Richert Family Aging in Place
Your parent wants to stay home. You want them to be safe.
The Stay Home Package brings together licensed occupational therapy expertise and 20 years of real estate experience to help Chicago-area families make that happen — with a personalized safety plan, the right modifications, and the reassurance that someone knowledgeable is in your corner.
What Is the Stay Home Package?
No two families are in the same situation. A 65-year-old managing a serious illness has different needs than a 90-year-old couple who’ve lived in the same home for decades. The Stay Home Package isn’t a generic checklist — it’s a thorough, personalized evaluation of how your loved one actually moves through their home each day, and a clear plan to help them do it safely and comfortably for as long as possible.
Laura Richert has been a licensed Occupational Therapist since 1995, spending more than 30 years working directly with patients every day at leading Chicago-area medical centers. Nobody understands the real challenges people face at home after illness, injury, or the changes of aging better than Laura — and nobody brings more warmth and genuine care to helping them through it.
She will conduct your home evaluation, identify risks and opportunities, recommend and help coordinate modifications, determine appropriate levels of ongoing assistance, and follow up with your family to make sure everything is working.
What’s Included in The Stay Home Package
Professional In-Home OT Evaluation
Laura conducts a comprehensive room-by-room evaluation, assessing your parent’s specific abilities, routines, and the physical environment they live in. After more than 30 years working directly with patients, she has seen virtually every challenge people face at home — and she knows exactly what to look for.
The evaluation covers: getting in and out of the home safely, bathroom safety (the highest-risk room), bedroom and sleep safety, kitchen and daily meal preparation, living areas and fall prevention, and medications and daily living routines.
Levels of Assistance Recommendations
One of the most valuable things Laura provides is a clear-eyed assessment of what level of ongoing support your parent actually needs — and what that looks like in practical terms. This spans everything from minor modifications and adaptive equipment to in-home caregiver support, adult day programs, home health nursing, and safety monitoring systems.
Laura makes specific, practical recommendations based on what she observes — not a one-size-fits-all approach. And because we have established relationships throughout the Chicago suburbs, we connect your family with vetted, trusted providers.
Home Modification Coordination
When physical changes to the home are needed, we don’t just tell you what to do and leave. We connect you with our established contractor and vendor network to get the work done right — grab bars, raised fixtures, ramp installation, doorway widening, and more. We help coordinate the process so families aren’t left managing it alone.
Written Stay Home Plan
Your family receives a clear written plan that everyone can reference — including family members who weren’t present for the visit. It includes prioritized modification recommendations with estimated costs, contractor and service provider referrals, a family checklist for daily, weekly, and monthly monitoring, and care recommendations by level of need.
Two Follow-Up Calls with the Family
The evaluation is just the beginning. Laura follows up with two scheduled calls to check in with the family — ensuring modifications have been made, that the recommended support is in place, and that your parent is doing well. If something isn’t working, we adjust. These calls are included in the package and are often where families say they get the most peace of mind.
Ongoing OT Assistance (When Needed)
For progressive conditions, significant health changes, or families who simply want a consistent, knowledgeable advocate involved — Laura is available for ongoing consultation and support, arranged based on your family’s specific situation.
Who This Is For
The Stay Home Package is designed for adult children — typically in their 40s to 60s — whose parents want to remain at home but where safety, independence, or health changes have made that a real concern.
You may be responding to a recent fall, a new diagnosis, a hospitalization, or simply the slow accumulation of changes that make you worry when you’re not there. You’re managing your own family and career while trying to make sure your parent is okay. We’re here to help carry that.
Start with a Conversation
We call it the “Stay or Go” conversation — a no-pressure discussion where we listen to your family’s situation and help you understand your options. Many families find real clarity just from that first call.
There is no obligation, and no sales pitch. Just two people who have helped a lot of families through exactly what you’re facing.
Laura Richert | Richert Family Services — Aging in Place
Serving the Chicago Suburbs | 630.689.6192 | laura@richertfamily.com