A Note From Our Vice President, Jim Greatorex: October 2020

Published in Home Modifications on October 19, 2020

We have had a month of developments as we move ahead into the fourth quarter of this unforgettable year of 2020.

New Education Platform: We have added a new educational course to the CEAC program, Home Safety Specialist (HSS). This course will take the learner through the process of performing a home safety assessment. The course is designed for non-clinical professionals who want to be able to understand the whole process of how to perform a full home safety assessment. Both customer-facing home access personnel and senior service personnel could benefit from this course. Going forward, the HSS program will be part of our CEAC renewal process. For all current CEACs, participation will be required for your recertification. This is included in the cost of your renewal for this initial period. In the future, the HSS program will be integrated into the CEAC and CEAC Mastery program for all new users. Connect with Jessica.Barber@vgm.com for renewal instructions.

Select Member update: We have been talking about our Select Member program now for almost a year, and frankly, like most things this year, we have had delays in getting new referral contracts initiated. Late last month, we were able to get two new agreements within 24 hours! We have an agreement with the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA) and The National Association of the Area Agency on Aging (n4a). The ALCA is made up of about 2,000 certified aging care managers who work similar to a case manager, but for private pay clients. The n4a is the agency that administers the Meals on Wheels Program and many other senior services. These two contracts will be implemented in the fourth quarter, and we will begin work with both organizations in the first quarter.   

For those unaware of our Select Member program, it is a consumer lead-generating program where we promote our national network of home access companies nationally to groups who work with seniors or consumers with mobility deficits. For more information, reach out to us or visit our VGM Live at Home website.

Coming soon: Our partner, AutoSlide, is debuting a new door opener, the AutoSwing Touchless Entry. It’s not available until early in the first quarter of next year. You can operate the door from an app and can integrate with smart door locks. Pricing is very competitive, so we are excited to help AutoSlide launch this great new product. Check out the flyer for it as you scroll down the newsletter.

Lastly, I was fortunate to be asked by HomeCare Magazine to be on their podcast that was released on Oct. 19th. We had an excellent discussion about the home access industry. Check it out here.

We are hearing and seeing more national conversations about aging in place and home accessibility. For all the tough things the pandemic has brought this year, our industry has gotten some accelerated public awareness. The silver lining is out there for us, and demand for our services is high. Buckle up your seatbelt and prepare for growing demand in a pandemic marketplace. That is our reality! 

Thanks to all you for your membership and the great work you do in your communities to keep people safe and independent. 

Stay Safe and Be Kind!

Jim Greatorex