Startup tackles home safety for seniors.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Louisville-based Living in Place Institute

Erik Listou and Louie Delaware connected on a shared area of expertise and concern in 2011--home safety for seniors--and decided to co-author a book on the topic.

"As we started getting into it, we realized there's a lot more to this puzzle than meets the eye," Delaware says. Fellow home-safety guru Listou says the "Silver Tsunami" of aging baby boomers necessitates a new cross-industry paradigm for home safety.

That was the kernel that grew into the Louisville-based Living in Place Institute.

The book is still in the works, but Listou and Delaware's startup encompasses educational workshops for construction and home-care assistants that result in a Certified Living in Place Professional, or CLIPP.

Living in Place's checklist hits on 100 different features of a home. All shower rods should double as heavy-duty handrails, for example, and shiny countertops and floors can cause "an instant of blindness" and should be avoided.

"Let's make all homes safe for everyone," Listou says. The coming CLIPP workshops--the first is in October in Aurora-are meant to educate and connect professionals in real estate, construction, home care and medicine.

Home inspectors are a primary target. There are more than 4 million inspections a year in the U.S. Living in Place has also gotten a stamp of approval...