Living@Home® Assessments

Services: Assessment, Adaptation, Recommendation.

I'm writing this in BOLD. It helps a person see this more clearly.

Here's what I can do: I can inspect a home to assess its condition. I apply a 72-item elements list for living@home longer, built in collaboration with InterNACHI®, the international Association of Certified Home Inspectors, where I am a member. I know the situation, I have compassion and empathy, and I know that being of service is one of the reasons I am on this Earth. My Faith demands service to others.

I am also of the age where I'm adapting my own home! I've learned a lot!

If you would also like a certified home inspection, I can do that. I can assess the property for its overall condition. Together, we can see what a property's needs are, and whether there is delayed maintenance that needs to be done. The property can be adapted to match occupant needs. We should be able to use information we find to unveil an understanding about the health and potential longevity of major systems that could fail if they are at the end of their service life. I can give you a very good idea about the home's condition. Will the roof need to be replaced or repaired? Are the water heater, a/c, and furnace likely to continue to operate efficiently for another few years?

At the end of the inspection and assessment, I can give you a detailed assessment of your house's health, a detailed assessment of adaptations you can make in the near term, and the long run.

I can also give you general figures about the costs associated with adaptations, repair, and upcoming maintenance. These figures are NOT the figures you'll get from contractors. They have their own cost structures. I should be able to give you something realistic.

Professionally, I cannot do the work. It's a conflict of interest and an ethical boundary I cannot cross.

Finally, given the mobility and health conditions of the occupants, what adaptations would make sense in the near, and longer, terms? What adaptations should be done now. What could potentially wait?

The cost of assisted living is TREMENDOUSLY HIGH. My own father entered assisted living in 2019. He had long term care insurance that would pay out $440,000 as a benefit. That amount bought him about 44 months. He wasn't in very good shape at the time, and he lived another 38 months. Toward the end, his care cost more than $125,000 per year. Toward the end, with only a short handful of months in reserve, my father was terrified he would be out on the street. My sister and I were really frightened because the $12,500 per month fee for his care toward the end of his life exceeded our combined salaries. We would have found a Medicaid solution, but his quality of life would have declined in a nursing home.

People are choosing to stay in their own homes longer. They are also fearful of bringing in contractors who have their own interests coming first. They have no idea whether a contractor wants to help them, or help themselves. After 87 years of life, my own father would not have had the language, cognitive ability, or attention span to achieve a real meeting of the minds. He would have simply written a check and trusted people would act in his best interests. Do the contractors you use act in your interests, or theirs?

Everyone's circumstances are different. I know that. I also know how to assess a property's ability to continue to support the lives of people who are getting much older. If the family would like to come with me on the inspection and assessment, I welcome them because I can explain and teach what might make sense for the circumstances.

Below is a list of what I can do. Here's what comes with this service:

Every Home Inspection Includes:

• Your home's exterior structure, foundation, and retaining walls.

• Roof, covering, flashing, vents, stacks, vent ridges, gutters.

• Your home's apparent resistance to wind, sun, water, snow, heat, cold, UV.

• Sidewalks, entry, steps, stoop, driveway, patios, decks, and doors.

• Your plumbing system from top to bottom, including all gas and water lines, sinks, faucets, exterior bibs.

• Your electrical system from wall to wall, top to bottom, capacity, capability, and condition.

• Your kitchen and laundry appliances, incl dishwasher and garbage disposal.

• Your bathrooms, tubs, showers, sinks, water capability and pressure, hot water capacity, and leaks.

• Your entire HVAC system, including air conditioning, furnace, humidifiers, and HEPA.

• Your garage from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, including fire safety between the garage and main living areas.

• Attic and insulation, rafters, joists, soffits, fascia, and purlins.

• Your fireplace, chimney, and chase.

• A copy of The Home Owner's Manual: A guide to home repair and maintenance. We can do that together.

  Every Accessibility Age At Home Inspection Includes 72 items related to the following:

• A view of the home's exterior with a bias toward identifying areas where slips might occur, where accessible handrails could be installed, areas where ramps would be better than steps alone, no dark areas around, accessible doorways, and low maintenance exteriors. I also inspect driveways, gates, garages, shrubs, snow removal, and lawn care.

• A view of a home's entrance with clearly visible lights and house number, security lights, door peepholes, accessible doorbell, a shelf to place packages on while the door is opened, and a non-slip foyer. Are proper railings used? Lights at top and bottom of stairs?

• A view of the inter with a bias toward identifying smoke and CO detectors, light activated doorbells for people with hearing difficulties, easy to find and operate thermostats, rocker light switches, lighting in every vital place. Also easy to reach window openings, and interior stairs with a contrast strip between stairs and risers.

• A view of the kitchen where microwaves and ovens are at higher levels so one doesn't have to stoop, wall ovens, raised washing machines, electric convection stoves, and cabinets that are easy to reach and open.

• A view of the bathroom to ensure countertops are accessible, there is non-slip flooring, showers are accessible as a direct walk in. Wall grab bars, a taller toilet to make it easier to sit.

• There are a few more items. After those we can go through our lists and assign priorities.

Note: These home inspections and accessibility assessments are done as part of a needs analysis. Your home will tell us its secrets, and how to adapt her to serve you better. I can help refer you to professionals who will do repairs and maintenance, the right way.

Literature you should read on aging at home:

Aging at home: Are we prepared? (A Delaware Journal of Public Health article)

Quality of Life Associated With Staying Home Longer.

Growing Old at Home, National Institute of Health.

Safety Tips for Older Adults.

Services for Older Adults Living at Home.

Preventing Falls at Home.

Certified Aging in Place Specialist (National Association of Home Builders).

Illinois Financial Assistance for Staying at Home Longer.

Other Financial Assistance for Aging at Home.

Dr. Douglas Peterson, MBA, PhD (Industrial and Operations Design/Management)

My background as a professional educator and industrial design professional makes me unique in this market. I have a broader vision than most, I'm very aware of the nature of aging along with the frustrations associated with it. As a PhD-level university educator from the Big Ten and Big 12 I am adaptable, and value the diverse opinions and insights of others. I also LOVE going down rabbit holes. My analyses are generally deeper than most. My pricing is competitive. I do not outsource inspections for Home, Radon, or Aging-in-Place. I do outsource drone flying, mold and asbestos inspection, insect/critter infestations, sewer scopes. These jobs are better left to another specialist.

Esther Bryce

Founder / Interior designer

Lynn Wilson

Broker

Jaden Smith

Architect

Jessica Kim

Photographer