{"id":15537,"date":"2014-08-13T15:01:34","date_gmt":"2014-08-13T19:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings.html"},"modified":"2014-08-13T15:01:34","modified_gmt":"2014-08-13T19:01:34","slug":"company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/","title":{"rendered":"Company Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"redesign\n<\/div>\n
Patti Grey Whann operates Redesign 4 Seniors in Glens Falls\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

By Susan E. Campbell<\/p>\n

Aging seniors have a dozen choices as to
\nwhere to live out their remaining years. For
\nmany, their hearts are in their homes. But
\ntheir homes may no longer be safe and accommodating
\nto their specific needs.<\/p>\n

Safety does not have to be an issue with
\npeople like Patti Grey Whann in the building.
\nWhann’s new consulting company, Redesign
\n4 Seniors in Glens Falls, helps aging people
\nwho want to stay in their residences as long
\nas possible remove barriers to a secure and
\ncomfortable environment.<\/p>\n

“Not everybody wants to move to Florida,”
\nsaid Whann, who lived there herself for a
\ntime and “wouldn’t move back.”
\nKnown for its elderly population, Florida
\nbarely beats the North Country’s over-fifty
\ndemographic.
\n“Forty-nine percent of Warren County’s
\npopulation is over 50 and Washington County’s
\nis 50 percent,” said Whann. “Combined,
\nthese counties make up the fastest growing
\narea for seniors in the country, second only
\nto Dade County, Fla.”<\/p>\n

The proportion of seniors in Warren, Washington
\nand Hamilton counties in the next two
\nyears should reach 62 percent, according to
\na census analysis by the Long-Term Health
\nCare Council, of which Whann is an active
\nmember.<\/p>\n

Whann had spent her life as an advocate
\nfor victims of domestic violence and child
\nabuse, but put that life behind her when she
\nneeded a change emotionally, she said. Next
\ncareer, real estate.<\/p>\n

“I was involved with a national builders association
\nthat offered a training program to
\nbecome a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist
\n(CAPS),” she said.<\/p>\n

Whann saw a growing market for CAPS
\nand a business opportunity to harness her
\nskills in real estate and social work, while
\nproviding an invaluable service to those
\nfor whom southern states and senior communities
\nare a less desirable option. CAPS
\nexplore ways to make a person or couple’s
\nhome more accommodating as their needs
\nchange with age.<\/p>\n

“The CAPS education program helped
\nme see ways to redesign homes to make the
\nhome work for the client,” she said.
\nBy 2012, her idea had evolved into Redesign
\n4 Seniors, which she runs out of her
\nGlens Falls home along with her boutique
\nreal estate company.<\/p>\n

As a consultant, Whann goes into the
\nhome and searches for ways to make it a
\none-floor, safe and practical living space.
\nHer recommendations can be as simple as
\nremoving throw rugs, to relocating the laundry
\nroom, to replacing a tub with a walk-in
\nshower, to building an addition.<\/p>\n

“Older homes are not built smart, not built
\nfor expansion,” she said. “But there are many
\nthings that I can suggest when an adult child
\ncalls me because the parents refuse to sell
\ntheir home.”<\/p>\n

Should they give in and list the house
\n“to see what they could get,” they would be
\nselling into a market softened by too much
\ninventory, she said.
\n“There are 300 listings in Queensbury
\nalone right now,” said Whann.<\/p>\n

Home is where they raised their kids while
\nthey worked in and retired from industries
\nthat since left the area. The next generation
\nwent off to college and seldom returned for
\na career.<\/p>\n

“Now they are alone in the house and the
\nbedrooms are upstairs and the laundry is
\nin the basement,” said Whann. “No one was
\nthinking about wheelchairs and walkers
\nwhen these homes were designed.”
\nFalling is the number one cause of death for seniors, according to Whann.
\n“A throw rug is a skateboard,” she said.
\n“The biggest problem is going to the basement
\nto do laundry.”<\/p>\n

She locates a closet or space on the first
\nfloor for a combination washer\/dryer that is
\nfront-loaded and at a height comfortable for
\nseniors. She then recommends one or two appliance
\nbrands and two or three contractors
\nto do the remodeling.<\/p>\n

Clients may have a handyman or builder
\nthey work with or they can choose from
\nWhann’s referrals.
\n“I will work with anybody,” she said. “Not
\nall builders know how to put in a curbless
\nshower with a seat, but I will supervise.”<\/p>\n

Even when installing a simple grab bar or
\nshower head, place it where it’s best for the
\nseniors, not where the regulators say it has to
\nbe, said Whann. People are different heights.<\/p>\n

Customizing the home may also mean
\nchanging the height of kitchen cabinets, the
\ndishwasher and toilet. Adding chair rails at
\nthe proper height is a “beautiful and functional”
\nway to accomplish the same thing a
\ngrab bar does, but throughout the house,
\nshe said.<\/p>\n

“There are so many ways to make adjustments
\nthat even a disabled person can stay
\nin their home,” said Whann. “I present the options and clients choose what they want
\nto do based on their age, income and ability.”
\nFor this she is paid by the hour like many
\nconsultants. She adds a project management
\nfee to supervise an addition or major
\nbuild-out.<\/p>\n

As an advocate for seniors, Whann uses
\nher social worker skills through her twoyear-
\nold business.
\n“I am passionate about this. I believe in
\nthis,” she said. “So I am keeping my fees low
\nto stay in business long enough for people to
\nsee that this is a valued service.”
\nA valued service that may be “a little
\nahead of its time,” she added.<\/p>\n

That is because Whann believes there is
\na “perfect storm” brewing that will add even
\ngreater value to her business and others
\nproviding related services, such as home health
\ncare and shopping services.<\/p>\n

The converging factors are the too-large
\ninventory of houses; GE closing its Fort Hudson
\nPlant; Tribune Media’s two recent layoffs;
\nand Glens Falls Hospital’s three layoffs.
\n“No one ever thought of the North Country
\nas a senior market, but we have to,” said
\nWhann.<\/p>\n

What Whann can do for seniors impacts
\nother businesses, too, such as the appliance
\nretailers, flooring specialists, plumbers,
\nelectricians and carpenters she refers her
\nclients to for products, materials and expertise.<\/p>\n

Redesign 4 Seniors currently consults
\nto residents of Warren, Washington and
\nSaratoga counties. Search online at www.redesign4seniors.com on find Whann on
\nFacebook for more information.<\/p>\n

Photo Courtesy Redesign 4 Seniors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Patti Grey Whann operates Redesign 4 Seniors in Glens Falls By Susan E. Campbell Aging seniors have a dozen choices as to where to live out their remaining years. For many, their hearts are in their homes. But their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[91,114,129],"yoast_head":"\r\nCompany Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Company Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Patti Grey Whann operates Redesign 4 Seniors in Glens Falls By Susan E. Campbell Aging seniors have a dozen choices as to where to live out their remaining years. For many, their hearts are in their homes. But their...\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-08-13T19:01:34+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2014\/08\/redesign20420-20patti20whann.jpg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amanda Delyser\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amanda Delyser\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/\",\"name\":\"Company Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings - Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-08-13T19:01:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-08-13T19:01:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/9d7e187e0edba5e188b14052e66c4fc5\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Company Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\",\"name\":\"Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/9d7e187e0edba5e188b14052e66c4fc5\",\"name\":\"Amanda Delyser\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4192a4b199506cdd7a2d2166c1a16dd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4192a4b199506cdd7a2d2166c1a16dd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amanda Delyser\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/amandadelyser\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Company Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings - Glens Falls Business Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Company Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings - Glens Falls Business Journal","og_description":"Patti Grey Whann operates Redesign 4 Seniors in Glens Falls By Susan E. Campbell Aging seniors have a dozen choices as to where to live out their remaining years. For many, their hearts are in their homes. But their...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/","og_site_name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","article_published_time":"2014-08-13T19:01:34+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2014\/08\/redesign20420-20patti20whann.jpg"}],"author":"Amanda Delyser","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amanda Delyser","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/","name":"Company Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings - Glens Falls Business Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-08-13T19:01:34+00:00","dateModified":"2014-08-13T19:01:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/9d7e187e0edba5e188b14052e66c4fc5"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2014\/08\/company-helps-senior-citizens-live-at-home-in-comfortable-safe-surroundings\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Company Helps Senior Citizens Live At Home In Comfortable, Safe Surroundings"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/","name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/9d7e187e0edba5e188b14052e66c4fc5","name":"Amanda Delyser","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4192a4b199506cdd7a2d2166c1a16dd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4192a4b199506cdd7a2d2166c1a16dd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amanda Delyser"},"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/amandadelyser\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15537"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15537\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}