years ago. Yeah, yeah. So he called me back and said I'd like to well, I'd like to do some some marketing, work from home, and that sounded wonderful. So uh so I got back into work with him and didn't it really hasn't I haven't missed the beat. It's just been really fun um seeing the industry evolve from 2010 to 15 years uh now and see seeing what what all is happening to it and how uh the growth is taking place and just we've we've uh been able to benefit from a uh a lot of different um agencies that we've become uh uh affiliated with. And I think the the business uh uh Dennis would would would agree that the business has has gotten it's really peaked, not even not peaked, but it's really grown to a point now where uh we've had um uh a lot of increase in in our volume since uh those days.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean 10,000 people a day turning 65 until 2030, and then the next generation takes over. So obviously the market is there, but you know, what Dennis said was is so true is that when you walk in and you present these products or these modifications that can help someone to live independently longer, it's emotional. And then that barrier, you know, comes up. No, no, I don't need that yet, you know, I don't need that yet. Um and it's it's difficult, you know. Then, you know, do you continue working or you do you continue trying to market to them, or now do you market to the family caregivers, or do you market to both? And how do you, you know, how do you get past that? And beyond emotional, it's also financial, you know, there's that issue as well. But I think that that's the the biggest block in, but so I like the idea of instead of calling it aging in place, it's calling it a accessible living. Yeah, because you're you're right. Now one, you're going for a larger target market, but also it doesn't sound so old, like you're getting old. No one wants to believe that they're getting older.

SPEAKER_03:

Um when we first got started, sorry, Rick, we first got started. Um we did my office manager's mom's home, and she was kind of left over from the depression era.

SPEAKER_00:

No, okay.

SPEAKER_03:

She had sliding doors and she didn't want to do that, she didn't want to grab bars, but we went ahead and took the sliding door out and put in a curtain, made it more functional in a grab bar, and she said, God, I should have done this years ago.

SPEAKER_00:

I know, right? Once it's done, you get that saving. Should have done it years ago.

SPEAKER_03:

It is, it is. It's amazing, just uh a little bit of tweaking. I know, and uh, you know, it's a life safety issue.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I think well uh Dennis, what you had uh said a few minutes ago about when you started the business in 05, uh you thought it was going to really evolve around the senior industry, which which we do have a good percentage of our total business, but uh we've learned that through uh being associated with um muscular dystrophy and um uh at uh at every age, really, uh being affected by things like cerebral palsy, um, and of course accidents uh play a huge role. We get we get a number of referrals every year from Shepherd Center, uh, where some young kid or a teenager or doesn't well our our clients have no age boundaries. It really goes all across uh different ages and different needs. And that's what's so neat about home accessibility is uh when dentist goes out to visit, uh each home is tailored to suit the specific needs of that person or that family.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's amazing because I mean, honestly, some of the same products and modifications that you make for someone who's 10, you know, because of cerebral palsy or whatever, could also accommodate, you know, an older adult because of whatever you know they have going on. Um the modifications can be the same. Um, you know, just the the size of the the products will be different, but still you're you're not looking at the illness or disease or uh injury, you know, you're looking at the capabilities of what the person can do, and how can you make them more independent? I mean, isn't that what everybody wants to be more independent?

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, independence, and also we really try to make sure the caregivers are safe, you know, just as much emphasis on the client as the caregiver, also. There, you know, the caregiver goes down, it's usually the spouse or the parent, they go down, you know, you got problems. That's right. You know, their back goes out, so a lot of times we'll just do a ceiling lift over the bed, right? Smart pick them up and take them over to a shower chair and and and um set them down. But uh yeah, it and also there's a good market out there, a lot of people looking for accessible homes.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. I wish that home builders, you know, I know here in Atlanta, uh, you know, the majority of homes are two and three stories. It's almost impossible to find anything that's one story. Um, and you know, and has a zero entryway, you know, into the home. And I wish um more builders would um get on board, but you know, maybe eventually, maybe eventually. The the other thing I think that's happening in in senior care or in seniors is that because people are living longer, you know, with medic medicine and everything, it's to the point that what I'm seeing is seniors are caring for seniors. You know, my mom-in-law lived to 102 and her children were in their 70s, so they were caring for her, you know. Um, and it's they have their own medical issues on top of caring for her medical issues. So you're right, making the home accessible not just for the person, but for the caregiver as well, is very important.

SPEAKER_02:

Along along with that same thought, Esther, there's a lot of multi-generational living today where uh either uh adult children move in uh to their parents or vice versa. Right. Uh so in that regard, we end up uh often doing a uh an addition, or either if they've got a basement, we'll go do like a mother-in-law suite in in the basement. But there we've we've seen a tremendous growth in that type of thing across the years.

SPEAKER_00:

What are the what are the zoning laws here? And is it county by county as far as putting in a granny pod or you know whatever they call a tiny home in the backyard?

SPEAKER_03:

Can can we Yeah, there's uh jurisdiction issues and uh they call them ADU accessory dwelling units.

SPEAKER_00:

That's right.

SPEAKER_03:

And I I do work with uh uh bankers or who's who's really into the zoning and and keep pulling everything together. That's kind of she does mortgage, but she does a lot of adus. In fact, I'm doing a CEU with her this week, but you know, it might end up being where you've got an ADU attached to your house, but the jurisdiction's not gonna let you call it. But if you call it an addition, it's okay. You know, so yeah, uh it's it's a matter of uh uh finding out a lot of cities are getting to be more receptive to the ideas because of the space issue.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, especially here. We have beautiful big yards, most of the houses here, and you know, you can easily accommodate that and it it gives you that independence at the same time, you know, um you've got somebody there close by that can, you know, help if you if you need it. And that that doesn't necessarily have to be for older adults, it could be for you know uh a child with a disability that becomes a teenager and they can have their own space, you know. It's um yeah. What do you think? What do you guys think is that the top three modifications that most homes need that you see when you go out there and you take a look around?

SPEAKER_03:

I think the initial one is grab bars, yeah. You know, and and they're really coming out with nice looking grab bars so that it doesn't look institutional, the round ones. They got some really decorative toilet paper grab bars, uh, soap dish grab bars, regular grab bars, and and we use an anchor where we don't have to find studs, we can put it exactly where the client needs it. You know, a petite 90-year-old is going to be different from a six foot seven, three hundred-pound guy, right? And we found these same anchors will work in a uh for bariatrics and they old flimsy fiberglass showers.

SPEAKER_00:

So they're how much weight does that hold?

SPEAKER_03:

Uh, this one we just installed, it was 800 pounds.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_03:

So, you know, the technology is getting better. And uh uh the the grab bars, you know, they have towel bar grab bars, which you really wouldn't use to pull yourself up, but it's it's for balance, you know, as you're walking down, you can hold it. So they're they're really uh getting away from the institutional look. Right. They're not quite there yet, but you know, all of our um zero entry showers, they we want you to walk in every morning and go, huh. Right. This is this is nice.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

So uh, you know, there's a lot of major inferences. There's grab bars, and a lot of times we'll like we like to push lighting. People get up in the middle of the night and you know they're walking around stumbling around. But if you put in a little night light, you can pick them up anywhere, a motion detector. If you got a cat, the batteries might go pretty uh quick, but you know, the lights in the hallway and the stairwells are are great. Um and then um just making sure you got good handrails going down the steps, going outside, you know, make it just kind of what it's life safety issues. I need to grab this, don't be silly. Well, I got this great, you know, this bag of groceries, thinking I've got everything under control. So, you know, those are kind of the big three that we look at. There's different grab bars, uh, there's fold-down grab bars in between the toilet and the sink where notoriously there's no way to put it. So Healthcraft has a thing they call PT rails. And so, you know, watch out for rugs. Uh, rugs are great tripping hazards.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I recommend the uh vinyl rugs. I um if you have to have a rug, I like the vinyl rugs. I have, I don't know if you can see it behind the door back there. And what I like about it is that they're extremely thin, they're non-slip, uh, they're easy to clean, especially if you have pets. Um, and it's a way to have that aesthetic of a rug without the danger of possibly tripping over it or it folding over or having to bend down and clean it, you know, if somebody did some, even those ruggables that you can wash, you still have to fold them up and pick them up and drag them to the washing machine. So the vinyl rugs I I always recommend. And I love that you talk about lighting, because I think that is one of the most underused um you know, modifications. A lot of people just don't think of lighting and they don't think of how some lights cause cast a shadow.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

And shadows can be very disruptive for um, I mean, I remember having some patients, we'd be walking down the hall of the hospital and they would walk around a shadow of uh, you know, on the floor thinking that it was a hole or something. So they couldn't determine one from you know, I worked in head injury, so they just the perception wasn't wasn't there. So that is very important to uh to get I'm so glad you talked about later.

SPEAKER_03:

There's uh uh somebody tell me with the patient with Alzheimer's, a couple things they would do is they would put a picture of a bookshelf on the back of a door so they wouldn't went over the door, or they get a big old black rug in front of the door and they think it's a hole.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, they think it's a stay away from it.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00:

They stay away from it, and now they even have these um, it looks like wallpaper or something, but you can put it on the door that looks like a bookshelf or a window or something. Yeah, there's all kinds of these little little tricks, and that's great. I mean, that's personalizing the modification to the person at the moment, because you know, obviously Alzheimer's, yeah, it is a at the moment type situation. At the moment. So how difficult is it for you guys for you guys to um that Brooklyn and me is coming out? How difficult is it for you guys to convince people to um to take the next step? Or do you find it difficult? Um, or how how do you how do you handle that? When you walk into someone's home, obvious that things have to be changed, but they're like, nah, nah, not yet.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, well, it all depends on what level we're we hit them. You know, uh for the people who were uh they're gonna modify, they're gonna do renovations, you know, then they'll start talking about what will work. Um some of the ALS patients we work with, it's it's a short term. So sometimes just trying to trying to make a second floor won't work out. And then you know, then we try to come up with as other alternatives. Um they're not as you know, majority of the times we get there and they're looking for the solution. Good. You know, you know, it might end up being where we uh they don't like the colors or they they're not real tickled about it, but we we try to make it where the we don't make the shower, the bathroom bigger than its its walls right now.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

So uh we don't like to we say, you know, if you're gonna make modifications, we if you're planning on staying here and going out feet first, you know, that's one thing. But but even if you uh if you think you're gonna be here for a while, you don't want to spend money to put it back for sellable. You know, if you take a closet, you know, you that closet's gone.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, out of a bathroom. So to really kind of think about what we're gonna do. A lot of them ramps. We try to really say we really like to have a ramp and a garage just for inclement weather and and uh you know that's a big argument. I'm gonna lose a car space.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, but you're not going outside in the rain. Well, we won't be driving in the rain, but you know, quit quit argue with it, you know. You know, it does it's not great, but uh, you know, we really don't like it to be outside. Sometimes you gotta fight with HOA and and but the big thing is the weather, you know. Um after a little while they'll come down to it and there's other solutions.

SPEAKER_00:

But yeah, platform lift maybe.

SPEAKER_03:

Correct, a vertical platform lift works, you know, and a lot of times it's kind of funny where they would have a conversation with their kids, and the kids would tell them one thing and they they're they fight it. I get in, I say the same thing. Great idea.

SPEAKER_00:

It's like when the doctor party relief, whatever the doctor says is right, even though it's the same thing the families, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Did y'all miss me? Yes, we did. We had a we had a power outage, a power outage to uh here, and uh so I lost everything, including my internet, but I'm but I'm back.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm glad you're back. Glad you're here. Um we were just talking about any uh um times we come across and the and the people are kind of balking about making the changes, but still it's it's one of the things it's kind of funny. Once we get out of the depression era age group, they're a little bit more receptive. Okay, you know, they they I still don't want that grab bar, but I'll take it.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, right. You know, hopefully because they've been hearing, you know, information about it, they're more educated about it, and maybe they've even seen their um, you know, aging parents or grandparents or whatever go through it and they're like, no.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that or they've gone to your neighbor's house or friend's house and and saw it works.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. They saw that it works. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I think a lot of times too, they're adult children, uh, depending on what type of uh subtle pressure that they put upon the parent to, hey, you need to you need to do this, or there's have to have to be some significant change like moving out of your home. So that that also that that type of threat can all uh can oftentimes get someone leaning in the direction of staying at home uh with modifications.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, and a lot of times I'm brought in to to evaluate it to where all right, these modifications are gonna cost this much. Do we move or do we stay? You know, and sometimes I'm called in before they buy a house if they've already got the challenge or it's a progressive. Will this house work? You know, what's it gonna cost to to make it work? And you know, uh uh girl called me and and she's got a progressive disease and got a nice uh shower, but it's got a curve. And and I can't do anything with it except remodel the whole bathroom, you know. But had we talked about it before, we could have, you know, had possibilities.

SPEAKER_00:

So um when it comes to the money, when it comes to the cost, what kind of do you work with other like do you work with reverse mortgage people or people with grants or anything like that, or do you rely just on the homeowner to um pay for it?

SPEAKER_03:

Um sometimes the VA and Rick ch chime in, uh the VA has some some help. Um Atlanta Regional Commission might have some sources, uh FODAC, Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, but majority of the time it is private pay.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and that does hurt, um, especially with an ALS, you know, where that's why we try to emphasize return on the investment.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. You know, uh, you know, I've I've talked to people over the years, uh, and people still think, even though it's been going on, home home modification's been going on for many, many years, people still think Medicare pays for home modification. And it's a big shock to them to find out that it doesn't.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, it doesn't. It's true.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so uh, you know, I mean, we've got uh well, we send an ebook out to uh folks that visit our website and give us their email address, and and we'll send out information too, or uh, even sometimes if they just need something on the funding, we send it out without without an email address. But there's a lot of local things that are taking place, like there's a uh a Down syndrome clinic that's handled at Emory School of Medicine. Uh there's a Spinobifa uh organization in Atlanta. There's an autism, it's called Autism Speaks. Uh, and of course, these are all children, mostly children related, but those are all based in Atlanta. Then there's a Georgia Medicaid waiver where people who are in that um financial zone uh of the lower economic where they qualify for Medicaid, there are programs where those folks can get home modification, either at no cost or a greatly reduced cost. So that's just a few of many, many options. I mean, certain organizations have grants, like Dennis mentioned. The ALS has grants, Alzheimer's has grants. Um there's a there's an organization called Disability Link that's local in Atlanta. Uh we work with them sometimes about uh finding funds for someone. You know, we we've always tried to uh make a dedicated effort to not let someone hanging if they don't have the money, we try everything we possibly can to help them get the funds. And sometimes we can, and sometimes it just doesn't happen. But we always we always go the extra mile trying to make that you know make that work.

SPEAKER_00:

I think that's important because walking in, you know, if you can be the person that they call for whatever, uh you may not do the actual work, you know, you may not actually provide the funding or the grant, but you know who can.

SPEAKER_01:

True.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, you have the connection so that that way you become their source.

SPEAKER_02:

And that's really so important because one, you're building trust, and two, you're building, you know, more referrals, you know, not only we've we've always tried to be more than a home modification provider. We've tried to become an advocate for seniors, and due to the fact we've been doing this so long, uh, we've really got a very uh good data database where we people call in about certain things. We've got people that we can connect them with. So that's that I think that does help a lot to let people know that we're not here just to do home modifications, we're here to to help you to find answers for other things, even though it may not be directly related to what we do.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. I think that's awesome. That's true, full service.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. Well, also I go out and I tell everybody, you're getting my opinion, and that's free. You know, a lot of times, you know, they they didn't ask to get into this situation, and I don't feel comfortable going out there and charging them, you know. But um, and sometimes it works with me. Sometimes we might just, you know, as Rick was saying, point you in the right direction, tell you what the equipment is out there, and this is what we know, and um, but yeah, I don't like to get too much into a fee for these little bitty things.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Yeah, and it's an educated opinion, it's not just you know, an opinion.

SPEAKER_03:

So you know if I get if I charge you for it, then you can sue me.

SPEAKER_00:

Hopefully that's but you're right.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So what I what I know, I'll be glad to share with you.

SPEAKER_00:

So um I you you have obviously contractors, handymen, whatever in your, you know, the team that you send out. How do you train them? What how do you teach them to work with this population?

SPEAKER_03:

They've um they've been with me for years. Um you know, it's it's the same idea, but they they they have compassion for what they're doing, they understand what they're doing, and they're not afraid to say, you know, if you if we do this, it would make things easier. So when I go in, I'll draw up a bathroom. Sometimes they get there and say, well, you know, this could go this way. So they understand the problems uh of the people we're working with.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So it's uh it's not a uh they're training, there are carpenters, uh, so it's the the installation is not the problem, it's understanding why and where we put it.

SPEAKER_02:

I think another another thing, Dennis, is our people are not handymen by any stretch of nation. These are these are highly paid, uh very skilled people that that do have a number of skills. Um oftentimes they they are uh uh can do electrical work, they can do tile work. Uh as Dennis mentioned, they're all carpenters, but uh the only time which Uh and correct me if I'm wrong, Dennis, but we I guess we would still call in a plumber, especially if we have to have some plumbing moved. But if it's a small type of thing, even our people can do that, it can do that as well. But our people, Esther, are all employees. We don't we don't work with any uh subcontractors.

SPEAKER_03:

We they'll but but we do we hire out plumbers and electricians. Yeah, lately when we get too busy, we do tile hand out the tile work. But okay, they can get in, you know, a lot of times. I just had a uh a call from a uh a gentleman and um he knew six months ago his wife was gonna get out of the hospital, and two weeks ago he called me on a on a Wednesday, she's getting out on a Friday. So we had to, you know, all of a sudden, you know, we we like to start a job and have it planned, but you know, all of a sudden we had to jump.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, it's uh it's it's very much of a pain to do, but we have to get in and get out. You know, a lot of times people they haven't had a shower in weeks. They've been waiting for us to get there, you know, or it's something they just found us. So yeah, it's a um the trade-wise, we we do sub that out. Um uh we'll do uh minute plumbing, but um I don't like to do that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. And I mean you're you're right, it does take planning, and when you have to go in at the last minute, you may not do it, it may not be planned out as well as it could have been, you know.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh it really does take time and assessment and conversation and order materials, and luckily we we work with an OT, and she was actually she brought us in. So when we were doing the design, we were able to go back and forth and and get her, and then uh she comes in before the we're finish up and talks about the grab bar location. So so you know there that that helps out a lot, but you know, when we're getting in there, getting out, there's a lot of not a lot of time to can't order materials in time and and right.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, there you are. Nice to see you.

SPEAKER_02:

I knew if I kept working at it, I could I could do it.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, yeah, I'm so glad that you use an OT. I mean, the whole mantra of an OT is to modify the environment to the person. So this whole home modification business is just in ingrained in the the training and the education for an OT. So I'm so glad that you're you know using someone like that.

SPEAKER_03:

She understands the body, I understand the house.

SPEAKER_00:

That's right. That's and that's what you need.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I think the CAP certification tries, uh you know, as an OT, I went through the CAP certification and I think it tried very hard to teach me about the house.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But you're right, I I am more in tune to the body than the house. It's what I did for many years, it's what you do for many years. So that's why I think it's so important that for it to be a multidisciplinary type of team that goes in there.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you do you guys do you guys see any trends in the housing industry of how houses maybe are being built or or rebuilt or modified in order to accommodate accessible living? Do you think it's more um accepted, this whole universal design idea?

SPEAKER_03:

I I don't think the the uh uh builders understand that concept yet. And I don't know if they will, you know, unless you go to a planned adult community. You know, there you will. A lot of people just don't want to get into that planned adult community, you know, right, right.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, um and even there they just touch on it. I mean, they they don't really get into uh making the interior the home. I mean, I mean it's all one level, uh, but they don't they don't do the the things that we do that would allow someone to live there for many years to come. I mean many people that move into these 55 plus uh uh active active adults, they can they can't they can't live there for the for you know for the for the remainder of their lives.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. And then the the builders are looking at sales. You know, they're the same ones who who uh in the 40s put two 24-inch doors into bathrooms.

unknown:

Right, right.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, it's all about making that sale. So I don't know, and and there's probably there are some uh uh contractors out there who are making homes uh under UD design concept. So, you know, I it and but uh I don't go into a lot of new homes to to evaluate them. So I would hope that they're they're getting smarter. You know, to me, that's a sale, that's a it's accommodations that it's not a big deal to make it that way.

SPEAKER_00:

It isn't, but you know, they they they've done it the way they've always done it, and now they have to change, you know. At the very least, I I wish they would incorporate, even if they just incorporate the space for a residential elevator, you know, for the future, um, if if they don't have to put it in right away, but at least to have that space there.

SPEAKER_03:

Or a lot of them are doing a lot of the townhomes too, stacking closets.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, good, that's good.

SPEAKER_03:

So they know so you can do an elevator, all you gotta do is put in the elevator and go. I think it's more on the town homes than than anything, but but they do make so you know, there's some prethought.

SPEAKER_00:

That's good. Well, then that's a shift. That's a shift, you know.

SPEAKER_03:

And they're they're making doors generally. Now I can't I don't know how much of it is code where they have to do it, but at least 32 to 36 inch doors. Good, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Um I mean, I worked in South Florida for years, and and even the condos there in the 55 plus, I can't tell you how many doorways, especially into the bathroom for whatever reason, was not wide enough. And it had a lip. Almost every bathroom had a lip. So even if the person was able to get into a wheelchair and take themselves to that bathroom door, if they could even get through the bathroom door, they couldn't get over that little marble half-inch lip because they just didn't have strength to push themselves up and I could two or three different ALS situations where it was going to be really costly to redo the shower.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm not real proud of it, but what we've done is we raised the floor with wood. We put that decking, we made it kind of a deck, and these had access had enough room to have a ramp to go in there.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

And then they had that level platform and then ramp back out. You know, it's not the best solution, it does work. So, you know, it's it's trying to think outside the box and that's right. What can accommodate you know the client. You know, a lot of times it's the spouse who's got to get them in there. So if we can make it easier for the spouse, then that works. You know, ideally we're gonna put in a ceiling lift, but that doesn't work all the time either.

SPEAKER_00:

Again, personalizing it, you know, not only to the house, but to the person and to the living caregiver, whoever that is.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you know, that's the other thing that's that we always stress is we know that there's going to be at some point in time, the person's gonna sell their home. Or the adult child may end up selling the home. So we want to let them know that whatever we're doing, first and foremost, is going to be functional for them, but it's got to be it be aesthetically pleasing as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Because it cannot look institutional looking. We want that we want that wow factor involved that if they got their house on the market, that when another person comes and looks at it, they just see, oh my gosh, it's got it, it's it's got the accessibility, but it's truly, really beautiful. And that's that's the whole idea of trying to we and like Dennis says, functionality sometimes is most important. So we do whatever needs to be done just to help that person. But in every instance, we try to make it beauty, beauty as much as functional.

SPEAKER_00:

But I love how today, and and you know, Dennis mentioned it earlier, you know, the how they're integrating grab bars into functional things like the toilet paper and the soap bar and whatever. I love how function is or accessible products, whatever, are being integrated with beautiful things or practical things or something that's already there anyway. Um I I love that. I think that's going to hopefully, you know, become more and more, um, especially with with you know all the ideas that you can get from AI thinking nowadays. And I think product designers um hopefully are looking at that um uh demographic more. Um, because I mean let's face it, the the number of people needing it is there, yeah. Definitely there. So how how can we fit that? You know, years ago it was all about the youth market, but I think as the boomers, you know, like myself are getting you know more and more 10,000 plus a day, then obviously you have to feed the market.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, one of the things we've been using the last few years in the shower, there's a vertical slide bar where you can put your handheld.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, that's a grab bar. Ah you gotta, it's got a delta has it. It's it's a special one, it's a little bit bigger than your other vertical bar, but then it doesn't look like a grab bar.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

We like to use the uh a diverter where it will control the handheld, but it also will control the shower head. So you just switch it, and then either it's for the caregiver or so you know it gives a sometimes we'll put it to the side.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah, by the seat, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, so the idea is if so the person that's challenged, they're not getting up and moving around. Right. They're sitting there and this is what they need, and that's where it is. Right. Put the little niche there. So yeah, you know, it's nice thing about residential is we can uh control it to the client commercial, we're controlled to restrictions, you know. You have to have it this high. Well, that doesn't work for everybody, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03:

That grab bar behind the toilet, nobody ever does uses that.

unknown:

You know, right.

SPEAKER_00:

I think I just did an article on that. I'm not sure. Um, do you guys ever get asked to do any Airbnb or vacation rentals? Is that something no?

SPEAKER_03:

Every once in a while we'll get apartment homes and we gotta go through uh the landlord and everything else. But yeah, yeah, no Airbnbs, no vacation homes.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

I would think that would be something well as long as I guess the problem there is can they get the client in the house?

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

If not, then so um that could be a challenge.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you see um do you see a shift in um uh what am I trying to say in the awareness of uh of these kinds of accessible modifications as I guess it becomes more acceptable. Um I guess it becomes more well, maybe it's not becoming more acceptable. Maybe because of the price of housing these days, there is more of that multi-generational people aren't really um you know living in in um you know other homes or apart. They're deciding to stay together, even if they're abled or disabled in any way. So do you see more of a shift in that?

SPEAKER_03:

Now I see a lot of um people wanting to get in their own home and stay in their own home.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

So, you know, and and there they're uh we've seen a great uptick in in uh our our website, but people are looking to stay at home, and and it a lot of times the the the mom or dad they recoup better once they're at home, they're back into their their surroundings, you know. Um, and to pick up and move is an ordeal. You know, it's it's better to go ahead and as long as we're uh they're spending money forward instead of backwards, you know, enhancing the house that hadn't been, you know, would take out a lot of garden tubs, you know, and used for storage.

SPEAKER_00:

I took mine out, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

And the the grandkids are growing up, you know. Yeah, so it the garden tub.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, the dust collector, basically.

SPEAKER_03:

I was in front of that big old four-foot window. I know, I know, then we gotta figure out what to do with that four foot window and privacy and everything.

SPEAKER_00:

So I know I saw that a lot here in um in Georgia, yeah. Um so for someone who's just starting on this process, you know, what do you tell them to do? I mean, hopefully they find your website and they start off with you guys because I think I think that would be a wonderful thing because you you can give them just about everything, it sounds like. But what advice do you give? You know, when you go to a party and someone says, Yeah, my mom is, you know, 85 and I think we need to start doing something, you know, what advice do you give?

SPEAKER_03:

I think you want to start off with that one.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I think the first thing to think about is a is a checklist of all the things that they should look at in their home to make sure that it is as safe as it can possibly be. Um and and there's some things that can even make it more accessible, like uh taking f furniture, take taking furniture out. It's not not I mean why I I remember visiting homes back years ago and you couldn't hardly walk through it. It was so much so much things, so it was so it was so much um gosh, I don't know, stuff along with furniture. Those type of things are an accident waiting for a place to happen.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

So so just getting a checklist and and looking looking at it, I think doing all those things, putting it into action can sometimes postpone the need for modification. If it's someone who is not uh certainly I'm not talking about someone who's disabled, but someone who is still mobile. Yeah, uh maybe they have some type of a chronic illness, but is they have not lost their mobility. If they can just put the checklist of things in in action, um they might need us now or need us two years from now. You know what I'm what I'm saying? Right, exactly. And we can provide them with that uh easily. We send people out checklists just to make them aware of what their initial needs might be.

SPEAKER_03:

AARP's got a checklist from their home fit program, so that's a good start. But you know, like if the the children see start noticing the parents are having a little bit more of a challenge during this or that, you know, that might be the time to go ahead and and and bring somebody in to evaluate their home and at least have a plan. Right. You know, you know, if this happens, you could do this, or you know, you really might want to go ahead and do this now. You know, if they're they're having issues with the stairs, um make the handrail different, or you know, it's just a simple grab bar, you know. But uh finding someone who's certified, you know, a lot of times it's just an OT.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

Come in and say, you know, say, look, these are your precaution areas, these are your high points. The OT is great. The ones we use, she would charge about$150, but she'll pull put up a report, and then you can use that to to gauge how uh uh as things progress, you know. But it's like we were Rick was saying, a lot of it's preventive. If you could go ahead and get this grab bar in now, you know, and and even though uh one of them, their youngsters, will go into the shower and they'll see the grab bar, they like it. Yeah, it's that level of comfort. If I'm getting out of the shower and if I'm slipping, I have something to grab onto. Right, exactly. You know, they so there's that, uh yeah, it's paying attention to if they're having issues, you know. A lot of times uh adults won't acknowledge it because they're gonna be afraid to lose their independence.

SPEAKER_00:

But the funny thing is, it's the thing that gives them the independence, you know. I mean, I cannot tell you, I worked in geriatric head injury, and I cannot tell you how many patients I treated that came to me with the head injury and and sometimes other injuries as well, simply because you know, they tripped on the step, or you know, then they didn't have anything to hold on to. They tripped over a rug, or they bumped into the coffee table and then fell on the glass coffee table. I mean, just silly, silly things that could have been prevented. And many of the times they couldn't go back home anymore. That was it. Yeah, and it's it was so heartbreaking to know if they had just fixed it before. Um, and you're right about the furniture and stuff. I think decluttering is the very first step in any home modification for staying home and being as independent as possible for as long as possible.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I know we're finishing up, but uh Dennis, how many times have you no seen where if someone had fallen a senior had fallen, they didn't want to let their children know because if they did, they would say, Oh, that's it. That's the that's the last one. You got to go into a nursing home, you got to go into assisted living. So they keep it to themselves.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, and a lot of times we'll go to an A uh uh ALS client. We get a lot of calls once they first diagnose. We'll go ahead and evaluate the home, you know, to say, you know, this phase you can, you know, this phase will work, this phase here, but once you get to this phase, you know, it won't work. But a lot of times the spouse is very active and they don't want to go to uh 50 plus, right, right, you know, they don't want to go to assisted living, so you know you kind of have to weigh all that out, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Once the uh the the client passes, the spouse still has a life, right, right, and obviously it's a personal decision with each family, you know how they uh obviously you're you're right, but and and you're right, Rick, you know, a lot of adult children, as soon as they hear that their parent fell, you know, the other thing is they're afraid they're gonna start putting cameras everywhere all around them, you know, to watch them. But luckily, you know, there are sensors nowadays that aren't an actual camera, they just sense motion, right? You know, so if the motion isn't moving, then then something is wrong. But so it is getting better.

SPEAKER_03:

But yeah, there is that that one technology I've been put pushing and always asking about is in the bathroom if there's a fall. You know, Apple and different people have some function, but if you don't have an Apple Watch, right, or you know, if you're knocked out, what is gonna happen? You can't put a camera there, and the little sensors, they're not instant.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, they're not instant. And you know, I like Alexa, yeah, I like those devices everywhere, but you're right. If you're knocked out, that's not gonna help you because that's voice activated. So, I mean, you're right. That's why the you know, the whole idea of daily check-ins, but even a daily check-in. Yeah, you know, if you get a daily check-in at 8 a.m. and you fell at 10 a.m., then what? You're not gonna get another check-in until the next day at 8 a.m.

SPEAKER_03:

It's so yeah, yeah. It's it's not a great system, but um so I'm always encouraging. I I belong to HTC in Atlanta where all these people come together, all this technology, but nobody has a solution yet.

SPEAKER_00:

Not yet, but it'll get there.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, you know, and I I do handle a lot of products out of Denmark, so I've gotten to know some people in Denmark, and they really don't have any. I figured if anybody, Denmark, somebody over there would have something, but well, there is a um there is a product sensitive.

SPEAKER_00:

I thought it came out of Denmark. Um, it's called the Nobi lamp, the no N O B I, and it's a ceiling lamp, but it's also uh a motion detector. Um and I think it's also a voice, um, you know, you can you can talk to it and connect with people, but it's just a ceiling lamp. Now I'm not sure if it's available in the US. That's the thing, but I think it's from Denmark or somewhere the Netherlands. I I'm not sure, but N-O-B-I, um smart lamp. And what I liked about it was that it didn't, like you said, it doesn't look, it just looks like a ceiling lamp.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. You know, and um yeah, yeah, but it has that detection.

SPEAKER_00:

And obviously, you know, whoever is the other person on the on the app or whatever, um, you know, then that person also has to, you know, be cognizant enough to take a look at that app every now and then or get the notification.

SPEAKER_03:

Hopefully, there'll be enough notification.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, get the notification. So, I mean, you're right, it's not perfect as of yet, but who knows? Maybe you guys will come up with the next uh pet rock for seniors.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah. That would be, you know, it's a matter of getting it our ideas and concepts to the right person.

SPEAKER_00:

That's right. That's it. That's it. Um that's it. Um, well, I think that I mean, accessible living Atlanta is an awesome service. I think we're so lucky. I'm very lucky to be living in the Atlanta area to have you guys close by. Um, I should have you come assess my home. Check it out.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, there's a there's a lot of remodelers who who do accessibility, but there that's all we do is accessibility.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, there's a lot of remodelers that do it, but not everybody does it well, and not everybody does it with a team, you know, where you give extra services, you know, like Rick was saying, you always try to go above and beyond. Um, so I really like I really like, I think that's so important. Um have you guys heard of the village model or the village movement?

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, but you might have to remind me. I've heard of it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, is there one in Atlanta? Um, it started in the Northeast, I think, in Maryland, or I'm not sure. Anyway, basically what it is is um a group of people in uh let's say a 10 mile radius, you know, um you join the group, the village, whatever you join that group, and I think you pay a monthly fee or yearly fee. And in that group, the the people in that group then in that area, they help each other. Um, so if there's a carpenter, a retired carpenter living in that area, he'll help other people in that group. If there's uh someone who can drive, he'll help people in that group. So it's a way for you to stay in your home, but at the same time live in uh, you know, get the help like you would in a community. And some of them are um wealthy enough or however it works that they actually hire a physician or a physical therapist to come and do home therapy or home, you know, medical care or whatever. Um so I I like the idea. I just didn't know if there was one here in Atlanta because that would be another.

SPEAKER_02:

The closest thing to that Esther would be next door.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. The the next door, you mean that little uh online?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

It's something like that, only it's a specific group of people. And I think what you're paying for is are the services that everybody contributes.

SPEAKER_03:

Now Dunwoody was doing something of that, but it you it was uh you paid a fee and it's the uh concierge kind of concept.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, yeah. I mean, you know that I think is very important, the concierge system. Um, I think a lot of seniors don't take advantage of it as much, although it may be changing. Ever since COVID, I think more and more people are accustomed to getting services delivered, things you know right. I I like that idea. I I use it a lot. Yeah. Um I think it's great. I think you guys are doing an amazing job.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

And um, yeah, anything that I can do to help you, I let let me know.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, we do a lot of presentations, I do a lot of lunch and learns and and practices. So if you come across something where you would like to uh uh partner up, all right, you can let me know. We'll we'll do the same.

SPEAKER_00:

Sounds good. Yeah, that sounds great.

SPEAKER_03:

For letting us participate. Yeah, this was fun. This was fun.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, sure. Anytime. And if you guys have any questions about, you know, the internet or your website or yeah, um article writing or AI, feel free to let me know. If I know it, I'll I'll tell you what I know. And if I don't know it, I'll learn it and tell you what I know.

SPEAKER_03:

She was talking about Opus. Yeah, put that down. Yeah, yeah, that sounds really neat.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's a great tool to just throw in your video and then have it slice it up into pieces and then you just submit it. Right. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Rick, we'll um we're Esther, we'll we'll pick a date, we'll meet in Swane.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I love that. We have a brand new restaurant opening up with international tapas.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, we'll check it out. I'll uh I'll send an Uber for you guys.

SPEAKER_02:

You're gonna send an Uber up to LAJ?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, LAJ, okay. Well, that's a little far. Yeah, that's a little far. Maybe we can meet a quick way between LAJ and uh Swanee.

SPEAKER_02:

I'll meet Dennison Tucker, then you uh that that'll work.

SPEAKER_03:

Maybe either all of us meet in Swanee.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I guess so. I guess I can go across country, Rick.

SPEAKER_03:

I guess thank you. I sure we appreciate this time.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you guys so much. I appreciate your time. I'll see you all later.

SPEAKER_03:

Have a good day.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you too.

Contributor

Esther C. Kane, CAPS, C.D.S.

Host