Proactive Aging, Home Safety & Peace of Mind with Nicole Porter

Proactive Aging, Home Safety & Peace of Mind with Nicole Porter

Welcome to Reverse Mortgage & Beyond — the show where we go beyond the loan and talk about real-life solutions for aging well, protecting independence, and supporting families through life’s transitions.

I’m your host, Cheryl Scheidell, Reverse Mortgage Specialist with Barrett Financial Group. Each week, I bring you trusted professionals, practical guidance, and meaningful conversations to help you make confident decisions for yourself or the people you love.

🌟 Featured Guest

Nicole Porter
Founder of Your Parent Porter

Nicole works closely with families navigating the challenges of aging—often before a crisis occurs. Through education, home walkthroughs, and proactive planning, she helps adult children and caregivers spot risks early and create safer, more supportive environments for older adults.

🏡 In This Episode, We Cover:

•  The real challenges families face as parents age 
•  The silent warning signs in the home that often go unnoticed until a fall or emergency 
•  How SAFE Home Assessments uncover safety risks and opportunities to help seniors remain independent longer 
•  Common myths like “I’m fine” — and what families need to understand instead 
•  Real-life stories where small changes made a big difference
•  The first simple step families can take today instead of procrastinating 

Whether you’re a family caregiver, adult child, or homeowner planning ahead, this episode offers practical insights you don’t want to miss.

🔑 Key Questions Discussed:

•  What is Your Parent Porter, and what problem does it solve for families? 
•  What inspired Nicole to start this work — was there a defining moment? 
•  What are the most common hidden safety issues in aging adults’ homes? 
•  What happens during a SAFE Home Assessment, and what outcomes families can expect? 
•  What myths hold families back from proactive planning? 
•  How can listeners take action before a crisis happens? 

Catch Cheryl every week on her radio show:
Is A Reverse Mortgage Right for You?
📻 Sundays at 3:30 PM on AM960.

Host Contact Information

Cheryl Scheidell
Reverse Mortgage Specialist
📞 480-817-4324
📧 cheryls@barrettfinancial.com
▶️ YouTube: @reversemortgageandbeyond
🌐 ReverseMortgageAndBeyond.com

If you’d like to discuss your mortgage needs or learn how a reverse mortgage can support aging-in-place strategies—such as home modifications or caregiving support—I’m always happy to help

Guest Contact Information

Nicole Porter

Founder, Your Parent Porter
 🧰 SAFE Home Assessments & Family Guidance
 🌐 Website: yourparentporter.com
 📩 Start with the SAFE Toolkit: yourparentporter.com/safe-toolkit

Cheryl Scheidell

Reverse Mortgage Specialist
 Barrett Financial Group
 📞 Call or Text: 480-817-4324
📧 Email: Cheryl.S@BarrettFinancial.com
🌐 Website: Reverse Mortgage & Beyond
▶️ YouTube: @reversemortgageandbeyond

🎧 Episode Takeaway

You don’t have to wait for a fall, hospitalization, or crisis to take action. Planning ahead creates options, confidence, and peace of mind. When used thoughtfully, tools like home safety assessments and reverse mortgages can work together to support independence and long-term stability—without required monthly mortgage payments.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who may need it. And be sure to tune in next time as we continue the conversation beyond the mortgage and into real-life solutions.

Disclaimer: Cheryl Scheidell | NMLS #886425 | Barrett Financial Group, LLC. | NMLS #181106 | 2701 East Insight Way, Suite 150,
 Chandler, AZ 85286 | AZ 0904774 | NV 5091] OR | TX view complaint policy at barrettfinancial.com/texas-complaint.

Information discussed is for educational purposes only and is not intended as legal, tax, financial, or cybersecurity advice and does not constitute a loan offer or credit decision.. Reverse mortgage programs are subject to eligibility, underwriting, and approval. Loan programs, rates, and guidelines are subject to change. Always consult with qualified professionals regarding your specific situation.

 | Equal Housing Opportunity | Equal Housing Lender | This is not a commitment to lend. All loans are subject to
 credit approval. | nmlsconsumeraccess.org/EntityDetails.aspx/COMPANY/181106 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Reverse Mortgage and Beyond, the podcast where we take you inside the world of reverse mortgages. I'm Cheryl Schidel and I have been in the mortgage industry since 2002 and have specialized in reverse mortgages for the past 10 years. We'll cover topics like reverse mortgage basics, purchasing a home, and the myths about reverse. You'll also hear from some trusted referral partners. Let's get started. Welcome everyone to reverse mortgage and beyond. I'm Cheryl Schidel with Barrett Financial Group. And today I just want to share with you. Normally I talk about reverse mortgages, the reverse basics, the myths about reverse, and then how to purchase a home. But from time to time, I like to bring in special guests. And so I've uh welcomed Nicole Porter from Your Parent Portal Porter into today. And we're going to talk about how she helps seniors be proactive and um what we can do to help them along so that way they're not in chaos later with their hair on fire. So, Nicole, do you want to go ahead and give us your background and how everything got started for you with your business? Thank you so much. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Thank you for having me on here. You know, my background's real estate, and we've always been taught that the reverse mortgage is just not the thing for our clients. But you've made me see a whole new perspective because we connected after I started my new business called Your Parent Porter. Yes. And how this came about was I see in the real estate world that things happen to parents and kids don't know what to do with the houses. And then I, my own personal experience, lost both my parents. And we were just not prepared the way I kind of I guess I just hadn't even thought about the things that were going to happen as they age. My parents were in their 60s, they were healthy, and we weren't quite worried about them yet. I was home a week before my dad passed, um unexpectedly. And I was like, you know, dad, do we know what to do if something happens to you? And he's like, Oh, we just finished our will. It's in there on the table. You want to read it? And like any other adult child, I'm like, nah, no, no, no. I don't want to hear anything about it. Just asking. Yes. And we want to keep the relationship good right now. Right. You know, I don't want to think about my parents dying. You know, this is crazy. And my brother's like, well, dad wants to be cremated, mom wants a service. And I'm like, okay, cool. I'm glad somebody knows the wishes because we've never talked about this. I'm in my 40s. We've never talked about it. My parents were in their 60s. Um yeah. So a week later, my dad had a standard procedure and made it through surgery fine. And that night they think he had a blood clot and a heart attack and passed. And my mom had been diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver. She'd been unhealthy for many years. And um, after my dad passed, she just sh downhill and passed exactly a year after him.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

And she was a collector of things. So every summer I would go home and I would be like, Ma, we've got to throw this stuff away. Like, we don't want this stuff. You know, we're gonna pull a dumpster up when you die and throw it all away. You guys are jerks. Why would you say that to me? You know? And I had to do it. And it was just overwhelming. Like, I won't even go into like all of the things because that's a whole nother episode of like being an adult child dealing with your losing your parents. But I saw a need. I saw that we were not prepared and I knew there's other midlife adult children that are not prepared or haven't had the conversations with their parents. So your parent porter was started. You know, I lived out of state. Um, my pam family's in Michigan, I'm in Arizona, and you know, like I said, I hear it all the time in the real estate world here. The kids live on the East Coast or, you know, wherever, and the parents are out here alone. Nobody's checking in on them. We go home once a year to like hang with our parents, and that's when we ask the questions, you know, where do we know what to do? Even if you even ask the questions. Yeah, kids put the blinders on, right? Absolutely. You know, and who wants to go home at Christmas time and be like, hey, mom and dad, what do you want to do when you die? Right. You know, like it doesn't, it doesn't go off well. So I was like, I need to help all these other healthy adults because they are. My parents didn't need help. They didn't need caretakers. Um, they were not at that point in their life. And I was like, why is nobody helping the healthy ones? Like, just get things in order. They won't listen to their kids. So what if I'm an unbiased third party that goes into people's homes and helps them proactively age in their house? Because here in Arizona, our, you know, our real estate has just gone crazy over the last few years. And people have a ton of equity in their homes. And they're even if they sell to downsize, they're still gonna spend all their money to downsize because what now they have 500K in equity in their house, um, and then to downsize to a 1300 square foot house in Scottsdale isn't gonna cost you 800K. Right. So you're not making a great move. It doesn't make sense for the parents to move all the time. And I know I'm that I'm saying it. I'm a real estate agent that like does not want people to sell their houses because there's nowhere to go in this city.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Well, and you know, I don't know if this might be a good lead for you, but I actually went on a ride along with the fire department and they talk about how the alarms are going off in the middle of the night or the batteries that the that they need to change the batteries, and it's going off in the middle of the night. So they're calling the fire department because they need someone to change the battery for them. So maybe that might be a good lead source where you have to work with the fire department to be proactive to, you know, because they can't get on ladders. Right. And we don't want them getting on ladders at two o'clock in the morning to change the batteries, and maybe they can't reach it or do it or whatever the case. So these could be people that you know you might be able to find leads from to assist those people.

SPEAKER_00 5:52

Absolutely. So I've definitely heard of the fire department. The fire department actually does free home assessments on safety. Um, so my home, I did call my um my assessment a safe home assessment. Right. But it is an acronym for other things because there's more than just the risk factors of the house. How is the parent living? What's the lifestyle like? Um, how's their environment? Because your environment is more than just your house, you know, it's the neighborhood, it's um your community, it's all of the things. So my safe home assessment is um S stands for surroundings. Like what is everything around the house look like? You know, are they living in clutter? Are they hoarding or maybe they're super clean? You know, that's totally fine, but just that's the S part of it. Um, A is awareness. Like, how alert are they? Do they seem like they have some cognitive issues or weight management issues? Like, what kind of lifestyle are they living? So that's just kind of the A piece of it. Um, F is functions and fixes. Um, when I took over my parents' house, like as a realtor, I was I had to sell a house. And now I'm like, oh man, when did dad do the roof last? When was the AC replaced? Right. When was this done? When and I'm like, okay, so functions and fixes has got to be a part of my assessment because people just need a budget for those big items that you know can come up.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Well, and that's where the reverse mortgage could come in because you know, we work with a lot of different um referral partners. And like I just did a reverse mortgage for somebody. She's like, I need a new roof. So the reverse mortgage can pay for the roof, it could pay for Nicole's services, it could pay for in-home health care. So these are great things that this is why we partner up because we can help each other. But go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Yeah. So that's the F part, the functions and fixes. And, you know, maybe the reverse mortgage is the way for them to pay and finance that. Um, and then ease extended independence. What can we do proactively to extend their independence in the house? Like, what are the different aspects? Um, is it just are there trip hazards? Do they need to renovate a bathroom?

SPEAKER_01 7:57

I've been trying to get rid of a rug in my mom's house. I'm like, and they shuffle. They shuffle. And then my namesake, her husband just fell a little while ago from a rug. Yeah. And I'm like, oh, we need to reevaluate these rugs. They're fine.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

I'm like, okay. That is like one of the number one. I think goodness break anything. Yeah. It's the bathrooms and then the rugs, I think, are the two biggest trip hazards in any adult's home.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

Um bathrooms because you know, putting grab bars in, is that what you're talking about? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

I mean, what kind of do they have to step into a bathtub to take a shower? Do they what um the slip? Drawing a blank. I'm drawing a blank. The slip. But just yeah, the slip. There's there's slips, there's falls, um, there's glass. I was in one gentleman's house and he had a glass countertop with raised glass bowl sinks and no cabinetry underneath and a big walk-in shower with a big glass wall.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

And he had to walk through his shower to use the toilet because the toilet room, whoever designed this bathroom is just crazy. They put the toilet room inside the walk-in shower. So this almost 80-year-old man is using this bathroom, and I'm just like cringing, going, Oh my gosh. And he's still, he's still healthy. He's like, I've been here for 30 years. I'm fine. I'm like, I understand that, but an accident's an accident for a reason. I'm just wondering when what year that house was built. Oh my goodness. Well, he's owned the house for 30 years. It was built in the 70s, you know, and I get it. I that's the problem with us as we age is we're like, we've been doing this, we've been doing this, but they don't talk about the house needs to age with you as well. I mean, when you're starting a family, when you're when you're a kid, you know, when you're in your 20s and or 30s or whatever you buy your first home, you know, you can still do stairs, you can still do some of the things. And then when you expand your family, you have to get a bigger home with more bedrooms. And then the kids leave and some people downsize at that point, you know, which is smart. I think what is it? Um, the average person moves seven times in their life. I think that's the number. Um, but I mean, a lot of people don't like to leave their homes, I get it. But now you're at that stage in your life where you need to make your home more safe and do it proactively because it's super expensive. Um, if you go to the hospital for a fall, then they won't let you go home until your house is accessible. Like if you have a wheelchair or crutches or a walker, um, a lot of occupational therapists have to go into the home and you know, that gets they assess the home and will not let you, they will not release you from the hospital until your home is accessible.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Well, and you know what? I had somebody who was in acute care and they sent her home and the niece did not want her living there anymore. They wanted to sell and all that stuff. But the the patient, the client wanted to stay in her home. And I had gone over there a couple of times, and I got the call that the niece said that they were selling because the last thing that happened was the patient or client fell. Her lazy boy um, the foot part was out, her arm got stuck in between. So, so thank goodness she had her phone on or one of those push-button things, so those alert things, but her arm got caught in there. She was there for hours. Oh my gosh. Fire department the neighbor came to check on her and they came in. Fire department had to break apart the lazy boy and all the stuff, and then that was the final straw. Oh my god because she fell. Right. But but you know, some I mean, we want our seniors to age in place, but sometimes it doesn't make sense for them to do.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

But I mean, there are options for them to be proactive. Like maybe they are getting furniture that's more accessible that will help lift them up and out. Right. So they're not getting stuck in the low furniture because they've held on to it for 30 years.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Well, and yeah, and those ones now that they have that I got my mom one because she was in a car accident and we need to elevate her legs. But we got one of those lifting chairs that's automated, but it doesn't have that hole between the chair and like I'm talking about, to where someone could get their arms stuffed.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

I love those as a kid. You can like crawl in between dad's legs and the the footstool and all the things.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

But for safety, they don't have that hole there to where somebody could hurt themselves or whatever. So Right. So what are some of the silent warning signs? Or have I mean what what what can you speak to on that?

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Well, I mean, even like with um as we age, you know, our eyes get worse, you know. So sometimes people just need better lighting in their house. Um maybe there's not something wrong with them, you know, but it's just their eyesight. Like you need different kinds of lighting, different um lumens, and there's a whole science to that I'm learning. Like to warm lighting and cool lighting, even um, warm lighting, cool lighting. So your lens is yellow as you get a as you age, and you can't see blue as well. So that's why you see a lot of things are that are more warm colors, reds and oranges and yellows and things. Um, your aging eyes can see those colors much better than cool colors.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

And patterns, you know, kind of mess with your vision as well. So, you know, going in the home is is there good hallway lighting? Is there good overhead lighting? Um, it changes as you age.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

Well, and I can't tell you how many times I've gone into somebody's house and they have these, this very this dim lighting. And I was just at somebody's house the other night, and it's the norm for them because I was just, and then they were trying to show me some paperwork. I'm like, can we turn on some lights? You know, I'm just like, what the heck? You know, but it was interesting. Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

But I think that's why I'm just unbiased third party to come in here and kind of point these things out because the older people are just making do, you know, they don't recognize the small things, the small changes. Um, but it is these small changes that can lead to really big problems. So that's why I started this business, is because I want to go in and like kind of point some of these little things out. They're still healthy enough to make decisions.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Okay. And taking the keys away, right? You could be the third party to help someone. I have to take a class on that. Get take the keys away from the parents. Because when their eyesight's going, immaculate degeneration or whatever, and they're having problems seeing their periphery, all the stuff, because I don't know what the DMV, if there is like an age report, the doctor is probably a better person to do that than I am. Of course, of course.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

But I could be that person that like comes in once a month and I was like, hey.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

Well, no, I've heard of a patient who it said in their doctor's notes, eye doctor's notes, legally cannot drive anymore, but they're still driving.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

So who, yeah. I'm not really sure who's enforcing that. But now that that's parents don't always tell their kids those things either. So I mean that's but then now that's in their record.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

If something happens, God forbid, right? They're really responsible. Right. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 14:28

So I just put that on my checklist of my home assessment of like when I'm asking about their independence, like, hey, are you still driving? What does that look like? When's the last time you had your eye appointments? You know?

SPEAKER_01 14:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

Um, and I'm a non-medical service. So I think that's where people have been getting me confused in the senior industry is because I'm not a caretaker. I'm trying to help the healthy adults take proactive action on their health in their home so they can live there longer.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

So you're really, you want to reach out and your referrals would be primarily the adult children. Adult children that have parents in their 60s, 70s, and 80s or 70s and 80s. And your parents don't listen to you.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

Or you live out of state.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Or you live out of state. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

That would be like my ideal client. But I do, since the adults are here, you know, I do want to educate more seniors. And, you know, that's why you and I have partnered up because we want to educate them more on their homes and you can talk to them more about the home equity and how they can make these these changes and improvements to their home and their lifestyle. And I think that's where you and I really need to um educate and encourage more um adults to take proactive action.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Right. So, what are some of the myths that you've come across with the adult children?

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Well, all the parents are, I'm fine. I'm fine. I mean, I've been, I started this business like six months ago, and you know, everyone, I'm fine. That's a great idea. Your business is awesome and it's a great idea, but I'm fine. I'm fine. So I mean, I think that's my biggest, my biggest challenge overcoming and starting, you know, a new concept, a new idea. Um, because most people are in reactive mode. They wait for the trauma, they wait for a diagnosis, they wait for a decline, and then it's too late.

SPEAKER_01 15:57

So, what's a story you can share where a small change made a huge difference for somebody's safety and independence or peace of mind?

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Yeah. I mean, I think just getting the rugs out of the way. You know, I was in this gentleman's house and you know, I'm like, he saved all the extra pieces of carpet when he had his carpet fixed, you know. And I'm like, please, just any if you do anything for me, just will you just please well, I don't want to wear it on the floor. You are not gonna wear it on the floor. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

You are and what about do you run into the people that still have the plastics going down the hallway? That remember that back in the day. Oh my gosh, I haven't seen that. So they would save carpet, but that's a trip has been a little bit of a few.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Well, carpet carpet in general is just not good. Right. Um because it is depending on you know the padding and people shuffling and all the things, like carpet is just probably your least likely um flooring. Yeah, it's it's an enemy at this point in your life.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

So if someone listening feels that nudge, but they're been proc they've been procrastinating, what's the first simple step they should take today?

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Well, they can definitely contact me. Um, I have a free safe home assessment. I can give you kind of a checklist so that you can go over some things with your parents and when you're home for the holidays or, you know, visiting for spring break or whatever you're doing here in Arizona, um, or anywhere really. Um, I have a safe home checklist that you can, you know, start to go over and talk to your parents about some of these things. And just so you have some peace of mind and know what to do if there's an emergency.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

Well, then you're gonna be also that that way you'll also see other areas and then you've got referral partners that you can refer them to as well.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

Oh, absolutely. I mean, I'm obviously don't have tools in my car. I'm not like um renovating houses or anything. So I mean, like I said, my service is I have a ton of partners that I work with, you know, whether it's you um helping them finance the projects that need to be done in the house or working with partners that are aging in place certified, like I am, um, that actually do the renovations or add the grab bars. Um, also, um, you know, people that are into wellness, you know, sometimes people just need, maybe they just need a little bit more activity in their life. You know, they're lonely sitting at home. And I was like, you know, I can advise like get in community, join a gym, or we can find private instructors for them. Um, you know, just to try to get them moving more. So they're not just sitting there aging and declining. And, you know, we want our parents to live a longer, healthier life. I mean, and I think all older people, you know, no one wants to admit that they're aging. Right. Um, and I try not to say senior. I say I try to say older adults because, you know, everybody What about mature adults?

SPEAKER_01 18:32

Do they like that or not?

SPEAKER_00 18:34

No, I mean I don't like it. I don't want to be mature. Like that's that means I'm old. If I'm mature, I'm old, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

She's 81 and she's like, you know, those old people. And I'm like, yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

I've heard and I've heard that a lot too. Uh that old lady down the street. My friend's mom said that to me the other day. You know, they live out in Sun City and she's like, I'm too young to live here. And she's 81. Okay. And she's like, all those old ladies down the street, I don't like them. They're not my friends. I had a they don't go to concerts. I want to go to concerts. And I was just like, all right, well, um uh we can find you a new neighborhood to live in. Like I I am still a licensed realtor. We can still find you a new house.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

Well, and I just sit alone for an 85-year-old because she she came to me from the radio station. I have a radio show, and she came to me 85 because she wants to travel. So we just closed on her loan and she's going on a cruise next week. That's right. And so, and she contacted me for a reverse mortgage so she could travel for herself. But that's also good for grandparents to take their kids or grandkids on travel. Um, so how do people get a hold of you? We'll put in the show notes, but how do they get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_00 19:37

Yes, my name's Nicole Porter, and my business is your parent porter. Um, I'm on YouTube, I'm on Instagram, I'm everywhere, and it's all your parent, your parent porter. My last name's Porter, P-O-R-T-E R.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

Okay. Yeah. Okay, so that's the best way to reach you by phone or email also or just email, social media. Okay, perfect. Okay, perfect. All right, Nicole. So thank you so much for joining us today um and sharing your expertise for this incredible work for families through your parent porter. Porter. I don't know why that's a tongue twister for me. Parent porter. I got it. My last name is Porter. Yes. Got it. It's just a tongue twister for me. I don't know why. But anyway, so to learn more, you know, contact us through the show notes and um you can visit my website, Reverse Mortgage and Beyond. I'm Cheryl Scheidel with Barrett Financial, and you can reach me for your reverse mortgage scenarios at 480-817-4324. Until next time, thank you so much. Again, this is Cheryl Scheidel, NMLS number 886425 with Barrett Financial, an Equal Housing Lender. Please remember that loan programs, rates, and eligibility guidelines are subject to change and may vary based on individual circumstances. Nothing discussed in this episode constitutes a loan offer or credit decision. Any examples or scenarios shared are strictly for illustrative purposes. All loans are subject to credit approval and underwriting conditions.