How to keep my aging parent’s home safe & maintained

Transcript of Interview: ” How to keep my aging parent’s home safe & maintained”

Mike Barnes:

I think a lot of us are figuring out that if our parents are determined to stay in their own home, we have to make sure that it’s safe. Or if they want to come visit us or live with us, we have to make sure our home is safe. Safety is the key.

Kim Barnes:

And there are so many things to take into consideration. Today, we’re bringing in Evan Ransome with Golden Home Management to talk about this and the things that we can do to make our homes safer for our parents and also just for us too, as we get older. Thanks so much for being with us.

Evan Ransome:

Thanks so much for having me.

Kim Barnes:

It sounds like when you are watching your aging parent and you see that they may need a little bit more help, there are things to consider in their homes to make it safer for them to be there. It’s helping us be aware and start paying attention a little bit differently.

Evan Ransome:

Absolutely. It’s one of those things where one day they might just need a grab bar, but another day, they’re a little bit slick around the kitchen. I always look at it as a continuum of care and something that needs to be constantly looked at. Those adaptations to the home are not something that are one and done. As mobility changes and needs change, you’ve got to continuously look at the home and adapt it to make sure that it’s safer for your loved ones living there.

Mike Barnes:

Yeah, because our parents are always changing. Kim’s mom visited us a couple of months ago, and as she was going up a couple of steps from our garage to our house inside, she almost fell. I thought, if she lived here, we’d have to fix that. Now, you had a personal experience that caused you to get really involved in this.

Evan Ransome:

Absolutely. The background and the whole reason that our business exists is because my father-in-law had Lewy body dementia. Over the course of more than ten years, we had to adapt our own family home as his needs changed. What we found was we could get lots of help for him as a person, but when it came to caring for the home, both from a safety perspective and maintenance, we struggled with the ongoing care. We went from just including a couple of grab bars to completely remodeling our whole home. It was always a transaction: bringing someone in to do the work, and then they leave. It was on us to think about the next thing as his needs changed. There was always a next thing.
So, we started this business to think about the care of the home as a continuous piece of actual home care, rather than just fixing a problem and waiting for the next one. We want to be preventative rather than reactionary.

Kim Barnes:

Yeah, ahead of the game. When you look around, you learn about making sure there aren’t rugs, ensuring good lighting, and other things. What are some other things we can be looking for?

Evan Ransome:

It depends on the needs of the person. If someone has dementia, it’s different than someone with arthritis. In general, two of my favorite things are grip tape and grab bars. Grip tape is a super easy solution that anyone can put down, especially in the kitchen or areas that can get slick. Grab bars, whether in the shower or next to the bed, are life-changing. They help you move safely. Those are the easiest things to install but make a huge impact. If needs change and you need a bathroom remodel, consider doing a curbless entry into a shower instead of just a cutout. There are a million different things you can do, but it all depends on the person’s needs.

Mike Barnes:

Sometimes you have to be a little creative, don’t you?

Evan Ransome:

Absolutely. It takes an expert to think about all the things you can do. We’ve gone into homes where a family member has tried to be creative, and it’s not necessarily safe. We recommend that if anything is going to bear weight, have an expert install it to ensure it follows ADA guidelines and is stable for the person using it.

Kim Barnes:

A lot of it is thinking ahead, anticipating the need rather than reacting to a fall or an issue. Having that proactive mindset is crucial.

Evan Ransome:

Absolutely. The statistic is that for seniors who fall in their homes, one in three never get to go back home. We believe in the aging in place movement and want people to feel like they aren’t forced into a facility and can get all the care they need at home. But to do that, you have to think about the entire home. We also look at the maintenance of the home, not just fall hazards. Is the railing loose? Should grandpa be on a ladder changing a light bulb? No, he shouldn’t. We want to make sure we’re avoiding risks and keeping the home safe and well-maintained.

Mike Barnes:

Talk a little bit about how we bring in caregivers to help our parents but don’t necessarily help them take care of their home. Things like changing air filters or dealing with a water leak—what are some other regular maintenance tasks people might overlook?

Evan Ransome:

Absolutely. For us, it was my father-in-law who did all the maintenance. As his abilities declined, we had to take on those tasks. Changing furnace filters, cleaning dryer vents, changing smoke detector batteries—these are all little things that add up. Most of us aren’t good about home maintenance generally. We’re reactionary. We believe in doing everything by the book. For example, you’re supposed to drain your water heater once a year. Does anyone do that? We do. These sorts of things need to get done.
The value of the home is tied to maintenance. Ensuring you’re not losing the value of your asset is important. More Americans are moving away from their parents, making it harder to coordinate everything. It’s not just the doing; it’s finding the handyman, managing the landscaper, talking to pest control, and so on. We’ve created a system where one person, a home coordinator who is also a social worker, becomes the single point of contact for all that stuff. They work with the senior and ensure everyone is happy. Maintenance is just as important as safety. A fire risk is just as bad as a fall risk. We want to eliminate both.

Kim Barnes:

So you can do everything from checking on the house monthly to doing a big remodel. If someone has a two-story house with all the bedrooms upstairs, you might need to convert a dining room into a bedroom or add a bathroom.

Evan Ransome:

Absolutely. We’ve done a lot of that. Sometimes laundry isn’t on the same level as the bedrooms. Carrying a laundry basket up and down the stairs is a huge risk. We can bring everything to the same level and help them think through the logistics of reducing risks and making the home as seamless and easy as possible.

Mike Barnes:

Do you run into situations where the adult children think it’s a great idea but the parents say they don’t need it? How do you handle that?

Evan Ransome:

We get that a lot. The easy answer is to have a specific conversation about how they’re actually going to handle tasks. For example, “Mom, who’s going to change your light bulbs if you’re not on a ladder?” When it becomes a specific task rather than a general idea, it helps the conversation. If they realize they can’t do a specific task, they might agree they need help. Start with solving one problem, and then we can talk about other specific problems.

Kim Barnes:

I think the other thing to keep in mind is that safety additions don’t have to look hospital-esque. They don’t have to feel sterile. You can make them look nice and functional.

Evan Ransome:

Absolutely. The things on the market now look like jewelry for your home. They don’t have to be gross aluminum bars. There are very nice options, especially for the bathroom. They are functional and look good. The market has changed dramatically. Your house doesn’t have to feel like a hospital to be safe at home.

Mike Barnes:

Great tips and ideas, Evan. Thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.

Evan Ransome:

Thank you for having me.

Kim Barnes:

It’s interesting to think about bringing care into the home and also taking care of the home. I hadn’t thought about it that way, and it’s an important consideration. Keeping the house in good shape while they live there is crucial.

Mike Barnes:

We always want to do what’s best for them. If you have any other topics you’d like us to discuss, please let us know. Parenting Aging Parents.

*This transcript is auto-generated. Please excuse any typos or mistakes.