Home Modifications for Safety with Danielle Roe and Doug Rowe

Welcome to the Steadfast Care Planning podcast! In this episode, host Kelly Augspurger is joined by home safety experts Danielle Roe from Arrow Lift and Doug Rowe from Attune Home Safety Plan. Together, they discuss the critical topic of home modifications for older adults to enhance safety and independence.

Danielle and Doug provide valuable insights into the importance of home modifications, covering everything from safety considerations to specific types of modifications available. They offer practical advice on how to proactively plan and make necessary changes to age comfortably in your home.

In this episode they covered:

🔹 Potential funding sources for home modifications, including long-term care insurance.

🔹 Medicaid waiver programs.

🔹 VA benefits for veterans.

🔹 Cost of home modifications.

🔹 Most important types of home modifications.

🔹 Biggest mistakes when making home modifications.

🔹 Steps that are necessary to include when considering a home modification plan.

🔹 Range of services their companies offer, such as free consultations and detailed assessments.

Connect with Danielle Roe and for more information on Arrow Lift message Danielle through LinkedIn or visit: www.ArrowLift.com Connect with Doug Rowe and for more information on the Attune Home Safety Plan message Doug through LinkedIn or visit: www.AttuneSA.com
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➡️ Watch to this podcast: https://youtu.be/sAUAnPOVxLU

#LongTermCare #HomeAssessment #SteadfastCarePlanning #longtermcareinsurance #ArrowLift

For additional information about Kelly, check her out on Linkedin or www.SteadfastAgents.com.

To explore your options for long-term care insurance, click here.

Steadfast Care Planning podcast is made possible by AMADA Senior Care and Steadfast Insurance LLC.

Come back next time for more helpful guidance!

Transcript

Kelly Augspurger [00:00:02]:
Hey everyone, welcome to Steadfast Care Planning where we plan for care to live well. I'm your guide, Kelly Augspurger. With me today are Doug Rowe with Attune Home Safety Plan and Danielle Roe with Arrow Lift. Doug, Danielle, thanks so much for being here.

Danielle Roe [00:00:18]:
Thanks for having us.

Doug Rowe [00:00:18]:
Thank you, Kelly, appreciate it.

Kelly Augspurger [00:00:19]:
Today we're going to be talking about home modifications for older adults. Doug, Danielle, can we jump right in?

Danielle Roe [00:00:26]:
Absolutely.

Kelly Augspurger [00:00:27]:
Let's do it. So it's no surprise that most older adults want to age in place at home, but the reality is that many homes are not safe or ideal to safely age. And so making home modifications are a must to improve independence and safety. So, Doug and Danielle, what are some important things people should consider when looking at home modifications?

Danielle Roe [00:00:49]:
I think you already kind of hit on it, Kelly. It's about safety. It's always going to be about safety first. And what that looks like for each person might be a little bit different. And that's why it's good to maybe reach out to others who have some experience in this side of things.

Kelly Augspurger [00:01:04]:
Okay. Safety number one. What about you, Doug?

Doug Rowe [00:01:07]:
I think that home modifications are a great insurance plan to reduce risk of falls and injury. One fall can change it all. And not waiting is critical to taking those steps to create a safer home environment.

Kelly Augspurger [00:01:19]:
So really proactively making these home modifications right before the need arises, because let's say you fall down, you break a hip, you're very limited on mobility or whatever the case may be. Right? Whatever happens to you where you need those home modifications, you're going to be scrambling at that point. So if we can proactively think ahead to the future of, "Okay, I do want to age in place. I do want to stay at home. What are some things that would make my home more safe to stay?" Yes. Right.

Kelly Augspurger [00:01:46]:
And so what are some types of home modifications that are available?

Doug Rowe [00:01:51]:
With the Attune Home Safety Plan we start at the entrance to the home, starting with address numbers on your home all the way through each area of your home entrance, bathroom's the biggest risk for falls because they're slip wet surfaces. We look at the kitchen for activities of daily living and preparing meals. Stairs, which is where Danielle can complement improvements and looking at each aspect of the home and then providing recommendations for those modifications.

Kelly Augspurger [00:02:18]:
So really every aspect of the home. I didn't even think of numbers on a home. So what making those numbers bigger, Doug? Is that what you're referring to?

Doug Rowe [00:02:26]:
Visible from the street? So if you call EMS, they're able to find your home and not have a delay in treatment. That's the first step as far as your line of defense and creating a safer home environment. And the Attune Home Safety Plan offers over 200 products. One of the products is home numbers that are illuminated, or just home numbers that are visible from the street.

Kelly Augspurger [00:02:47]:
Got it. Interesting. Yeah. Something so small, but that can make a really big difference and something that I didn't even consider. Oh, yeah. The numbers on the house that would be important for not just your family to see, but for EMS. Yeah, absolutely. So, Doug, you briefly spoke about Danielle and how she can help with the stairs.

Kelly Augspurger [00:03:05]:
Danielle, how does your company help with making home modifications to stairs? What does that look like?

Danielle Roe [00:03:11]:
So, you know, we think about stairs. If you have a home that's two story, if you have a home that has a basement and you have a laundry room down in the basement, all of those things could create a problem for you when you're thinking about staying in your home. So what we like to look at is see how we can make those stairs work for you. Can we install a stairlift into the home? If that's not possible, there are other options as well, such as elevators, vertical platform lifts. If you are in a wheelchair or something like that. And you need to even just get into the front entrance of your home, that might be something that helps you stay at home, not have to leave, and still be safe when you're getting in and out.

Kelly Augspurger [00:03:47]:
So two of the things that you just listed there. So the vertical platform lift and then the stair lift. So I've had a couple of family members that have had each of those. And when I was growing up, my grandpa lived with us for several years and he was mostly wheelchair bound. He had an amputation at his knee and he lived in our basement, but he couldn't access the stairs, so we had to put in a stairway lift for him. And I remember as a kid loving it because I used to ride on it, too. So it was kind of like a joy ride for me. But it was perfect for grandpa because it allowed him to be able to come up to the main living area and access his bedroom downstairs.

Kelly Augspurger [00:04:30]:
And then another family member had the vertical lift they couldn't get from the garage into... They had a ranch, but they couldn't get from the garage up two, three steps into their main living area. So both really applicable things that can actually be utilized when making those home modifications.

Danielle Roe [00:04:48]:
Yes. I think that sometimes people don't even know they exist. They may think, oh, that's only something for a commercial building, but we can put a lot of these things into residential homes. And again, it helps you stay at home, and that's our goal. That's what we're here to do.

Kelly Augspurger [00:05:01]:
Doug and Danielle. So what are the steps that are needed to actually make these home modifications? If someone thinks, you know what, I do want to age in place, I want to stay at home, but I probably need to make some changes. What needs to happen?

Doug Rowe [00:05:14]:
With the general home safety assessment, The Attune Home Safety Plan, we have over 80 questions that walks you through the home. AttuneSA.com. And with completion of that questionnaire, it generates a report that identifies specifically what your needs are in your home. It can be overwhelming trying to decipher a home assessment and saying, "Oh, yes, I can't get into my front door because I need a handrail." But making sure you get an ADA compliant handrail that's quality and installed properly is critical to reducing the risk of falls. That's just one example of assessing your home and then providing modifications. Even with the stairs, if our clients identify a need for going up and downstairs, it'll take you to ArrowLift.com and their site. It'll generate in the report and provide contact information to have resolution to that issue in your home.

Kelly Augspurger [00:06:04]:
Got it. Okay. So you do these in-person assessments. You create this really detailed report, and then you offer recommendations based on that assessment, "Okay, yes. This client needs some assistance with stairs. Here's a potential solution for you."

Kelly Augspurger [00:06:18]:
Or if you need some grab bars, here are some grab bars that we could use. Right? So you're able to offer solutions, not just, "Okay, this is what needs done, but here are specific people, or solutions for that situation."

Doug Rowe [00:06:32]:
Correct. And our clients will conduct the assessment themselves, or with the help of family members, or maybe a home care or home health company.

Kelly Augspurger [00:06:41]:
Okay.

Doug Rowe [00:06:41]:
A lot of home care and home health companies utilize a home safety assessment in their onboarding process for their clients. But the gap is, "Okay, I've got all this information. I got all these problems. Now what do I do? Do I start researching on the Internet?" So the Attune Home Safety Plan is that link between identifying issues and resolution to the issues.

Kelly Augspurger [00:07:01]:
Got it. Okay, that's fantastic. So you're really giving clients an action plan of, "Here's what we found. Now, this is what we can do." How long does that home modification process typically take? Okay, here's your report. And it probably depends on the depth of what needs done, right? As far as the assessment?

Kelly Augspurger [00:07:18]:
Like after the assessment is completed and here's your list. Okay, now we need to get these home modifications completed. It probably varies based on, well, if I need some grab bars, that's minor, right? Versus, "Oh, I need an elevator!" That's going to take a bit longer, right?

Danielle Roe [00:07:33]:
Correct. Yes.

Doug Rowe [00:07:37]:
The scope of your needs, obviously, like you said, depends on what all needs to be ordered and then scheduling installations. A lot of the products on the Attune Home Safety Plan can be done by a child or the client that's utilizing the assessment and safety plan. From there, we have a CAPS Certified Aging in Place handy-woman who helps with modifications in Franklin, Delaware and Lincoln counties and can help the unboxing and installation of those products.

Kelly Augspurger [00:08:04]:
Okay, fantastic. What about for you, Danielle? So if someone needs some modifications to the stairs, in whatever form that might be, what kind of a timeline is that to have these things installed?

Danielle Roe [00:08:16]:
So if we're looking at a straight stairlift, usually within a couple of weeks, sometimes even the same week, if it's something that we have in stock, if you have a little bit more, maybe complicated stairs with some curves that can take maybe six to eight weeks. And I know you mentioned, Kelly, about the elevator. Yes. Elevators can take anywhere from six to nine. You know, you have kind of a big gap, I guess, in that timeline, depending on what you need. But like Doug mentioned earlier, that's why it's so important to plan ahead. If you're thinking, "You know, boy, I would really like to have an elevator. I think that would be the best bet for me."

Danielle Roe [00:08:51]:
Start planning now. Don't wait. Reach out, find out if it's possible and look at the different options for yourself so that you know what's going on and that you're not waiting until it's too late and then you need something quickly. I had a couple that they did wait, unfortunately for them, and so we couldn't even put in a curve lift for them. We ended up having to do two straight lifts and she has to transfer in the middle and it's not ideal, but it was able to get her upstairs to her bedroom even though it's not maybe the best outcome that we would have liked to have seen. But they did., they waited too long. And so sometimes that happens and then we have to kind of jerry rig something to make it work.

Kelly Augspurger [00:09:28]:
Got it. So, yeah, ideally, we are proactively planning this and doing this in advance. So, yeah, you're not scrambling and coming up with a less than stellar solution of what you maybe really wanted to begin with. So what do you guys think are the biggest mistakes people make when doing home modifications? I mean, probably waiting, right? That's probably number one waiting till too late. What else?

Doug Rowe [00:09:51]:
So many clients call and say, "Hey, I need grab bars tomorrow. My mom's being discharged from a rehabilitation center and she's coming home with me and she can't get out of the shower." Crisis management. If everything's aligned right, possibly I could get those installed tomorrow, but we don't want to take those risks.

Danielle Roe [00:10:06]:
I think the other thing, too is maybe not doing their homework. Meaning what are the options that are available to you? There are so many things. Doug's product is amazing because it's going to help you find out what those things are and then you can choose what works for you and what doesn't. Just taking the time, I think, to find out what the options are again, hopefully ahead of time so that you have a plan in place when that time comes.

Kelly Augspurger [00:10:30]:
Got it. Great advice. The Steadfast Care Planning podcast is sponsored by the Certification for Long Term Care CLTC, an in depth training program that gives financial advisors the education and tools they need to discuss extended care planning with their clients. Look for the CLTC designation when choosing an advisor. If you're looking to become a CLTC, enroll in their masterclass and enter "Kelly" in the coupon code field for $200 off. What do you think are the most important home modifications that need to be done?

Doug Rowe [00:11:03]:
I think that's home specific as far as what you want to do in your home and how you want to maintain independence as long as possible. Obviously, if you have stairs and you can't go up the stairs, you're going to need a chair lift. If you're using a shower and you have a preexisting condition like Parkinson's, you want to have some interventions and modifications in place to help reduce that risk of slipping when you transition in and out of the shower.

Danielle Roe [00:11:27]:
I think one of the easiest things for people to do, and maybe the most common, at least from what I've seen, is grab bars. Grab bars can make all the difference you know from getting, if it's one step into your home from the garage, whether it's a shower safety issue, those are such a simple place to start and they look really nice now. I mean, Doug probably can tell us all about that, but they don't have to look institutional. They can look very attractive and go with your home and then they're there for when you need them. I was in a hotel recently that had grab bars in the shower and I was like, "I feel really comfortable using these."

Doug Rowe [00:12:02]:
They're not age specific.

Danielle Roe [00:12:04]:
Listen, I'm in my mid forties, okay. I felt more safe that I wasn't going to slip in the shower. So it's not something that you have to wait on to install those. Do it now. And I think you might find that you feel a little bit more comfortable doing certain things.

Kelly Augspurger [00:12:20]:
Yeah, you know what? So my husband actually bought a couple of grab bars for us.

Danielle Roe [00:12:24]:
I love it. Anniversary present.

Kelly Augspurger [00:12:26]:
I know they're not yet installed. And he came home with them, and I'm like, "Why do we have these?" And he's like, "Well, you know, you never can be too safe." And I was like, "All right," and so I can be on board with that. I'm all about safety, minimizing risk, especially being in insurance. So anyway, yeah, you don't have to be 75 to 80 years old in order to have some of these home modifications in order to make your home more safe, not just for you, but even your whole family. And that really brings us to preventing falls. So even simple things like grab bars that can help prevent falls or something in the shower to be able to assist in not falling. Do you guys have any other recommendations on home modifications to help prevent falls, or even things that people just shouldn't do in their homes to prevent falls, or should do?

Doug Rowe [00:13:20]:
Non slip services in the shower. We have four products that you can apply to the floor of your shower to help reduce the risk of falls. And having shower chairs and the grab bars are obviously ways to reduce that risk and minimize injury.

Danielle Roe [00:13:33]:
Something that I hear way too often in my line of work is that people are crawling up the stairs or they are going up the stairs backwards or going down the stairs backwards, that just increases fall risk. And that is something that when we start talking, when we sit down and have a conversation, I'm going to help you understand what those fall risks are and how we can mitigate those with whatever product it is that fits for you. So those are the things I hear a lot. So if you're doing that, if that's one of those things that you're starting to notice that you can't quite get up those stairs, then reach out, reach out to us and we can see how we can help.

Kelly Augspurger [00:14:08]:
Right? Or you have a family member, because I have a sneaking suspicion that people listening, they might have a family member who they've seen do that. And so it's like, oh, how do we best help them and support them so that they are as safe as possible at home?

Danielle Roe [00:14:24]:
Absolutely. We want to prevent the fall if we can.

Kelly Augspurger [00:14:27]:
Yeah, right. Yeah, absolutely. The Steadfast Care Planning podcast is sponsored by AMADA Senior Care. AMADA provides complimentary consultation with a senior care advisor to find the right care from in-home caregiving to community care, as well as long-term care insurance, claim advocacy and unique support partnerships for financial advisors to address family transitions and generational retention. To learn more, visit www.SteadfastWithAmada.com. How do you see that people are paying for these home modifications? What is typical? And then even maybe there's some things that aren't typical, but how people are actually paying for these home modifications?

Doug Rowe [00:15:11]:
Private pay is a majority of the resources for these home modifications. You can qualify for some Medicaid waiver programs in the state of Ohio for some ramps, grab bars, kitchen modifications, but you have to qualify financially. Okay, if you don't qualify financially and you have to pay privately, you look at the price of a modification, anywhere from $15 tape to keep your carpet on the floor so you don't trip on your carpet all the way up to a stairlift, or elevator. I'm not going to say prices, I'll let Danielle elaborate on that. But what you have to look at is the whole picture. Taking this private pay money and investing in your safety keeps you in your home longer, reduces the risk of falls. And if you compare that to the price of an assisted living, which is around $50,000 to $60,000 a year roughly, and then if you break a hip and your rehab potential is minimized and you can't go home and you have to stay at that level of care, then you're looking at $100,000 a year till you spend down your assets, depending on if you have a spouse or not. And this is really "an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure" scenario.

Kelly Augspurger [00:16:14]:
Oh, totally agree. Yeah. You are putting money up front and investing in your house, in your home, but also your safety in your future. And so it can really pay off to protect that quality of life and to protect your future income and your future assets and safety. Absolutely.

Doug Rowe [00:16:32]:
And there are some insurance plans out there, long-term care insurance plans that are starting to... and, Kelly, you can elaborate more on this. As far as coverage for home modifications, it makes financial sense for these insurance companies to get on board with creating a safe environment for their clients as it reduces their expenses down the road if they reduce risk of injury.

Kelly Augspurger [00:16:50]:
That's exactly right. Yeah. So there are many policies that do have a provision for home modifications in the policies. And so it will say we'll pay x amount of dollars towards home modifications in order to stay home because they know that many people want to stay at home and receive care at home. So how do we best support that policyholder? Well, if they want to stay at home, but home needs to be more safe, we need to have a provision in there to be able to help pay for some of these home modifications. So yeah, if you have a long-term care insurance policy, check the policy language to see do you have coverage for this. And if you do, get your benefits, call the insurance company, contact your agent, and if you haven't already done that, see if you can get that taken care of and get some coverage there.

Danielle Roe [00:17:34]:
One thing that we have seen is that if you're a veteran, you might be able to get some coverage through the VA. My father in particular has gotten a lot of home modifications done, some grab bars, some of those kinds of things for no cost through the VA. So if you are a veteran, you might be able to qualify for some of those things. Even stairlifts, we actually put in stairlifts for the VA. As you know, it may actually surprise you at where stairlifts start, as far as cost goes, they are not terribly expensive. They are usually less than a month in a nursing home or an assisted living. So you're looking at something that you pay a little bit up front and then you're saving $60,000 that year because you're not having to move out of your home.

Danielle Roe [00:18:16]:
So it may surprise you at how affordable they really are. And there can be financing options and various other things as well to help you kind of along this journey.

Kelly Augspurger [00:18:24]:
Oh, good details there, Danielle. So as far as the VA coverage goes for home modifications, is that going to be based on service and based on finances?

Danielle Roe [00:18:33]:
Kind of depends on your level. Like, my dad qualifies for things like grab bars and things like that. He is a little bit wealthier maybe than some of the other veterans that are out there. So they'll give him certain help, but then they would cut him off because of his financial... because he doesn't need as much as maybe some other veterans might.

Kelly Augspurger [00:18:50]:
Sure. So the more financially in need that you are, maybe the more modifications that you would be able to receive. But definitely contact the VA to see. What about a veteran spouse, too? Would they possibly be able to get some of these home modifications?

Danielle Roe [00:19:05]:
I have not seen that come through the VA. So I don't know for, you know, we're just talking about stairlifts. It does usually need to be the veteran for that. So I don't know on that one, Kelly.

Kelly Augspurger [00:19:15]:
Okay. That's all right. Well, Danielle and Doug, how can you and your teams help with this process. And how much do you charge? If there's just a fee for your service, or in addition to the... we know products are going to cost. That's going to vary depending on what the product is, but talk to us about that.

Danielle Roe [00:19:32]:
Well, Arrow Lift, I'm happy to come out, or my colleague as well here in the area. We are happy to come out and do a free consultation. We're going to sit down, we're going to look over your home. We're going to figure out what's going on with you and then we can talk about the best fits for you. Then we can start discussing options and they can start at, oh, boy, about $3,700 and kind of go up from there for a stairlift. If you're looking at something more like a vertical platform lift, or an elevator, of course those cost a little bit more, but in the long run, again, they're going to serve you well.

Kelly Augspurger [00:20:03]:
Great. And what about you, Doug?

Doug Rowe [00:20:05]:
With the Attun Home Safety Plan at: AttuneSA.com you have access to the 80 plus questions, depending on how you answer the questions. You complete that questionnaire. If you feel that there's quite a few areas of concern in your home, you can purchase the Attune Home Safety Report and that'll give you the list of products on how you answered the questionnaire. And that's $99.

Kelly Augspurger [00:20:27]:
Okay, great. Well, Danielle and Doug, any final advice on how people can plan for care to live well?

Danielle Roe [00:20:33]:
Don't wait. Preparation.

Kelly Augspurger [00:20:35]:
Don't wait. Preparation. Same thing, right?

Danielle Roe [00:20:38]:
Same thing.

Doug Rowe [00:20:34]:
That's the biggest thing. I worked in healthcare for 20 years at rehab facilities. And as you age, your rehab potential is minimized. And if you have preexisting conditions, take those into consideration as far as maintaining safety, your dignity, and independence in daily living.

Danielle Roe [00:20:56]:
Yeah, absolutely. Be proactive. Take charge. It's a way to keep living the life that you want to live by doing these little things to your home. So don't wait. Don't wait until something happens. Do it before you think you even need it.

Kelly Augspurger [00:21:11]:
Right. Take action. Be proactive. That's great. Well, where can people find out more information about your companies and how you help people?

Danielle Roe [00:21:19]:
Absolutely. So you can go to www.ArrowLift.com to learn about our stairlifts and our elevators. And that is Arrow, like the weapon, ArrowLift.com. I say that because a lot of people think it's the other one. So think about a Bow and Arrow when you're thinking about Arrow Lift.

Kelly Augspurger [00:21:39]:
Great. Thanks, Danielle. What about you, Doug?

Doug Rowe [00:21:41]:
Go to www.AttuneSA.com - AttuneSA.com. And that'll give you access to the questionnaire. And you can take the questionnaire for free. There's no charge for that. Kind of get oriented to where you think you might have some needs in the home. And if you want to make those solutions easier and accessible, then you can buy the plan and get those implemented.

Kelly Augspurger [00:22:00]:
Fantastic. Well, Danielle, Doug, thanks so much for your time today. Thanks for joining me. And really providing some great detail on home modifications, the importance of them, and what people can actually do, what action they can take in order to make their homes more safe and to age safely. So thanks so much. Have a great day.

Danielle Roe [00:22:19]:
Thank you. Kelly.