Shifting from Reactive to Proactive in Aging in Place

Published in Home Modifications on December 03, 2025

This article was written by Liz Beaulieu, Editor, originally featured in HME News

A major theme at VGM Live at Home’s Building Opportunities Summit (BOS), held Nov. 6–8 in San Antonio, was how home access professionals can help seniors take a more proactive approach to aging in place.

“We live in a very reactive society,” said Cindi Petito, director of VGM Live at Home, a division of VGM & Associates. “The reality of it doesn’t really come to the forefront until they fall and break a hip and go into the hospital for a fall-related injury. Then they have to go to a rehab facility or a long-term care facility and then they think, "Okay, I really need to (modify my home so I can stay there)." That’s the most common situation.”

BOS equipped attendees with strategies to help seniors “see the light” earlier in their aging journey by:

Building trust to make seniors more comfortable investing in home modifications;
Embracing the smart and connected home movement to stay ahead of demand;
Leveraging data to demonstrate value to seniors and healthcare stakeholders.

Building trust to encourage home modifications

Petito emphasized that seniors are often reluctant to spend money on home modifications for two key reasons:

They want to save money to leave to their children.
They want to also leave their homes to their children and worry about home modifications decreasing their property values.

Relationship-building is essential to overcoming these barriers, she said.

“You want them to feel like they’re being heard, and you’re not just someone trying to sell them a product,” Petito said. “It may take more than one visit to the home to build that kind of rapport. It does take time.”

BJ Anderson of QP3 Training Systems led a session titled “Selling the Benefits of Home Access,” while Chris Orestis of Retirement Genius, Carmen Perry of Paradigm Senior Services, and others discussed alternative funding options.

Embracing technology: Smart homes and electronic living aids

Petito noted that home access professionals are often not early adopters of technology – a gap that needs to be addressed.

She encouraged professionals to incorporate electronic aids to daily living (EADL), including smart home technologies, into their services, aligning with how seniors already use technology in other areas of life.

“(Home access professionals) are remodelers and contractors – they're not tech experts,” she said. “We’re really missing that component, and it’s time to embrace it.”

Brad Rampt of Home Smart Assistant presented two sessions at BOS focused on the smart home revolution and connected home solutions for veterans and seniors.

Using data to demonstrate value

Beyond smart home tech, Petito stressed the importance of home access professionals using technology to collect and analyze data that tells the story of their impact.

“It’s important to show where the home access industry fits in the continuum of care,” she said. “After 26 years of advocating the role of home accessibility in healthcare and aging in place, it’s clear that our efforts are making an impact. We’re finally gaining momentum in showing home accessibility should not be an afterthought.”

Carolyn Sithong of Home for Life Design led a session on how to collect, analyze, and promote metrics related to accessibility, helping professionals quantify their value to seniors and healthcare stakeholders.

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