The Small Business Safari
Have you ever sat there and wondered "What am I doing here stuck in the concrete zoo of the corporate world?" Are you itching to get out? Chris Lalomia and his co-host Alan Wyatt traverse the jungle of entrepreneurship. Together they share their stories and help you explore the wild world of SCALING your business. With many years of owning their own small businesses, they love to give insight to the aspiring entrepreneur. So, are you ready to make the jump?
The Small Business Safari
Aging Gracefully: Insights from Occupational Therapists on Home Safety and Independence
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Janet Engel and Esther Kane, both Occupational Therapists by training, have started a website to help people find resources, companies and products that can help keep aging family and loved ones in the home living an independent lifestyle. They are also both CAPS (Certified Aging In Place Specialists that teach other providers how to help set up a home for independent living. www.aginginplacedirectory.com This website is a treasure trove of information to help someone who has to find information about helping.
Thanks to our sponsor Smart Hire Solutions LLC!
guys know that baby boomers spend 56% of all home improvement sales.
Speaker 2Yes, are spent by baby boomers. Yeah, I feel like I do with Chris.
Speaker 3Welcome to the Small Business Safari where I help guide you to avoid those traps, pitfalls and dangers that lurk when navigating the wild world of small business ownership. I'll share those gold nuggets of information and invite guests to help accelerate your ascent to that mountaintop of success. It's a jungle out there and I want to help you traverse through the levels of owning your own business that can get you bogged down and distract you from hitting your own personal and professional goals. So strap in adventure team and let's take a ride through the safari and get you to the mountaintop. Oh, I love that music, alan. We gotta keep rocking and rolling every time. Keeping it up, keeping it like keeping it rolling. You know I'm saying because today's episode is going to be way different than anything else we've done in a long time we've done some different ones lately.
Speaker 2We have how's this one going to be different?
Speaker 3we're going to be branching out. We're going to actually embrace the fact that you're old.
Speaker 2What is this?
Speaker 3an intervention, this is so I brought two lovely ladies in studio today just to and Alan didn't know this, but we're, we're, we're having intervention.
Speaker 2Alan, you are old and you will fall and hit your head If you don't follow what the young ladies tell you to do, everything you say this is gonna be awesome. Guys, get off my porch get off my glass.
Speaker 3I'm not old, I don't need grab bars, I'm okay, it was way better when I was younger.
Speaker 2I can cut that apple, don't give me that knife.
Speaker 3Come on, give me the other old man lines.
Speaker 2You got them I got a million of them.
Speaker 3Well, that's not the point of this they're gonna sure they're going to be coming out, though, aren't they? No, we have two incredible guests coming in today. We have Janet Engel and Esther Kane, who have not only been occupational therapists helping old people not get hurt and helping them get back to their life that they're supposed to have, alan?
Speaker 2What kind of life am I supposed to have now that I'm old? Well, it could be better, is it like?
Speaker 3padded. Well, we are going to put special flooring down for you and we are going to. We don't baby proof it anymore, right?
Speaker 1we age. I like that term, chris thank you.
Speaker 3So janet has her own podcast. Uh, we had a chance to meet from a mutual friend of ours, uh, jeff gray, so she and I had a chance to get together and talk and I said, gosh, I gotta have you on my podcast. And she said I'm not gonna do it without my business partner, edster kane. I'm like awesome. So we've been kicking around here talking uh long, way too much and, as they say, leaving in the uh, leaving it in the green room before we just did, I'd say, what we just talked about would have been a heck of an episode that will be.
Speaker 3I think you know that could put us in a new genre. We can get into true crimes and family drama, the stories that you guys just told about sacrifice and coming from other countries, which jan and esther both have experience with. And then your family obviously has had that, uh, as being a mission, uh, worker, and going down to do the farm work in mexico. I didn't have much to add to that one, so I I just was along for the ride. Did you enjoy it? I did enjoy it. And you know what, if you guys want to hear it, you got to hit me up on an email. You guys all know I answer emails. I answer them all the time. I've been hitting up a lot on Facebook. You want to DM me if you want to hear about the stories we did. We'll bring it back and we'll do these stories. And it's about coming to America, to america, living the american dream, but doing it on a really hard subject and a really hard way to do it. So with that intro, let's get in and shall we talk there's?
Speaker 2no old people puns. I mean, you've been doing the dad jokes on the last few episodes.
Speaker 3Oh, alan, they're gonna be like they're gonna be incontinent kind of stuff, or well, we are gonna have to probably pause the podcast a couple, three or four times and edit it out, but we will have to stop for a minute.
Speaker 4I feel like I'm on the.
Speaker 2Howard Stern show we're not going to throw bologna at you, trust me.
Speaker 3Whoa.
Speaker 2We aren't.
Speaker 3No, oh well, we are. I won't now. All right, fine, all right, janet, esther, thank you so much for coming in, and you guys have started a new business. We're going to get to that Cheers, but we got to cheers first. So we are drinking on this episode and we have beautiful women in the room with us, so we're excited because we aren't used to that.
Speaker 2No, we normally have to look at each other Right, and that's not beautiful, all right.
Aging in Place
Speaker 3So let's talk about this. So where should we start? Well, we got to start with where these started helping others help themselves Occupational therapist. So what is an occupational therapist? And then we'll talk about the business you guys have started.
Speaker 1Go ahead, janet. Okay, well, I will start. So that is a commonly asked question. What is an occupational therapist? An occupational therapist is someone who is an expert at looking at the environment, the person and the task and figuring out how to change all three in order to help that person be as independent as possible with their activities of daily living, which are dressing, bathing, toileting the things that we do every single day that get us out the door, and that is what an occupational therapist does.
Speaker 2Is that 100% residential? Because it sounds like there's a commercial aspect to that as well, maybe.
Speaker 1Well, there is because there are occupational therapists that specialize in ergonomics, also in work hardening. For example, someone who may have an injury, let's say, to their hand, and their job is to work at a factory where they need to be able to use their hand in order to perform their duties, then they could go through work hardening and get therapy so that they could go back to their previous work.
Speaker 2So Chris has an excessive lifestyle and has developed gout, so what would you recommend he do to make his work environment more comfortable so he can be productive again?
Speaker 1I am not changing my lifestyle well, it may involve elevating if he has gout in his lazy boy in the office, which is the most common area.
Speaker 3Uh then, I'm putting my office. Everybody's lazy boy it is that's right elevation.
Speaker 1Uh, perhaps, um you know, is it cranberry that that alleviates the juice here on the cherry yeah those two.
Speaker 3I answered that one too. I did. I have tried, I've been tested.
Speaker 4I'd back down I think the best thing about ot versus pt is that pt is very, is very focused on the physical body. You know getting you up and moving and fixed, you know all of that. But OT is the whole gestalt, it's everything, it's not only getting you.
Speaker 2Nice word gestalt Wow. You flashed up this podcast.
Speaker 4Did I use it correctly.
Speaker 3You did. Okay, I don't know, because I'm looking it up right now. Fact check.
Speaker 4Not bad for a second language right.
Speaker 1Fantastic for a second language.
Speaker 4So if you are living alone, or if you're taking care of your spouse, or if you're working, or if you're volunteering, the whole idea of the OT is to get you back to doing whatever it is you were doing before, as much as possible with whatever it is that you have left. Hopefully, if you regain everything, that'd be great.
Speaker 3So is that a certification? Is that a school? Is it a class? Tell us how you become a certified occupational therapist.
Speaker 4Yeah, master's degree. I mean yeah, Right.
Speaker 1An occupational therapist. Today, most of the programs are doctorate programs. So yes, it would be a doctorate in occupational therapy. I have a master's. When Esther was in school, it was a bachelor's degree.
Speaker 3So obviously you've got to be trained and that's why I wanted to bring that up. It's not just like something you go out there and take, take an online class and say, oh, guess what, I can be a certified general contractor, which one of those might've done here at the table Occupational therapist, so it's not a certification.
Speaker 1You have to, you have to go through the schooling, you have to go to an accredited school in order to be, able to sit for the exam to then become licensed.
Speaker 4Yeah, and then take a national board and take, and then take continuing ed.
Speaker 3So it's a very regulated industry, it's just more difficult than most things. It really is, I know it is why did they make it so hard? That's a great question. I don't know why do they make it so hard.
Speaker 4And I mean, do they still have closed programs? Because I know when I went to school there were 800 applicants but they only took 40.
Speaker 3I've heard today, it's just as uh, it's very competitive.
Speaker 1Very, very, very.
Speaker 3They only take the best of the best I've heard, uh, and so not I'm gonna knock on doctors, but I've heard it's actually easier to get into medical school and it sounds like it.
Speaker 2This is that what I just heard.
Speaker 3It's blowing my mind yeah, no, I, I'd heard this because, uh, one of my daughter's friends, uh, you know, sydney's going off to be a physician's assistant. She's crushing it, right she is.
Speaker 2Yeah, we're very excited she put it in her mind. I don't think she's going to ever listen, but good job.
Speaker 3Sydney Right, yeah, way to go, syd, that's a great job. My husband was a PA. That's a great job. Yeah, we're excited because she went to school, came back, worked and then applied, didn't get in, and then applied and got in. But I'll tell you, there was a lot of drama in the house.
Speaker 2Yeah, Mama Bear and Sidney Bear were giving Daddy a whole lot of nights in the couch.
Speaker 3That's why we're down in the basement with the bourbon. That's what we do. There is a reason we have the terrorist level is what I call it. Our occupational therapists are with us and I'm going to make this my layer.
Speaker 2I've got the soothing pool over there. I've got a hot tub and everything.
Speaker 3So you guys get into, obviously, with the occupational therapist it's a servant mentality. You've got to go out and help people. I mean, that's what it is is helping people get back on their feet and become more innovative. I mean more independent. So how many years did you guys actually practice as occupational therapists?
Speaker 4I practiced for 12 years.
Speaker 1I did too. 12 years. I'm still a licensed occupational therapist. I don't work directly with patients anymore because I started a consulting business four years ago, but I am a licensed.
Speaker 2So you're saying Esther got kicked out?
Speaker 1No, I retired.
Speaker 4I retired, I changed careers, yeah.
Speaker 3So you changed careers. To do what?
Speaker 4I went into well near the end of my career, the last several years I the internet started becoming a thing and I was an older therapist at that point because I went back to school as an old person. So I started training. I started teaching and I created several continuing ed courses and I traveled the country doing that and I started finding this amazing thing called the internet where you could go on there and talk to a therapist in Canada and another one in Australia and get information and I just thought it was the coolest thing. So I said I have to do something on the internet. So I went into, I taught myself web design and coding and then from there went into internet marketing.
Speaker 3And now we're starting to figure out what they're doing. So they've taken this great idea. So Janet is actually also a certified Aging in Place trainer as well. Esther has the training background, but you both have the occupational therapist background, but you came up with this idea and this is how I got to see this pitched, and this idea is what Go ahead.
Speaker 1Well, you go ahead, Esther, because you came up with the idea.
Speaker 4Okay so. I have a website called Senior Safety Advice, and one of the things I wanted to offer on that website is you know, here I am talking about aging in place and all of this and we were getting emails from our readers saying, well, where do I find people to do this? So I'm thinking, well, I mean, of course you can find them. So I said, okay, I'll tell you what you email me, where you are, and I will find them for you, because I'm a very good internet stalker.
Speaker 3So All right, me too, probably for different things.
Speaker 1He's single too, guys.
Speaker 4Oh, all right, guys, there you go. Esther's talking, maybe one on LinkedIn, hardly any online with their own website or whatever. It really was hard. So I went up to Janet. I said we need a directory, we need a place where all of these aging in place specialists because there's multiple certifications for that it's not just the NAHB, so let's get them all together into one place.
Speaker 3She said bad words NAHB those are home builders. They don't know what they one place. She said bad words N-A-H-B those are home builders.
Speaker 2They don't know what they're doing.
Speaker 3Us remodelers we know how to fix people's houses.
Speaker 2What I say all the time but if it weren't for them building a bad house, you wouldn't have anything to remodel. Then I do love the I can put a silver lining on any. That was nice, but can I ask you the dumb question Aging in place, what does that mean? Does that mean that I don't have to move out of my three-story house? Just because I'm old.
Speaker 4It doesn't have to be old, it could be disabled.
Speaker 2somehow I can tell you what the definition of aging in place is?
Speaker 1I'll tell you what the definition of aging in place is. It's an environment that changes with you, as your abilities and your lifestyle changes over time.
Speaker 3Hello Lazy Boy at Home for Ellen. Ah, you get one too. You know what? We're both getting Lazy Boys. We'll call them the small business. We could do our podcast from our Lazy Boys. That would be amazing, and then we could be really aging in place. And then what we'll do is we'll just have straws, a little the straws up to our mouth.
Speaker 2We can get a recliner that has the cooler built in the side.
Speaker 3I think that's exactly what oculational therapists are thinking. That's perfect for you guys. You get your cheese, you get your bourbon, you sit in your Lazy Boys.
Speaker 4Yes, you guys are going to be perfectly healthy. But I know it's called aging in place, but it's really for anything. I mean, if a 25 year old got in an accident and was disabled somehow and had to be in a wheelchair, then that house has to be modified for them.
Speaker 3Yeah, no, it's, it's a great point and it's not a dumb question. Aging in place has come up a lot. You know, I've been at this now for 16 years in Atlanta and I've seen franchise companies come in and say oh, we're just going to work on aging in place work. Well, there wasn't enough and it just wasn't there and it wasn't enough work. There wasn't enough work to support.
Speaker 3Because it wasn't a thing it just because it wasn't a thing and Atlanta was. At the time I felt like we were a younger market. But the transients are down here now. So you know, I'm from Michigan, you're from Oregon, we're here. We talked about our parents coming to live here and stay with us will not live, but as they did, they did. So it's happening more and more and we're being asked more and more to turn those terrorist levels into mom and dad in-law suites, or I need to have a walk-in shower, or I need to have better lighting All the ideas that they're going to talk about. And you're right, there's nowhere to really find it. Because after I heard about their Aging in Place directory, I'm like it's got to be out there, right? I mean, come on. And so I just went out there and did a little internet stalking myself and I'm like, no, wow, you really can't find it.
Speaker 1We are the very first directory to ever exist that houses people of all different certifications. So there are other directories but they are very specific to the company that created the certification. So, for example, the ECHM, which is the Executive Certificate of Home Modifications, if you acquire their certification then you can apply to be on their directory. Or the NAHB. They have the certified aging in place certification which I teach, and if you apply for the CAPS designation after you finish the coursework you are on their directory. But there is no directory that exists that houses all of the different ones, which I don't know the exact count but it's closer to 10.
Speaker 1Yes, it's definitely more than five.
Speaker 3Certification.
Speaker 1More than five aging in place certifications, and so we just thought well, there's Age, safe America, CLIP, the Canadian caps.
Speaker 4There's so many, it's the one that I found.
Speaker 3Yeah, but when I searched for people here in Atlanta, couldn't find people. So what's your directory?
Speaker 2What's it called?
Speaker 4Aginginplacedirectorycom, dot com.
Speaker 2That was available.
Speaker 1That was available. We snatched that URL. Well, alan, did we tell you that we're marketing experts, online marketing?
Speaker 2I mean, that wasn't very hard, was it? Hey, let's look up aginginplacedirectorycom.
Speaker 3Oh, there it is. You're almost going to be their singular spokesman. What is it called Aginginplacedirectorycom, Alan? Is that with an? A? Yes, Alan. Do I need hearing aids? Yes, Alan.
Speaker 2Is that?
Speaker 4with an A.
Speaker 3Yes, alan, do I need hearing aids.
Speaker 4Yes, alan, yeah, we were. I still can't believe that there wasn't anything like that. Yes 10,000 people a day are turning 65 until the year 2030.
Speaker 2And then what they all die?
Speaker 1No, Alan.
Speaker 3so baby boomers started turning 65 in 2012 we got to look forward to 65, then we're dead. That's it like. Oh my god, I still I mean that's what I said if I could make it to 62. Dude, I'm set because I never touched my 401k to start my biz, so it's just sitting there waiting for me now. The odds to be making their way to rub it in, thanks, well, it's all right, but the odds of me getting there pretty low. So do you want to be my beneficiary?
Speaker 3sign that prenup alan it's too late so all right, but back to that stats 10 000, 10,000 people a month.
Speaker 4A day.
Aging in Place Solutions
Speaker 1A day, and this started in about 2018, right. It was either 2017 or 2018, when baby boomers when you had an average of 10,000 a day turning 65. And this will continue to happen until the year 2030. And then after them the next. We have generation X, which is the generation I belong to. Okay, then we are the next.
Speaker 2You are such a clean on. You are, chris, you're, you're, you're a gen X.
Speaker 1I am, you're a gen.
Speaker 3X, I am gen X, what 53. I mean, I look, I know I look 74.
Speaker 1And we will then we will continue to age, have a an aging society until the year 2060. And so that's where the world health Organization has coined the super aged society.
Speaker 4Yeah, the silver tsunami. So I mean, Silver tsunami.
Speaker 3I just found the title for this episode Silver tsunami how to overtake the silver tsunami.
Speaker 4So, as a business, it just makes sense that if you have a business, to not to target that demographic. Plus, it's the demographic that has the cash?
Speaker 2yeah, most of the wealth is over 60 you?
Speaker 1guys know that baby boomers spend 56 of all home improvement sales yes, are spent by baby boomers.
Speaker 2Yeah, I feel like I do with chris.
Speaker 3Yes, you did a great job, by the way, um, and I'll tell you that fattening that's that. You know what good news is. My boat is full of gas because of you, yeah all 752 gallons.
Speaker 2It would be nice if I would get invited on your cigarette, but that's way too big for Lake Lanier. Rick, I can get across that lake faster than anybody. Will you Okay?
Speaker 1Members of the boat club at Lake Lanier, I'll gladly invite you. There we go.
Speaker 2I like you way better than Chris already we just met. I'm going to fly right by you guys. He realized he lives on a golf course community. I love to play golf. I've never been invited to play golf Ever.
Speaker 3Ask him if he's been invited to my lake house up in the mountains.
Speaker 2Every time I come through the gate, the guard says make sure you use this entrance when you leave, which is for the contractors. He's on the permanent list. I got you on the permanent list. Finally, I'm like. You know I'm not a contractor. She was like oh, that was today.
Speaker 3No way she did not say that she is so quick. She's literally been here since I've been here in 2001.
Speaker 2Right, and still she needs to age in place somewhere else. So let's get back to this agent. But it is is that part of what you do is have people age in place somewhere else?
Speaker 1that could be. You can yeah it could be so. Aging in place isn't necessarily staying in the home you've lived in for the last 30 years. It could be downsizing or moving to a 55 plus community or moving to an apartment. It could be anything. As long as you don't move into a senior living community, then that is considered aging in place.
Speaker 3So, hypothetically, what's the villages? That is not aging in place. So, hypothetically, what's the villages?
Speaker 1That is not aging in place. That's 55 plus. Yeah, no, that's not aging in place, because the villages has all kinds. It's assisted living it's memory care, so some of it is aging in place.
Speaker 3It's an inside joke for Alan and I on the villages, but I appreciate you guys taking it seriously. We've heard Alan and I on the villages, but I appreciate you guys taking it seriously. We've heard way too much about the village.
Speaker 4Yeah, that is an entire other podcast.
Speaker 1I used to live right by the village. I used to live in Gainesville Florida. Oh my gosh, it's like an hour and 15 minutes away from the village.
Speaker 3I am proud to say, because my aunt won't listen to this, she lives there.
Speaker 2And one time we took our kids there and, uh, good news is the party was done at 9 15. That's true.
Speaker 3Yeah, we were done early and then they gave everybody a penicillin shot right after we whisked the kids away in the gold people get crazy they get down.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, that's what I've heard, that's what we've heard yeah, that's the inside joke went a little too, so obviously we got to let the ladies in on the inside joke. Everybody on the podcast. You've been listening. You know what we think of the villages. Yeah, I'll be there next week, don't worry anybody. We might be doing a remote from there. Who knows? You would be huge at the villages, I would. We'd have a lot of fun there. You want to grab bar? Come on, baby. You want a grand bar? Come on, baby. All right, get that motor scooter over here.
Speaker 4All right, let's get back to this aging in place but you said that you were getting a lot of calls recently for turning the terrace level basements. Yeah, we are.
Aging in Place Directory Development
Speaker 3yeah, so in the last uh, it's a year and a half well, when covid hit, uh, one of the things that happened, um, if you remember everybody maybe does or doesn't if you had a parent who was in an assisted living, you were trying to get them out of there as fast as possible, because COVID was rampant in these facilities and we were getting the calls for I need a ramp put in my house tomorrow because I'm getting my dad out. I'm like, okay, it doesn't work like that. All right, we need a couple days, man getting the materials. But literally they were getting people out of assisted living faster and faster and faster.
Speaker 3And then I think, unfortunately for a lot of assisted living, there's more and more being built here in Atlanta all the time. But they also have that stigma of I don't want to have my parents go there to die. I want to have my parents feel an independent lifestyle, and so we're seeing a lot more of that standup showers. And Friday morning I'm going over to look at another one with my team where they want to make the whole lower level built for their parents so they can get there, and so we're going to go look and figure out how to do it.
Speaker 2So I got a question who is the one who reaches out to you, janet, as the occupational therapist and, in this scenario, aging in place? Is it the, the customer, the end user like me? Okay, so I'm getting old, I need some help. Do I call you? Or is it chris, the contractor who is ham helping alan, who's old, get his house in order so that he can stay there? How does that work?
Speaker 3it's all of the above okay, so they find you as a consultant and then they talk to you about it, but is it usually people who are in their 50s and 60s asking you for help, or is it? Are they asking for their?
Speaker 1parents, older people. So when we get the younger people, it's the caregivers, uh, the older, yes, the adult children, and then the older people are are asking for help for themselves.
Speaker 3Usually it's going to be a great help for them, for people like us, that's the point.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's the point. Yeah, it's completely for them.
Speaker 4It's yeah, for them it's free. I mean, it makes sense because this way it's a place for all these services to promote themselves and to get found. And then it's a place for all these homeowners and family caregivers. And now, with so many people living longer, it's, and the children are basically seniors, so it's seniors caring for seniors.
Speaker 2That was exactly my situation. My father passed away. I guess it's almost a year and a half ago now. It is yeah, yeah at 93. And I'm like, let me get old and I'm dealing with him and it was tough, it's tough.
Speaker 4Yeah, it's very tough, because not only you're healthy and you're doing well, but if you weren't, You're like Chris. Thank you Perhaps? Yeah, so then you would have to try to take care of them.
Speaker 1I mean, it's I've had patients where the parent was the one taking care of the adult child, because the parent was a healthier person.
Speaker 3Wow, that's what I'm trying to get my dad to you know if I can get my dad.
Speaker 3Well, dad's a badass he could totally take care of you. Yeah, no, well, we would have fixed him up. He got. He went down a little bit after Mom died, but I've got to get him back up Because, yeah, I mean, he used to come here and help me run the biz and we used to do home shows and after four hours I'd have to go, sit down and go, I've had enough. And he'd still be out there cranking and he'd work all eight hours. I I told everybody we only work in four-hour shifts and we're going to be out there cranking, yeah, so no, he is a badass.
Speaker 3You're getting him to Sicily this next year? Right, I am going to get him there. Yeah, I got to get him healthy. Maybe that'll put a little charge in his. I'm going to put a little starch in his shorts, yep. Thank you, alan. That wasn't an old man phrase at all. No, I was just All right. So back to the aging in place directory. So you guys are thinking your target market is those people who know how to use the internet, their 50s and 60s, maybe 40s, but they're trying to find care for their elderly parents.
Speaker 3I think this is a great idea. It's a matter of getting it out there, getting it promoted and getting people to use it. I know I signed up for it. That's how I met you guys, so I'm excited about that. So what have you seen? In terms of adoption? You guys, literally we're, we're, we're doing this, we're laying this down. At the end of May, it'll go out probably end of June. You guys started it. What? February, march?
Speaker 4No April.
Speaker 3April. So what have you seen?
Speaker 4Well, I mean we, we have definitely had the interest in there, so people are signing up. You know, almost every day we get emails and questions about you know which of the plans. We have three plans on there. You know which one would they like? And this is for professionals.
Speaker 1What they're describing Right, but I think Chris was described. It was asking more about the interest from.
Speaker 3Oh yeah.
Speaker 4So let's talk about the demand and the supply. I want to find out who signs up for this? Yeah, the demand is there, but you know the website is so new and we're still adding articles to it. And you know, because you know we're using content marketing and we're using we just started the Google ads. I think, yeah, we started Google ads. So we're, going to be starting a podcast just for that directory, as well as a YouTube channel. So those are other two avenues of marketing.
Speaker 1And then also letting the support groups out there like Alzheimer's support group you know everything from Parkinson's MS that our directory exists, so that they can share that with their network and let them know that they can find professionals.
Speaker 3So that's the thing I find interesting. And what they're trying to pull off which, by the way, they're going to I can tell already because, look, they've only been at this for a couple months and that's why I was asking was like, what are the hit rate for people searching? I think you're probably going to find that the search rate is going to go through the roof soon, yeah, but what's interesting is that you just hit on a number of things. If you're an Alzheimer's or you're Parkinson's or an autistic child which is also some work that we've done here in Atlanta they find their groups and they find their niche, but they're looking for people who provide services for autistic children.
Speaker 3Well, as a, as a contractor who knows how to do a lot of this stuff, what do you what? What does that mean? What are you doing? So? So we're coming in and you know we're doing things like lowering um, uh, lowering uh table heights, uh raising outlets, putting usb outlets in um, so obviously they can't um shock themselves, but they can plug in their um, their ipads and do those other things. Um, we're putting in uh wayne's coating around because if they bump up against something, if they fall down, um. And then we talked about iconic is the health, the floor. We've been talking about that a lot. What is that? So this is a floor defense. Um, we put this floor defense hang on floor.
Speaker 2Fall defense floor fall defense, right gestalt, can I say yeah, so? So what do you do is who's defending?
Speaker 3yeah, so floors in it. Yeah, the floor. You put this stuff under. You put this stuff under the floor. You put your uh vinyl on top or your carpet on top. If somebody falls, it lowers the risk of a head trauma by two thirds. It's crazy. It's a cushier floor. It's a cushier floor.
Speaker 1So, alan, if you can imagine a, something similar to an egg carton and and this is what they make wheelchair cushions, so that someone sitting in a wheelchair does not end up with a pressure sore from sitting for too long because you have decreased blood flow. So they've created the same technology, but this actually goes underneath your flooring and what it does is it distributes the impact. So if someone falls, then it is much less likely that they're going to break a bone or that it's going to result in a serious injury, because it disperses the impact. Right. There's this cushion.
Speaker 3So it's iconic. It's a fall defense flooring system. You should throw them out some $2 words. Well, because I'm working with them, we've actually put it in our office just to try it out really because you're afraid of somebody pushing you down no, actually. And so what I? That's funny, you said it. So I took my csr and I threw it down and said see, look, your head doesn't hurt. That's so workplace violence, which also works for that they've been around for decades.
Speaker 1They've been in the military world. So they uh line, uh line military trucks with this material in order to absorb impact from a bomb or an IUD, and then also in cars to protect people from impacts.
Speaker 4That's another thing that OTs are very good at is adaptive equipment. I mean, the use of tools is just it's gadgets. So give us an example of that You've got to love gadgets.
Speaker 3What's that mean? I love gadgets.
Speaker 4I love gadgets too. I mean it could be anything from a can opener that won't cut you when you open the can, to a combination wheelchair walker that someone can use to talk to you eye to eye or, when they need to, they can sit back down to you eye to eye or, when they need to, they can sit back down. All kinds of amazing. The AI powered bidet, I mean. It's one thing after the other. So it's, it's just, it's endless, and especially nowadays with tech, it's you know everything from Alexa to, I mean, just so many cool toys out there that can help you.
Speaker 3You hit on one that I think it's big. We actually do a lot of work with active disabled adults.
Speaker 4Yeah.
Speaker 3It's champions place here in Roswell and so I'm meeting one family. I said Friday, I'm meeting one family Thursday and another family on Friday. Thursday is Aging in Place. Friday morning we're meeting with the Champions Place folks. The daughter has cerebral palsy and they want to be able to have her have an independent lifestyle and she's got the willingness and so it's so cool. So I've met her and we're talking about doing all this other stuff and we're going to turn her bathroom into a single, a single wet room, uh, so that she can do everything by herself, because she's so focused on being fiercely independent. And it's so cool to watch this happen.
Speaker 3We've done this, that's amazing, but it is really cool. But back to the alexa thing. With alexa you can say well, they have partnered with Google and.
Speaker 3Google Home is coming and done a lot of stuff, and so Google is actually giving the. Well, they're granting the equipment. We're buying the equipment, but they pay us for the grant on the money for doing it. But you can say, hey, gee, turn on the and I got to watch out what I'm doing because I have it here in my house. And so I can say, hey, gee, turn on the ceiling fan to medium, that's working. Hey, g, turn on the lights, dim the lights to 50%. You can do all of that, and so they can sit there and do that, and so they don't have to call mom and dad to come out and do all that stuff. It's so cool, right.
Speaker 1Which is wonderful, because it is great for her, because she's going to be more independent with her activities of daily living and other activities, like you said, maybe even meal prep, right, things like that that make her feel useful, that make her feel like an adult, she has quality of life. And then what it does for the parents as well, that they're not caregiving 12 hours a hours a day yeah, it takes a load off the caregiver.
Home Care Services Importance
Speaker 3That is huge no one wants to be a parent forever I think that you hit on that one and I know you had to live it a lot um and uh. Being the caregiver is tiring and you never take time to think about how tiring it is, because if it's your parent or it's your kid, you do anything for either of them. Them, I mean you wish you could just take the affliction and have it yourself and, and because of that, you, you live it. It's so hard. And to give these people back some of these things, like you said, um, but having the video phone or the ability to call mom and dad without having to touch a phone or turn on the TV or listen to the radio or turn on the space heater or the heater that we have that's enabled with G now to do it, and it's a safe heater because temperature control is a big deal for all of us and you don't have to call somebody down to say can you drop it down four degrees? Yeah, so you're right, a lot of these things.
Speaker 3And the adaptive that's what you said gadgets. I'm like, oh yeah, oh, I love my gadgets. I was really digging it. So I think that's why you said gadgets. I'm like, oh yeah, oh, I love my gadgets. I was really digging it. So I think that's all exciting. So you guys are building up your demand and your supply with your supply. So who are some other people that you would be looking for right now in the aging directory?
Speaker 4Oh, I would love to find more smart home technology people, because that's a big issue. We talk a lot about all this technology, but then they don't know how to set it up, so it would be great to find more of that. And then it's interesting to find some at-home services. You know, I met somebody who has a franchise kind of thing in several states where they will go from house to house to do your hair and things like that.
Speaker 1And that's such a needed service, because you call that at home.
Speaker 4Yeah, it's an at home, where they come to your home or in home at home.
Speaker 1To your hair, to flip your nails, so just like you, would go out to a nail salon, a hair salon, and really, even though I am not an older person yet with issues with getting out of the house, I was a mother to a baby about 11, 12 years ago and I remember not being able to go get a haircut and how much that frustrated me and really, uh, you know, made kind of made me depressed because I felt like I could never leave the house and so if I could have had someone had that kind of service, that could come to me and I know that many older people wish they have that service because when I was an occupational therapist doing home care, many of my patients would ask me if I knew someone that provided those services.
Speaker 2Right, it was funny. You kind of maybe rolled your eyes a little bit when I said nail care, but I gotta say when we got dad into assisted living and he was only there for four months before he passed, but the most exciting day of the year was when the person came through who would clip everybody's toenails yeah, the place would go crazy. All the residents were so excited. Yeah, well, I mean, you can't freaking see your toes anymore.
Speaker 2Whatever you know and you can't do, that, or you can't reach them you can't reach them or you can't do it, you know grooming is such a simple thing and you feel so good after yeah but when you can't do it no, makes you feel good about yourself when it's done. Yeah, I'm going to get a pedicure, right now, let me get a mani pedi.
Speaker 1That's me baby but it affects your function too, because if your toenails are too long, your shoes are going to be uncomfortable. When you walk on the floor, you're going to feel it on the floor. It's just like when your dog's nails are too long and you hear them on the floor and they slip. Well, the same thing happens to us.
Speaker 3Ooh.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean you just don't think about these little things, because as long as you're able to maintain good hygiene, it's not a problem.
Speaker 3It's when you're not able to thank god for you guys, because my mother was a nurse, my daughter wants to be a pa and I can't stand. I can handle my own blood, I just everybody else's blood. I don't like, yeah, as soon as it happens, I'm like I gotta go. Yeah, getting gaggy going down. Chris is going down, can't do it, but, dad, you can handle it. Nope, nope, can't do it, nope, uh-uh. So I'll fix the house up all day long, but so a smart home at home services.
Speaker 4Yeah, any other service that you I mean. There's so many. We have such a huge list.
Speaker 1I think cleaning services. That is a huge area where this really becomes a problem, because when you have issues with mobility, having to vacuum can become a very dangerous task.
Speaker 3I don't have problems with mobility, but vacuuming a hundred percent.
Speaker 1Yeah so.
Speaker 4I mean when you, I mean here we are talking about things that you don't normally think about aging in place. But look at how big the directory could actually be, because I mean it's encompassing so many different services. I mean everything from outdoor care to indoor care, to personal care.
Speaker 1Yeah care, um, yeah, and if you, you can't. If you don't live in a clean house, and I can tell you, after working in home health for more than 10 years, you can. It's obvious when a. Some of them are nasty goes month after month, uh without uh being vacuumed, know, without being mopped. Yeah, it's not dusted. All of this accumulates and it turns, it becomes a hazard for people, especially for people with respiratory conditions which, as I've been in a hoarder house.
Speaker 3it's horrible, but you know what happens when it gets over order, though you don't have to be a hoarder's house.
Speaker 1It's horrible, and but you know what happens when it gets over. Order, though you don't have to be a hoarder. No risk. If you're not able to vacuum your house, okay, and you're not able, uh, it lets if, for example, if you have pets there's a difference between not able and don't want to yes, that's true.
Speaker 1In it, your house quickly gets out of control. It doesn't take a year and it doesn't take someone accumulating lots of stuff in a very short period of time, in just a few months. If you are not cleaning your house on a regular basis, it will become an issue in a matter of three or four months.
Speaker 3That's crazy, but I've seen it. I said hoarder, but I remember coming in and I couldn't even put my clipboard down because every inch of countertop space in the kitchen had a plate, a cup, a silverware, an open peanut butter. And you're sitting there and I don't know if I mentioned this, but I might be a little gaggy when it comes to that stuff and I'm like, um, yeah, so we'd like some new countertops and I'm like where, like I, I can't even see them. I'm like you know you have to take everything out, but again, it's a mindset, because, like you just said, and once it gets too overwhelming, they shut down right. You guys have seen it, yeah.
Speaker 4And there's also cognitive issues. I mean, I remember going into someone's home to assess the home and there were roaches crawling on the wall and when we opened the fridge it was filled with roaches and it wasn't a hoarder house.
Speaker 2For a new fridge.
Speaker 4But this person just did not have the cognitive ability to take care of it.
Speaker 3So on the contractor side, one of the things that if you guys are listening to this and I know we'll have a number of people looking into this and doing this and by the way you do it, you do it number one because you should be a good human being Just get in this directory, do it, pay the money, that number, to get in on the monthly Dude. If you can't afford that, you're in the wrong biz. Email me, dm me, Do whatever me.
Speaker 3Do whatever you gotta do, chris, in the trust of toolbox and I'll explain it's $14 a month if you can't do 14 a month to get on to help people, do it, man, get on there. Let's help these folks get this done because, alan, do you want to give everybody the plug again? What's the name of it? What is the name of it? Aging in place directorycom I think we got a jingle there, right there oh, we can sing this out, please and directory and we got great, we got know what.
Speaker 3We got all the microphones going today we don't pay $14 a month. You suck, you suck. That's exactly what I was thinking. So on the other side, you're thinking and I've seen it too is unfortunately, especially with a number of people it's the money. I don't have the money to do this. I have an active disabled adult. A lot of times that causes a divorce situation.
Speaker 4Yes.
Speaker 3And I would tell you, if I talk too much I'll start breaking down and crying, because I was sitting in one where the guy was so excited he was a 32-year-old man in a wheelchair that we were coming in to help him with becoming independent with his single mother, and the house was a shamble. It was horrible, but this grant helped him do it and we were able to do it and he was so excited and I was like I mean I tell you what you walked away and went. I don't care if I make a dollar or a million this year. Man, I feel really cool today.
Speaker 2I share that with my entire company. Well, so there, there's a good question there, though. So there's obviously sometimes some charitable funds available to do this. I mean, is that something you guys can help with too?
Speaker 4We're actually. We were looking into adding that information on there, because you know we can't provide it, but we can at least provide where to get that Get some direction? Yeah, cause that is a huge barrier of entry. You know to you. You know what needs to get done, but if you can't pay for it, what do you do? How do you get around that?
Speaker 3Yeah, it's a difficult conversation and you can talk financing all day long with some folks like that, which we offer financing at the Trusted Toolbox, but I mean it is at the end of the day. I mean they're talking about you know, they buy day old bread just to make bills. They turn off lights, they don't run the air conditioning on certain days just to make their bills and it's unfortunate because we do in the trusted toolbox.
Business Motivation Pep Talk
Speaker 3In my business we work with a lot of affluent people and doing their thing, but here you're giving back and there are some opportunities I've been told that you can. You can hook up to and get into a charitable contribution, but I think people hinge way too much on that. I think in their mind they kind of circle around. But as a contractor man, you got to get in there, you got to give it a shot. So if you're a home remodeler, you're mobility, mobility plus. I know those people here in Atlanta, the Alpharetta area specifically. I mean, it's just a group. We got to get in there and make it happen because I think if that market happens, you're going to have good things happen not only to you, but you're making good things happen for our community. So you guys, this is awesome. I love this.
Speaker 3You guys are taking a chance. The entrepreneurial journey is beginning. I know it's begun for you and I know I'm looking at Janet because I know you were a consultant doing it on your own. But I love this opportunity and I think it's well needed and if you guys can find a way to synthesize and make this thing big, it's a really cool thing that can happen thank you, thank you all right guys we're enjoying it did you?
Speaker 2did you synthesize? Because she used to consult gestalt. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell is that?
Speaker 3is that fair? Can I say that? Are we still? Are we still? Are we still recording? All right, guys, if you're still in here, you're in your truck, maybe you're driving around, maybe you're walking, you're out there doing a hike, you stay with us. All this way through. Man, do it, get involved, find a way to do it. I can guarantee you, whatever business you're in, you can get in this Aging in Place directory and these people will be for you. Go check these ladies out. They're awesome.
Speaker 2People like me are getting older every day and I've got lots of money and I don't know what to do with it.
Speaker 3And right after this podcast.
Speaker 2You're an idiot if you don't pay the $14 and get on this train. Pay the $14.
Speaker 3Please just pay the $14, because I've got to put Alan in his chair and I've got to roll him up the hill again to get out of the podcast studio. Where's my bourbon? Get off my lawn, that's it, you kids. Get off my lawn. You know what? Back in my day, we used to walk upstairs every day, both ways, every time. All right, make it a great day, Keep going up that mountaintop. You know what? Running a business is hard. I'm going to give you guys this last little thing. Just hang with me. It is harder to run a business and start it from scratch than it is to be the coca-cola ceo. You guys are doing it. Make it happen, go make it happen. You guys can do it. Let's get out of here. Let's go help people. We're gone, cheers.
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