In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we’re joined by Erik Listou, a certified living in place professional and home and accessibility trade specialist.

Erik is the co-founder of the Living In Place Institute, an organization that provides professional education to individuals involved in the housing industry. He is the former Executive Director of the Denver Habitat for Humanity and hosted and produced his own 125‑episode talk radio show, “Build Responsible, with Erik!”

In this episode we discuss:

• How to prep your home for safe and comfortable aging in place
• Which rooms in the home are statistically the most dangerous
• Why accessible housing is the future of the housing industry, no matter your age

Below are some highlights from our conversation:

• [1:51] Erik discusses the mission of the Living In Place Institute.
• [2:30] Learn industry insider tips for prepping a home to be safe for aging in place.
• [4:22] Discover which parts of the home are most dangerous, especially to seniors.
• [7:25] Erik discusses the evolution of the kitchen and how to keep kitchens as safe as possible.
• [10:43] Learn about the different types of dishwashers on the market, and which ones are most accessible for older adults.
• [12:23] Explore strategies for keeping bedrooms safe and accessible.
• [14:24] Learn more about automatic lighting in bedrooms and bathrooms.
• [15:54] Erik discusses how to find a professional through the Living in Place Institute, and how to talk to your contractor or designer about partnering with the Institute.
• [15:54] Erik discusses the concept of “now, soon, and future” when it comes to deciding what changes to make to your home and when.
• [19:19] In addition to communal housing and aging in place, Erik outlines new living trends that are leading people to be proactive in making changes at home.
• [21:49] Erik encourages the listener to make home improvements based on raising both the financial and social value of their home.

After listening to today’s episode, I think that like me, you’ll come away with a greater understanding of the ways you can make your home more welcoming and safe for generations of family and friends. You may even be inspired to make improvements that will make everyone from grandchildren to grandparents feel more at home.

You can listen to today’s episode here, or on Apple Podcasts, Google, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts.

To learn more about meeting the needs of seniors now and in the future, listen to my interview with Andrea Cohen, a social entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of HouseWorks. Learn how home care is prepared to meet a wide variety of needs and promote senior independent living, and why home care is still a safe option during the pandemic.

If this episode has been helpful, be sure to leave a five-star review and share the podcast with your friends to help us in the national effort to educate about home health care options! You can connect with me, Merrily Orsini, on Twitter@MerrilyO.

Sponsors

The Help Choose Home podcast series is a collaborative effort by the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), Axxess, and corecubed to educate the public about the many benefits of the in-home care industry, which includes non‑medical home care, private duty nursing care, medical home health, hospice, and other in‑home health and wellness services.

Access the full Help Choose Home podcast library.

Rate, Review and Subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Subscribe on Google Podcasts