The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-home-accessibility-therapist-podcast The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast delivers tips, training, and interviews for therapists who are changing lives at home. Each episode turns real-world home modification challenges—like falls, hoarding, and disaster preparedness—into clear, practical strategies you can use on your next visit. You’ll hear Therapist Thursday interviews, research-based blog-to-audio episodes, and “Office Hours” Q&A focused on evaluations, documentation, and funding. The podcast’s goal is to build your confidence and skills as a home accessibility therapist so your recommendations are safer, more effective, and more likely to be implemented. 2026 The Home Accessibility Therapist 3a903fb2-1b84-59c7-9ce1-b5608ed156f0 yes Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L What is The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast? en Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:00:16 -0700 Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:04:10 -0700 https://www.thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com/ https://img.transistorcdn.com/lJt4VVkkIe6iLlRkLFaxwT2qHBPP3yJX1yBvix0R3pI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hZWYz/MTdlZjJjOTAxODEy/NTM1ZGZmYTg3NzNm/YTkwYy5wbmc.jpg The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast https://www.thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com/ episodic Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast delivers tips, training, and interviews for therapists who are changing lives at home. Each episode turns real-world home modification challenges—like falls, hoarding, and disaster preparedness—into clear, practical strategies you can use on your next visit. You’ll hear Therapist Thursday interviews, research-based blog-to-audio episodes, and “Office Hours” Q&A focused on evaluations, documentation, and funding. The podcast’s goal is to build your confidence and skills as a home accessibility therapist so your recommendations are safer, more effective, and more likely to be implemented. The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast delivers tips, training, and interviews for therapists who are changing lives at home. occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education Sue Doyle sue@thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com No No S1E29: Office Hours | When Is a Home Safety Visit a Skilled, Medically Necessary OT Service? 29 29 S1E29: Office Hours | When Is a Home Safety Visit a Skilled, Medically Necessary OT Service? full 65c0ee19-d410-4df6-bb53-99176df214ab https://share.transistor.fm/s/6ca6b4d4 Summary

In this Office Hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, walks through a practical case example to clarify when a home safety or home-modification visit may be a skilled, medically necessary occupational therapy service—and when it is better described as a preventive accessibility or aging-in-place consultation. Learn how to distinguish service pathways, center the client’s occupational goals, document skilled reasoning, and communicate clearly about funding and billing.


Questions answered in this episode:

  • When does a home safety or home-modification visit qualify as a skilled, medically necessary OT service?
  • How can I distinguish a current functional therapy need from a preventive aging-in-place consultation?
  • What makes an OT’s role in home accessibility assessment skilled and distinct from a contractor’s role?
  • How should I document functional limitations, observed performance, client priorities, interventions, and response to treatment?
  • Can one client need both medically necessary OT and a separate future-focused accessibility consultation?
  • Does coverage for skilled OT services mean that Medicare or another payer will cover equipment, construction, or renovations?
  • How should acute-care, home-health, outpatient, and private-practice therapists approach these questions within their own setting and payer rules?
  • When might skilled maintenance services be appropriate for a client with a progressive condition?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this Office Hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, walks through a practical case example to clarify when a home safety or home-modification visit may be a skilled, medically necessary occupational therapy service—and when it is better described as a preventive accessibility or aging-in-place consultation. Learn how to distinguish service pathways, center the client’s occupational goals, document skilled reasoning, and communicate clearly about funding and billing.


Questions answered in this episode:

  • When does a home safety or home-modification visit qualify as a skilled, medically necessary OT service?
  • How can I distinguish a current functional therapy need from a preventive aging-in-place consultation?
  • What makes an OT’s role in home accessibility assessment skilled and distinct from a contractor’s role?
  • How should I document functional limitations, observed performance, client priorities, interventions, and response to treatment?
  • Can one client need both medically necessary OT and a separate future-focused accessibility consultation?
  • Does coverage for skilled OT services mean that Medicare or another payer will cover equipment, construction, or renovations?
  • How should acute-care, home-health, outpatient, and private-practice therapists approach these questions within their own setting and payer rules?
  • When might skilled maintenance services be appropriate for a client with a progressive condition?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1622 Summary

In this Office Hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, walks through a practical case example to clarify when a home safety or home-modification visit may be a skilled, medically necessary occupational therapy service—and when it is better described as a preventive accessibility or aging-in-place consultation. Learn how to distinguish service pathways, center the client’s occupational goals, document skilled reasoning, and communicate clearly about funding and billing.


Questions answered in this episode:

  • When does a home safety or home-modification visit qualify as a skilled, medically necessary OT service?
  • How can I distinguish a current functional therapy need from a preventive aging-in-place consultation?
  • What makes an OT’s role in home accessibility assessment skilled and distinct from a contractor’s role?
  • How should I document functional limitations, observed performance, client priorities, interventions, and response to treatment?
  • Can one client need both medically necessary OT and a separate future-focused accessibility consultation?
  • Does coverage for skilled OT services mean that Medicare or another payer will cover equipment, construction, or renovations?
  • How should acute-care, home-health, outpatient, and private-practice therapists approach these questions within their own setting and payer rules?
  • When might skilled maintenance services be appropriate for a client with a progressive condition?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E28: Blog to Audio | Smart Granny Pods: How Tech-Enabled ADUs and Home Mods Support Well-Being 28 28 S1E28: Blog to Audio | Smart Granny Pods: How Tech-Enabled ADUs and Home Mods Support Well-Being full 980e00e2-0739-4873-8f2f-a5021cdca5c9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/84cffb34 Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Smart Granny Pods: How Tech-Enabled ADUs Are Creating New Clinical and Business Opportunities for Home Mod OTs.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L explores how thoughtfully designed, technology-supported home modifications—including ADUs and “granny pods”—impact not only falls and physical access, but also mood, anxiety, confidence, and caregiver stress.

In this episode, we cover:

Why the home environment is a powerful mental health factor: how steep steps, narrow doorways, unsafe bathrooms, poor lighting, and generally “unsuitable” housing can become daily sources of stress, fear, reduced participation, and caregiver strain.

What emerging evidence and practice reports show about OT-led home modifications beyond fall prevention, including reductions in depression symptoms, improved quality of life, decreased caregiver burden, and a stronger sense of safety and control at home.

Five psychological mechanisms through which well-designed home mods—including ramps, grab bars, non-slip flooring, better lighting, accessible storage, and tech-enabled supports—can bolster mental health: enhancing safety and reducing fear, restoring independence and autonomy, increasing control and predictability, supporting identity and meaningful occupation, and facilitating social connection.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Smart Granny Pods: How Tech-Enabled ADUs Are Creating New Clinical and Business Opportunities for Home Mod OTs.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L explores how thoughtfully designed, technology-supported home modifications—including ADUs and “granny pods”—impact not only falls and physical access, but also mood, anxiety, confidence, and caregiver stress.

In this episode, we cover:

Why the home environment is a powerful mental health factor: how steep steps, narrow doorways, unsafe bathrooms, poor lighting, and generally “unsuitable” housing can become daily sources of stress, fear, reduced participation, and caregiver strain.

What emerging evidence and practice reports show about OT-led home modifications beyond fall prevention, including reductions in depression symptoms, improved quality of life, decreased caregiver burden, and a stronger sense of safety and control at home.

Five psychological mechanisms through which well-designed home mods—including ramps, grab bars, non-slip flooring, better lighting, accessible storage, and tech-enabled supports—can bolster mental health: enhancing safety and reducing fear, restoring independence and autonomy, increasing control and predictability, supporting identity and meaningful occupation, and facilitating social connection.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 22 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1209 Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Smart Granny Pods: How Tech-Enabled ADUs Are Creating New Clinical and Business Opportunities for Home Mod OTs.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L explores how thoughtfully designed, technology-supported home modifications—including ADUs and “granny pods”—impact not only falls and physical access, but also mood, anxiety, confidence, and caregiver stress.

In this episode, we cover:

Why the home environment is a powerful mental health factor: how steep steps, narrow doorways, unsafe bathrooms, poor lighting, and generally “unsuitable” housing can become daily sources of stress, fear, reduced participation, and caregiver strain.

What emerging evidence and practice reports show about OT-led home modifications beyond fall prevention, including reductions in depression symptoms, improved quality of life, decreased caregiver burden, and a stronger sense of safety and control at home.

Five psychological mechanisms through which well-designed home mods—including ramps, grab bars, non-slip flooring, better lighting, accessible storage, and tech-enabled supports—can bolster mental health: enhancing safety and reducing fear, restoring independence and autonomy, increasing control and predictability, supporting identity and meaningful occupation, and facilitating social connection.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E27: Blog to Audio | The Connection Between Diabetes and Fall Risk: What OTs and PTs Need to Know for Home Safety 27 27 S1E27: Blog to Audio | The Connection Between Diabetes and Fall Risk: What OTs and PTs Need to Know for Home Safety full ff0076ac-3a6b-46de-9c41-b0e1c10ccb31 https://share.transistor.fm/s/bd4d97fa Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “The Connection Between Diabetes and Fall Risk.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L unpacks what the research says about why older adults with diabetes fall more often and more repeatedly, then walks through practical, home-based strategies OTs and PTs can use to address neuropathy, vision changes, medication effects, and environment together.


In this episode, we cover:

The big-picture data on diabetes and falls, including how common diabetes is in older adults and how much it increases both first-time and recurrent fall risk—making it a background factor on many caseloads, not a niche condition.

Key clinical drivers of elevated fall risk in diabetes: peripheral neuropathy, diabetic vision changes, hypoglycemia episodes, complex medication regimens (including insulin and newer agents), and musculoskeletal changes that together undermine balance, gait, and protective responses.

Evidence-informed home modifications and safety strategies tailored to this population—lighting and flooring changes, bathroom and stairway upgrades, grab bars and contrast use, rug and threshold management, and ways to educate clients and families—so you can treat diabetes as a clear fall-risk flag and proactively adapt the home rather than waiting for “inevitable” falls. 

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “The Connection Between Diabetes and Fall Risk.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L unpacks what the research says about why older adults with diabetes fall more often and more repeatedly, then walks through practical, home-based strategies OTs and PTs can use to address neuropathy, vision changes, medication effects, and environment together.


In this episode, we cover:

The big-picture data on diabetes and falls, including how common diabetes is in older adults and how much it increases both first-time and recurrent fall risk—making it a background factor on many caseloads, not a niche condition.

Key clinical drivers of elevated fall risk in diabetes: peripheral neuropathy, diabetic vision changes, hypoglycemia episodes, complex medication regimens (including insulin and newer agents), and musculoskeletal changes that together undermine balance, gait, and protective responses.

Evidence-informed home modifications and safety strategies tailored to this population—lighting and flooring changes, bathroom and stairway upgrades, grab bars and contrast use, rug and threshold management, and ways to educate clients and families—so you can treat diabetes as a clear fall-risk flag and proactively adapt the home rather than waiting for “inevitable” falls. 

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 15 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1446 Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “The Connection Between Diabetes and Fall Risk.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L unpacks what the research says about why older adults with diabetes fall more often and more repeatedly, then walks through practical, home-based strategies OTs and PTs can use to address neuropathy, vision changes, medication effects, and environment together.


In this episode, we cover:

The big-picture data on diabetes and falls, including how common diabetes is in older adults and how much it increases both first-time and recurrent fall risk—making it a background factor on many caseloads, not a niche condition.

Key clinical drivers of elevated fall risk in diabetes: peripheral neuropathy, diabetic vision changes, hypoglycemia episodes, complex medication regimens (including insulin and newer agents), and musculoskeletal changes that together undermine balance, gait, and protective responses.

Evidence-informed home modifications and safety strategies tailored to this population—lighting and flooring changes, bathroom and stairway upgrades, grab bars and contrast use, rug and threshold management, and ways to educate clients and families—so you can treat diabetes as a clear fall-risk flag and proactively adapt the home rather than waiting for “inevitable” falls. 

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E26: Therapist Thursday | Kristy on Building a Mobile OT Practice and Home Safety Service in Southern California 26 26 S1E26: Therapist Thursday | Kristy on Building a Mobile OT Practice and Home Safety Service in Southern California full b2aac133-76c7-4beb-a029-8af6957f8914 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b1cea252 Summary
In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Kristy, an occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience and a mobile Medicare Part B outpatient practice in Southern California, about weaving home modifications and safety assessments into her business. Kristy shares how years in SNFs and home health, plus advanced training, broadened her understanding of equipment and funding so she can be a stronger resource to older adults and their families who want to stay safely at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Kristy’s career path from SNF to home health to launching her own mobile outpatient practice revealed major gaps in home safety knowledge and access, and why those experiences pushed her to specialize in home modifications alongside hands-on clinical care.
  • Practical ways she now approaches home safety and equipment, from moving beyond “Medicare-only” DME options to using specialty products and vendor expos, and applying what she learned in the CHAT program to match the right solutions to real homes, clients, and conditions.
  • Business and lifestyle insights on credentialing with Medicare, blending Part B services with home mods, deciding how full a caseload to carry, and using the flexibility of private practice to align work with personal values, family needs, and long-term plans to shift even more toward home modifications over time.

Guest details and links:
Kristy Yaya

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary
In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Kristy, an occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience and a mobile Medicare Part B outpatient practice in Southern California, about weaving home modifications and safety assessments into her business. Kristy shares how years in SNFs and home health, plus advanced training, broadened her understanding of equipment and funding so she can be a stronger resource to older adults and their families who want to stay safely at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Kristy’s career path from SNF to home health to launching her own mobile outpatient practice revealed major gaps in home safety knowledge and access, and why those experiences pushed her to specialize in home modifications alongside hands-on clinical care.
  • Practical ways she now approaches home safety and equipment, from moving beyond “Medicare-only” DME options to using specialty products and vendor expos, and applying what she learned in the CHAT program to match the right solutions to real homes, clients, and conditions.
  • Business and lifestyle insights on credentialing with Medicare, blending Part B services with home mods, deciding how full a caseload to carry, and using the flexibility of private practice to align work with personal values, family needs, and long-term plans to shift even more toward home modifications over time.

Guest details and links:
Kristy Yaya

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 08 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 3016 Summary
In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Kristy, an occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience and a mobile Medicare Part B outpatient practice in Southern California, about weaving home modifications and safety assessments into her business. Kristy shares how years in SNFs and home health, plus advanced training, broadened her understanding of equipment and funding so she can be a stronger resource to older adults and their families who want to stay safely at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Kristy’s career path from SNF to home health to launching her own mobile outpatient practice revealed major gaps in home safety knowledge and access, and why those experiences pushed her to specialize in home modifications alongside hands-on clinical care.
  • Practical ways she now approaches home safety and equipment, from moving beyond “Medicare-only” DME options to using specialty products and vendor expos, and applying what she learned in the CHAT program to match the right solutions to real homes, clients, and conditions.
  • Business and lifestyle insights on credentialing with Medicare, blending Part B services with home mods, deciding how full a caseload to carry, and using the flexibility of private practice to align work with personal values, family needs, and long-term plans to shift even more toward home modifications over time.

Guest details and links:
Kristy Yaya

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E25: Office Hours | Beyond the Checklist—What Skilled Home Modification OTs Notice First 25 25 S1E25: Office Hours | Beyond the Checklist—What Skilled Home Modification OTs Notice First full be3fb757-3e41-46e4-a39f-47d9b2f3def0 https://share.transistor.fm/s/98f46974 Summary

In this Office Hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, discusses how skilled home-modification occupational therapists look beyond environmental checklists to understand the client’s routines, priorities, task performance, and participation at home. She shares practical approaches for observing meaningful activity, prioritizing recommendations, addressing client resistance, choosing between equipment and structural changes, and documenting occupation-centered clinical reasoning.

Questions answered in this episode:

Where should I begin during a home-modification assessment: the bathroom, entryway, or somewhere else?

What should I observe beyond obvious home hazards?

How can I frame recommendations around more than fall prevention?

What should I do when I identify many home concerns at once?

How should I respond when a client declines a recommendation?

How do I determine whether equipment is enough or an architectural modification is needed?

How can I document home-modification recommendations in an occupation-centered way?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this Office Hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, discusses how skilled home-modification occupational therapists look beyond environmental checklists to understand the client’s routines, priorities, task performance, and participation at home. She shares practical approaches for observing meaningful activity, prioritizing recommendations, addressing client resistance, choosing between equipment and structural changes, and documenting occupation-centered clinical reasoning.

Questions answered in this episode:

Where should I begin during a home-modification assessment: the bathroom, entryway, or somewhere else?

What should I observe beyond obvious home hazards?

How can I frame recommendations around more than fall prevention?

What should I do when I identify many home concerns at once?

How should I respond when a client declines a recommendation?

How do I determine whether equipment is enough or an architectural modification is needed?

How can I document home-modification recommendations in an occupation-centered way?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 01 Sep 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1355 Summary

In this Office Hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, discusses how skilled home-modification occupational therapists look beyond environmental checklists to understand the client’s routines, priorities, task performance, and participation at home. She shares practical approaches for observing meaningful activity, prioritizing recommendations, addressing client resistance, choosing between equipment and structural changes, and documenting occupation-centered clinical reasoning.

Questions answered in this episode:

Where should I begin during a home-modification assessment: the bathroom, entryway, or somewhere else?

What should I observe beyond obvious home hazards?

How can I frame recommendations around more than fall prevention?

What should I do when I identify many home concerns at once?

How should I respond when a client declines a recommendation?

How do I determine whether equipment is enough or an architectural modification is needed?

How can I document home-modification recommendations in an occupation-centered way?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E24: Blog to Audio | Accessible RVs: Helping Your Clients Travel Safely and Independently 24 24 S1E24: Blog to Audio | Accessible RVs: Helping Your Clients Travel Safely and Independently full 329bd024-e21c-4721-9cd1-4cf0dcee8554 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e3ec24c6 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog on accessible RVs. Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how to apply home safety and modification principles to motorhomes and travel trailers so you can help clients pursue RV travel without sacrificing safety, independence, or realistic access to ADLs on the road.

In this episode, we cover:

Why standard RV layouts (steps at entry, narrow hallways, tiny bathrooms, high controls, and slippery floors) create major person–environment mismatches for clients using wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen, or with balance/sensory challenges—and why an RV should be evaluated like any other home environment.

Key features that make an RV truly accessible, including no-step or lift entry, widened doorways and interior paths, open floor plans for maneuvering and caregiver assistance, accessible bathrooms and kitchens, securement systems, adjustable beds, smart controls, safe storage and power for medical equipment, and non-slip, well-lit flooring.

A practical three-step OT framework—assess, modify, prepare—for responding when a family says “we’re thinking about getting an RV”: how to evaluate the person, rig, and travel goals; collaborate with accessibility-focused builders or custom shops; and plan for equipment, emergency exits, power management, and day-to-day routines so the trip is both possible and sustainable.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog on accessible RVs. Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how to apply home safety and modification principles to motorhomes and travel trailers so you can help clients pursue RV travel without sacrificing safety, independence, or realistic access to ADLs on the road.

In this episode, we cover:

Why standard RV layouts (steps at entry, narrow hallways, tiny bathrooms, high controls, and slippery floors) create major person–environment mismatches for clients using wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen, or with balance/sensory challenges—and why an RV should be evaluated like any other home environment.

Key features that make an RV truly accessible, including no-step or lift entry, widened doorways and interior paths, open floor plans for maneuvering and caregiver assistance, accessible bathrooms and kitchens, securement systems, adjustable beds, smart controls, safe storage and power for medical equipment, and non-slip, well-lit flooring.

A practical three-step OT framework—assess, modify, prepare—for responding when a family says “we’re thinking about getting an RV”: how to evaluate the person, rig, and travel goals; collaborate with accessibility-focused builders or custom shops; and plan for equipment, emergency exits, power management, and day-to-day routines so the trip is both possible and sustainable.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 25 Aug 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1285 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog on accessible RVs. Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how to apply home safety and modification principles to motorhomes and travel trailers so you can help clients pursue RV travel without sacrificing safety, independence, or realistic access to ADLs on the road.

In this episode, we cover:

Why standard RV layouts (steps at entry, narrow hallways, tiny bathrooms, high controls, and slippery floors) create major person–environment mismatches for clients using wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen, or with balance/sensory challenges—and why an RV should be evaluated like any other home environment.

Key features that make an RV truly accessible, including no-step or lift entry, widened doorways and interior paths, open floor plans for maneuvering and caregiver assistance, accessible bathrooms and kitchens, securement systems, adjustable beds, smart controls, safe storage and power for medical equipment, and non-slip, well-lit flooring.

A practical three-step OT framework—assess, modify, prepare—for responding when a family says “we’re thinking about getting an RV”: how to evaluate the person, rig, and travel goals; collaborate with accessibility-focused builders or custom shops; and plan for equipment, emergency exits, power management, and day-to-day routines so the trip is both possible and sustainable.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E23: Blog-to-Audio | Disaster Planning When Your Client Has Dementia: What Every OT Needs to Know 23 23 S1E23: Blog-to-Audio | Disaster Planning When Your Client Has Dementia: What Every OT Needs to Know full 486ae97e-6fbb-4ac8-9673-30914c5d7dd5 https://share.transistor.fm/s/adfb4a12 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Disaster Planning When Your Client Has Dementia: What Every OT Needs to Know.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L explores why standard emergency-preparedness advice fails people living with dementia and walks you through an OT-centered framework so you can help families plan evacuations and disruptions in ways that protect safety, function, and dignity.

In this episode, we cover:

  • How dementia fundamentally changes the experience of disasters and evacuations, including heightened risks for confusion, behavioral escalation, and even increased post-evacuation mortality when routines and familiar environments are abruptly disrupted.
  • A practical OT framework for disaster planning with dementia: building a sensory and behavioral profile, identifying calming inputs and triggers, creating a dementia emergency ID card, planning for wandering risk, medication continuity, and graded “practice” evacuations that build familiarity instead of fear.
  • The critical role of caregiver-focused education and community advocacy, from coaching communication and routine strategies in shelters to engaging with local emergency planners and leveraging OT-led disaster-preparedness training to better protect this growing, highly vulnerable population.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Disaster Planning When Your Client Has Dementia: What Every OT Needs to Know.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L explores why standard emergency-preparedness advice fails people living with dementia and walks you through an OT-centered framework so you can help families plan evacuations and disruptions in ways that protect safety, function, and dignity.

In this episode, we cover:

  • How dementia fundamentally changes the experience of disasters and evacuations, including heightened risks for confusion, behavioral escalation, and even increased post-evacuation mortality when routines and familiar environments are abruptly disrupted.
  • A practical OT framework for disaster planning with dementia: building a sensory and behavioral profile, identifying calming inputs and triggers, creating a dementia emergency ID card, planning for wandering risk, medication continuity, and graded “practice” evacuations that build familiarity instead of fear.
  • The critical role of caregiver-focused education and community advocacy, from coaching communication and routine strategies in shelters to engaging with local emergency planners and leveraging OT-led disaster-preparedness training to better protect this growing, highly vulnerable population.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 913 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Disaster Planning When Your Client Has Dementia: What Every OT Needs to Know.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L explores why standard emergency-preparedness advice fails people living with dementia and walks you through an OT-centered framework so you can help families plan evacuations and disruptions in ways that protect safety, function, and dignity.

In this episode, we cover:

  • How dementia fundamentally changes the experience of disasters and evacuations, including heightened risks for confusion, behavioral escalation, and even increased post-evacuation mortality when routines and familiar environments are abruptly disrupted.
  • A practical OT framework for disaster planning with dementia: building a sensory and behavioral profile, identifying calming inputs and triggers, creating a dementia emergency ID card, planning for wandering risk, medication continuity, and graded “practice” evacuations that build familiarity instead of fear.
  • The critical role of caregiver-focused education and community advocacy, from coaching communication and routine strategies in shelters to engaging with local emergency planners and leveraging OT-led disaster-preparedness training to better protect this growing, highly vulnerable population.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E22: Therapist Thursday | Lindsey McLean on Building a Mobile OT/PT and Home Modifications Practice as a COTA 22 22 S1E22: Therapist Thursday | Lindsey McLean on Building a Mobile OT/PT and Home Modifications Practice as a COTA full 37d6b5b1-4a81-4cb4-8df1-5fdb184c2c9a https://share.transistor.fm/s/1d0e4653 Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Lindsey McLean, a COTA and founder of Living Solutions Plus in Michigan, about growing a mobile outpatient OT/PT practice that weaves in home assessments and fall-prevention-focused modifications for older adults. Lindsey shares how seeing repeated fall-related injuries on inpatient rehab led her to step out on her own, navigate the added challenges of doing this work as a COTA, and build systems for billing, referrals, and contractor collaboration that keep clients safer at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Lindsey moved from a hospital rehab unit north of Detroit to launching Living Solutions Plus, a mobile outpatient OT/PT practice that centers fall prevention and home safety, and what it’s really like to do this as a COTA working in partnership with evaluating OTRs.

Practical strategies she uses in home evaluations, including focusing on smaller, high-impact changes (like shower seats, bath mats, grab bars, and raised toilet seats) instead of defaulting to major remodels, and using her home mods certification to clearly explain recommendations to families, physicians, and senior communities.

Business and operations insights on proving that OTAs can start and grow their own businesses, structuring services under mobile outpatient and home mods, using documentation and billing platforms (such as coding home modifications visits under ADL-related OT codes), blending insurance and private pay, and protecting herself and clients by guiding them to vet multiple contractors rather than tying recommendations to a single company.

Guest details and links:
Lindsey McLean

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Lindsey McLean, a COTA and founder of Living Solutions Plus in Michigan, about growing a mobile outpatient OT/PT practice that weaves in home assessments and fall-prevention-focused modifications for older adults. Lindsey shares how seeing repeated fall-related injuries on inpatient rehab led her to step out on her own, navigate the added challenges of doing this work as a COTA, and build systems for billing, referrals, and contractor collaboration that keep clients safer at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Lindsey moved from a hospital rehab unit north of Detroit to launching Living Solutions Plus, a mobile outpatient OT/PT practice that centers fall prevention and home safety, and what it’s really like to do this as a COTA working in partnership with evaluating OTRs.

Practical strategies she uses in home evaluations, including focusing on smaller, high-impact changes (like shower seats, bath mats, grab bars, and raised toilet seats) instead of defaulting to major remodels, and using her home mods certification to clearly explain recommendations to families, physicians, and senior communities.

Business and operations insights on proving that OTAs can start and grow their own businesses, structuring services under mobile outpatient and home mods, using documentation and billing platforms (such as coding home modifications visits under ADL-related OT codes), blending insurance and private pay, and protecting herself and clients by guiding them to vet multiple contractors rather than tying recommendations to a single company.

Guest details and links:
Lindsey McLean

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 11 Aug 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 2772 Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Lindsey McLean, a COTA and founder of Living Solutions Plus in Michigan, about growing a mobile outpatient OT/PT practice that weaves in home assessments and fall-prevention-focused modifications for older adults. Lindsey shares how seeing repeated fall-related injuries on inpatient rehab led her to step out on her own, navigate the added challenges of doing this work as a COTA, and build systems for billing, referrals, and contractor collaboration that keep clients safer at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Lindsey moved from a hospital rehab unit north of Detroit to launching Living Solutions Plus, a mobile outpatient OT/PT practice that centers fall prevention and home safety, and what it’s really like to do this as a COTA working in partnership with evaluating OTRs.

Practical strategies she uses in home evaluations, including focusing on smaller, high-impact changes (like shower seats, bath mats, grab bars, and raised toilet seats) instead of defaulting to major remodels, and using her home mods certification to clearly explain recommendations to families, physicians, and senior communities.

Business and operations insights on proving that OTAs can start and grow their own businesses, structuring services under mobile outpatient and home mods, using documentation and billing platforms (such as coding home modifications visits under ADL-related OT codes), blending insurance and private pay, and protecting herself and clients by guiding them to vet multiple contractors rather than tying recommendations to a single company.

Guest details and links:
Lindsey McLean

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E21: Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 5 21 21 S1E21: Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 5 full 72e5442f-1152-401b-aea3-4a829ee002dd https://share.transistor.fm/s/752859eb Summary
In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, wraps up the Getting Started in Home Modifications series by focusing on how to stay up to date with equipment, technology, and funding options in a constantly changing landscape. She shares a powerful client story, practical strategies for learning about new products, and ways to match real-world solutions and funding pathways to each client’s needs and context.

Questions answered in this episode:

Why does staying current with bathroom equipment, lifts, mobility devices, and smart home technology matter so much for safety, dignity, and long-term living-at-home outcomes?

How can therapists build a realistic, working knowledge of key product categories—without chasing every “shiny gadget”—by using vendors, webinars, case discussions, and peer networks?

What are some of the main funding “buckets” and community options (waivers, nonprofits, grants, creative financial tools) that can help clients actually pay for the modifications you recommend?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary
In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, wraps up the Getting Started in Home Modifications series by focusing on how to stay up to date with equipment, technology, and funding options in a constantly changing landscape. She shares a powerful client story, practical strategies for learning about new products, and ways to match real-world solutions and funding pathways to each client’s needs and context.

Questions answered in this episode:

Why does staying current with bathroom equipment, lifts, mobility devices, and smart home technology matter so much for safety, dignity, and long-term living-at-home outcomes?

How can therapists build a realistic, working knowledge of key product categories—without chasing every “shiny gadget”—by using vendors, webinars, case discussions, and peer networks?

What are some of the main funding “buckets” and community options (waivers, nonprofits, grants, creative financial tools) that can help clients actually pay for the modifications you recommend?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 04 Aug 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 902 Summary
In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, wraps up the Getting Started in Home Modifications series by focusing on how to stay up to date with equipment, technology, and funding options in a constantly changing landscape. She shares a powerful client story, practical strategies for learning about new products, and ways to match real-world solutions and funding pathways to each client’s needs and context.

Questions answered in this episode:

Why does staying current with bathroom equipment, lifts, mobility devices, and smart home technology matter so much for safety, dignity, and long-term living-at-home outcomes?

How can therapists build a realistic, working knowledge of key product categories—without chasing every “shiny gadget”—by using vendors, webinars, case discussions, and peer networks?

What are some of the main funding “buckets” and community options (waivers, nonprofits, grants, creative financial tools) that can help clients actually pay for the modifications you recommend?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E20: Blog-to-Audio | From Assessment to Action: The OT’s Clinical Map for Hoarding Disorder 20 20 S1E20: Blog-to-Audio | From Assessment to Action: The OT’s Clinical Map for Hoarding Disorder full 1f5e12e3-93a6-4369-8eee-d4f5abc08589 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0abed137 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From Assessment to Action: The OT’s Clinical Map for Hoarding Disorder.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks step-by-step through a practical, evidence-informed process for hoarding evaluations so you can move from feeling overwhelmed at the doorway to using a clear clinical map that supports safety, function, and meaningful change.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why regulating yourself and building a non-judgmental therapeutic alliance is the crucial first intervention when you walk into a cluttered home, and how to use an occupational profile to uncover what matters most to the client about their possessions and daily routines.
  • How to weave in validated tools like the Hoarding Rating Scale, Clutter Image Rating, and ADL-H as conversational assessments, then translate those findings into concrete, occupation-based goals and graded interventions that target safety, access, and participation.
  • Six practical OT steps—from first impressions to maintenance planning—including structuring sessions, collaborating on acquisition and “one in, one out” agreements, engaging families without enabling, and building long-term supports so gains are sustained rather than lost over time.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From Assessment to Action: The OT’s Clinical Map for Hoarding Disorder.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks step-by-step through a practical, evidence-informed process for hoarding evaluations so you can move from feeling overwhelmed at the doorway to using a clear clinical map that supports safety, function, and meaningful change.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why regulating yourself and building a non-judgmental therapeutic alliance is the crucial first intervention when you walk into a cluttered home, and how to use an occupational profile to uncover what matters most to the client about their possessions and daily routines.
  • How to weave in validated tools like the Hoarding Rating Scale, Clutter Image Rating, and ADL-H as conversational assessments, then translate those findings into concrete, occupation-based goals and graded interventions that target safety, access, and participation.
  • Six practical OT steps—from first impressions to maintenance planning—including structuring sessions, collaborating on acquisition and “one in, one out” agreements, engaging families without enabling, and building long-term supports so gains are sustained rather than lost over time.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1146 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From Assessment to Action: The OT’s Clinical Map for Hoarding Disorder.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks step-by-step through a practical, evidence-informed process for hoarding evaluations so you can move from feeling overwhelmed at the doorway to using a clear clinical map that supports safety, function, and meaningful change.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why regulating yourself and building a non-judgmental therapeutic alliance is the crucial first intervention when you walk into a cluttered home, and how to use an occupational profile to uncover what matters most to the client about their possessions and daily routines.
  • How to weave in validated tools like the Hoarding Rating Scale, Clutter Image Rating, and ADL-H as conversational assessments, then translate those findings into concrete, occupation-based goals and graded interventions that target safety, access, and participation.
  • Six practical OT steps—from first impressions to maintenance planning—including structuring sessions, collaborating on acquisition and “one in, one out” agreements, engaging families without enabling, and building long-term supports so gains are sustained rather than lost over time.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E19: Blog-to-Audio | Reframing Hoarding as Occupation: What Occupational Therapists Bring That Nobody Else Can 19 19 S1E19: Blog-to-Audio | Reframing Hoarding as Occupation: What Occupational Therapists Bring That Nobody Else Can full 6996f77f-b182-4340-afb6-f12b4615a462 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8793c8a0 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Reframing Hoarding as Occupation: What Occupational Therapists Bring That Nobody Else Can.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through an occupation-based lens on hoarding disorder so you can move beyond overwhelm and judgment, use structured tools, and design person-centered interventions that truly support safety, function, and meaningful change.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why hoarding disorder is often misunderstood—even within OT—and how reframing hoarding behaviors (collecting, acquiring, arranging, saving) as occupations that meet real needs for safety, identity, continuity, and connection can transform your clinical perspective and therapeutic alliance.
  • The unique multi-dimensional role of occupational therapy in hoarding work, including attending simultaneously to psychological factors (attachment, decision-making), environmental risks (clutter, fire risk, falls), functional impact (ADLs and access), and meaningful roles and routines.
  • Practical OT tools and strategies you can start using now, such as the Hoarding Rating Scale, Clutter Image Rating, and ADL-H, plus occupation-focused goal setting and motivational interviewing approaches that align interventions with what the client most wants to be able to do—not just what others want them to discard.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Reframing Hoarding as Occupation: What Occupational Therapists Bring That Nobody Else Can.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through an occupation-based lens on hoarding disorder so you can move beyond overwhelm and judgment, use structured tools, and design person-centered interventions that truly support safety, function, and meaningful change.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why hoarding disorder is often misunderstood—even within OT—and how reframing hoarding behaviors (collecting, acquiring, arranging, saving) as occupations that meet real needs for safety, identity, continuity, and connection can transform your clinical perspective and therapeutic alliance.
  • The unique multi-dimensional role of occupational therapy in hoarding work, including attending simultaneously to psychological factors (attachment, decision-making), environmental risks (clutter, fire risk, falls), functional impact (ADLs and access), and meaningful roles and routines.
  • Practical OT tools and strategies you can start using now, such as the Hoarding Rating Scale, Clutter Image Rating, and ADL-H, plus occupation-focused goal setting and motivational interviewing approaches that align interventions with what the client most wants to be able to do—not just what others want them to discard.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1001 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Reframing Hoarding as Occupation: What Occupational Therapists Bring That Nobody Else Can.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through an occupation-based lens on hoarding disorder so you can move beyond overwhelm and judgment, use structured tools, and design person-centered interventions that truly support safety, function, and meaningful change.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why hoarding disorder is often misunderstood—even within OT—and how reframing hoarding behaviors (collecting, acquiring, arranging, saving) as occupations that meet real needs for safety, identity, continuity, and connection can transform your clinical perspective and therapeutic alliance.
  • The unique multi-dimensional role of occupational therapy in hoarding work, including attending simultaneously to psychological factors (attachment, decision-making), environmental risks (clutter, fire risk, falls), functional impact (ADLs and access), and meaningful roles and routines.
  • Practical OT tools and strategies you can start using now, such as the Hoarding Rating Scale, Clutter Image Rating, and ADL-H, plus occupation-focused goal setting and motivational interviewing approaches that align interventions with what the client most wants to be able to do—not just what others want them to discard.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E18: Therapist Thursday | Consuela Marshall on Making Fall Prevention and Home Safety Accessible for Every Community 18 18 S1E18: Therapist Thursday | Consuela Marshall on Making Fall Prevention and Home Safety Accessible for Every Community full 67b37c05-b78c-4ef5-a6eb-cd899cdff2cf https://share.transistor.fm/s/f1d6346b Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Consuela Marshall, an occupational therapist with 30 years of experience—26 of those in home health—about shifting from traditional home health into mission-driven fall prevention, home safety coaching, and nonprofit work in the Baton Rouge area. Consuela shares how repeated fall-related home health episodes, insurance and PDGM constraints, and her passion for lower-resource communities led her to rethink “textbook” home modifications and build a foundation focused on practical, affordable fall prevention education for families and caregivers.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Consuela’s decades in home health, frustration with PDGM and Medicare Advantage visit limits, and seeing the same clients return after multiple falls pushed her to focus her OT career on proactive fall prevention and home safety instead of only post-fall rehab.

Practical, client-centered strategies she uses to make home safety both relevant and affordable—such as reframing “home modifications,” respecting cherished items, using creative low-cost solutions (like a screen-door handle in a difficult bathroom), and tailoring recommendations for families with very different financial and housing realities.

Business, advocacy, and nonprofit insights on moving beyond cash-pay and Part B, writing a falls book, founding a 501(c)(3) to serve under-resourced older adults, pursuing a master’s in nonprofit administration, building community partnerships and sponsorships, and encouraging other therapists to “start where you are” with home mods—even before you have every contractor or tool lined up

Guest details and links:

Consuela Marshall

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Consuela Marshall, an occupational therapist with 30 years of experience—26 of those in home health—about shifting from traditional home health into mission-driven fall prevention, home safety coaching, and nonprofit work in the Baton Rouge area. Consuela shares how repeated fall-related home health episodes, insurance and PDGM constraints, and her passion for lower-resource communities led her to rethink “textbook” home modifications and build a foundation focused on practical, affordable fall prevention education for families and caregivers.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Consuela’s decades in home health, frustration with PDGM and Medicare Advantage visit limits, and seeing the same clients return after multiple falls pushed her to focus her OT career on proactive fall prevention and home safety instead of only post-fall rehab.

Practical, client-centered strategies she uses to make home safety both relevant and affordable—such as reframing “home modifications,” respecting cherished items, using creative low-cost solutions (like a screen-door handle in a difficult bathroom), and tailoring recommendations for families with very different financial and housing realities.

Business, advocacy, and nonprofit insights on moving beyond cash-pay and Part B, writing a falls book, founding a 501(c)(3) to serve under-resourced older adults, pursuing a master’s in nonprofit administration, building community partnerships and sponsorships, and encouraging other therapists to “start where you are” with home mods—even before you have every contractor or tool lined up

Guest details and links:

Consuela Marshall

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 3296 Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Consuela Marshall, an occupational therapist with 30 years of experience—26 of those in home health—about shifting from traditional home health into mission-driven fall prevention, home safety coaching, and nonprofit work in the Baton Rouge area. Consuela shares how repeated fall-related home health episodes, insurance and PDGM constraints, and her passion for lower-resource communities led her to rethink “textbook” home modifications and build a foundation focused on practical, affordable fall prevention education for families and caregivers.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Consuela’s decades in home health, frustration with PDGM and Medicare Advantage visit limits, and seeing the same clients return after multiple falls pushed her to focus her OT career on proactive fall prevention and home safety instead of only post-fall rehab.

Practical, client-centered strategies she uses to make home safety both relevant and affordable—such as reframing “home modifications,” respecting cherished items, using creative low-cost solutions (like a screen-door handle in a difficult bathroom), and tailoring recommendations for families with very different financial and housing realities.

Business, advocacy, and nonprofit insights on moving beyond cash-pay and Part B, writing a falls book, founding a 501(c)(3) to serve under-resourced older adults, pursuing a master’s in nonprofit administration, building community partnerships and sponsorships, and encouraging other therapists to “start where you are” with home mods—even before you have every contractor or tool lined up

Guest details and links:

Consuela Marshall

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E17: Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 4 17 17 S1E17: Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 4 full f23b33f1-aa12-4db3-9fbc-29d69a98edde https://share.transistor.fm/s/f0390e90 Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, focuses on how to actually find and connect with the people in your community who can send you ideal home modification clients. She walks through potential referral sources, how to frame your unique OT value, and simple, relationship-based steps to start building a steady stream of home mods referrals.

Questions answered in this episode:

Who are the key professionals, agencies, and organizations that are already seeing your ideal home mods clients before you, and how can you identify them in your own community?

How do you clearly communicate the unique value of OT-led home assessments—beyond ADA checklists and contractor recommendations—so referral partners understand why they should send clients to you?

What concrete steps can you take to nurture referral relationships over time (multiple “touches,” education, and follow-up) without feeling like a full-time salesperson?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, focuses on how to actually find and connect with the people in your community who can send you ideal home modification clients. She walks through potential referral sources, how to frame your unique OT value, and simple, relationship-based steps to start building a steady stream of home mods referrals.

Questions answered in this episode:

Who are the key professionals, agencies, and organizations that are already seeing your ideal home mods clients before you, and how can you identify them in your own community?

How do you clearly communicate the unique value of OT-led home assessments—beyond ADA checklists and contractor recommendations—so referral partners understand why they should send clients to you?

What concrete steps can you take to nurture referral relationships over time (multiple “touches,” education, and follow-up) without feeling like a full-time salesperson?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 582 Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, focuses on how to actually find and connect with the people in your community who can send you ideal home modification clients. She walks through potential referral sources, how to frame your unique OT value, and simple, relationship-based steps to start building a steady stream of home mods referrals.

Questions answered in this episode:

Who are the key professionals, agencies, and organizations that are already seeing your ideal home mods clients before you, and how can you identify them in your own community?

How do you clearly communicate the unique value of OT-led home assessments—beyond ADA checklists and contractor recommendations—so referral partners understand why they should send clients to you?

What concrete steps can you take to nurture referral relationships over time (multiple “touches,” education, and follow-up) without feeling like a full-time salesperson?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E16: Blog-to-Audio | From One-Off CEUs to a Real Growth Plan: Professional Development for OTs in Home Safety and Home Modifications 16 16 S1E16: Blog-to-Audio | From One-Off CEUs to a Real Growth Plan: Professional Development for OTs in Home Safety and Home Modifications full 7b6ed97b-ec67-47d6-8457-118d00efd0c2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8d464286
Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From One-Off CEUs to a Real Growth Plan: Professional Development for OTs in Home Safety and Home Modifications.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L unpacks why random CEUs leave you feeling no more confident in home safety and home mods, and shows you how to build an intentional 6–12 month learning plan that actually moves you toward mastery instead of just meeting licensure requirements.

In this episode, we cover:

  • The problem with scattered, last-minute CEUs: how discount-driven or convenience-based course choices create fragmented knowledge, low retention, and ongoing uncertainty around complex areas like home accessibility, funding, documentation, and multi-factor home visits.
  • A simple but powerful growth-plan framework with three pillars—a clear destination, a realistic 6–12 month timeline, and structured learning tracks (clinical foundations, environmental/design knowledge, and systems/advocacy) that build depth in home safety and home modifications instead of one-off exposure.
  • Step-by-step guidance to map your own plan: self-assessing your current gaps, choosing a focused goal, selecting 3–5 aligned learning activities, intentionally applying what you learn with real clients, and using reflection and check-ins (illustrated through “Jordan,” an OT case example) to turn CEUs into real competence and confidence in the home.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]>
Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From One-Off CEUs to a Real Growth Plan: Professional Development for OTs in Home Safety and Home Modifications.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L unpacks why random CEUs leave you feeling no more confident in home safety and home mods, and shows you how to build an intentional 6–12 month learning plan that actually moves you toward mastery instead of just meeting licensure requirements.

In this episode, we cover:

  • The problem with scattered, last-minute CEUs: how discount-driven or convenience-based course choices create fragmented knowledge, low retention, and ongoing uncertainty around complex areas like home accessibility, funding, documentation, and multi-factor home visits.
  • A simple but powerful growth-plan framework with three pillars—a clear destination, a realistic 6–12 month timeline, and structured learning tracks (clinical foundations, environmental/design knowledge, and systems/advocacy) that build depth in home safety and home modifications instead of one-off exposure.
  • Step-by-step guidance to map your own plan: self-assessing your current gaps, choosing a focused goal, selecting 3–5 aligned learning activities, intentionally applying what you learn with real clients, and using reflection and check-ins (illustrated through “Jordan,” an OT case example) to turn CEUs into real competence and confidence in the home.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1120
Summary

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From One-Off CEUs to a Real Growth Plan: Professional Development for OTs in Home Safety and Home Modifications.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L unpacks why random CEUs leave you feeling no more confident in home safety and home mods, and shows you how to build an intentional 6–12 month learning plan that actually moves you toward mastery instead of just meeting licensure requirements.

In this episode, we cover:

  • The problem with scattered, last-minute CEUs: how discount-driven or convenience-based course choices create fragmented knowledge, low retention, and ongoing uncertainty around complex areas like home accessibility, funding, documentation, and multi-factor home visits.
  • A simple but powerful growth-plan framework with three pillars—a clear destination, a realistic 6–12 month timeline, and structured learning tracks (clinical foundations, environmental/design knowledge, and systems/advocacy) that build depth in home safety and home modifications instead of one-off exposure.
  • Step-by-step guidance to map your own plan: self-assessing your current gaps, choosing a focused goal, selecting 3–5 aligned learning activities, intentionally applying what you learn with real clients, and using reflection and check-ins (illustrated through “Jordan,” an OT case example) to turn CEUs into real competence and confidence in the home.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E15: Blog-to-Audio | Seeing Safely: Aging Eyes, Cataracts, and Home Safety for OTs and PTs 15 15 S1E15: Blog-to-Audio | Seeing Safely: Aging Eyes, Cataracts, and Home Safety for OTs and PTs full 8c4e198f-b1d2-4e8b-9a7e-06a4fb0a8a63 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2f1790f8 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog on “seeing safely” with aging eyes. Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how age-related vision changes and cataracts interact with real-world home environments so you can incorporate lighting, contrast, and clutter-focused modifications into your assessments and reduce fall risk in a practical, low-cost way.

In this episode, we cover:

  • What actually happens to vision with aging and cataracts—reduced contrast sensitivity, increased glare, slower light adaptation, and hazier vision—and why beige-on-beige environments, shiny floors, and inconsistent lighting can turn otherwise strong, balanced older adults into high fall-risk clients.
  • Evidence-informed principles for “seeing safely,” including prioritizing even, glare-free lighting along key paths, using contrast strategically on stairs, grab bars, and switches, simplifying visual clutter, and making important safety features visually louder than background distractions.
  • Room-by-room strategies for entries, hallways, stairs, bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchens that you can plug directly into your next evaluation—plus a quick clinical vision-and-environment checklist to help you systematically capture vision-related risks rather than treating falls as only a strength or balance problem.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog on “seeing safely” with aging eyes. Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how age-related vision changes and cataracts interact with real-world home environments so you can incorporate lighting, contrast, and clutter-focused modifications into your assessments and reduce fall risk in a practical, low-cost way.

In this episode, we cover:

  • What actually happens to vision with aging and cataracts—reduced contrast sensitivity, increased glare, slower light adaptation, and hazier vision—and why beige-on-beige environments, shiny floors, and inconsistent lighting can turn otherwise strong, balanced older adults into high fall-risk clients.
  • Evidence-informed principles for “seeing safely,” including prioritizing even, glare-free lighting along key paths, using contrast strategically on stairs, grab bars, and switches, simplifying visual clutter, and making important safety features visually louder than background distractions.
  • Room-by-room strategies for entries, hallways, stairs, bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchens that you can plug directly into your next evaluation—plus a quick clinical vision-and-environment checklist to help you systematically capture vision-related risks rather than treating falls as only a strength or balance problem.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1406 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog on “seeing safely” with aging eyes. Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how age-related vision changes and cataracts interact with real-world home environments so you can incorporate lighting, contrast, and clutter-focused modifications into your assessments and reduce fall risk in a practical, low-cost way.

In this episode, we cover:

  • What actually happens to vision with aging and cataracts—reduced contrast sensitivity, increased glare, slower light adaptation, and hazier vision—and why beige-on-beige environments, shiny floors, and inconsistent lighting can turn otherwise strong, balanced older adults into high fall-risk clients.
  • Evidence-informed principles for “seeing safely,” including prioritizing even, glare-free lighting along key paths, using contrast strategically on stairs, grab bars, and switches, simplifying visual clutter, and making important safety features visually louder than background distractions.
  • Room-by-room strategies for entries, hallways, stairs, bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchens that you can plug directly into your next evaluation—plus a quick clinical vision-and-environment checklist to help you systematically capture vision-related risks rather than treating falls as only a strength or balance problem.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E14: Therapist Thursday | Martha Pack on Turning Home Health Insight into an Aging-in-Place Home Modifications Practice 14 14 S1E14: Therapist Thursday | Martha Pack on Turning Home Health Insight into an Aging-in-Place Home Modifications Practice full fb248521-b785-4623-a590-a1de3286bc67 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e8fb8fb8 Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Martha Pack, an occupational therapist and CHAT trained home modifications specialist based in Knoxville, about building a business focused on aging in place and caregiver support. Martha shares how her years in nearly every OT setting, combined with home health experience during COVID, led her to create a dedicated home mods practice that tailors environments for older adults in private homes and senior living communities.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Martha’s journey through school systems, hospitals, outpatient rehab, skilled nursing, and finally home health sparked her passion for home modifications, including the “aha” moment of simply repositioning a suction grab bar and realizing the impact of placement, design, and true accessibility.

Practical strategies she uses now, from acting as the communication bridge between clients and contractors, to providing caregiver education, planning for the “journey of aging,” and using grant-funded programs to create affordable, customized aging-in-place solutions in both private homes and facilities.

Business and networking insights on moving from “side hustle” to full business, deepening her expertise through, CHAT, CAPS, ECHM, and leveraging in-person networking and senior resource groups, and partnering on county grants like OAHMP to grow a sustainable practice while retaining the autonomy she wouldn’t trade to return to traditional employment.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Martha Pack, an occupational therapist and CHAT trained home modifications specialist based in Knoxville, about building a business focused on aging in place and caregiver support. Martha shares how her years in nearly every OT setting, combined with home health experience during COVID, led her to create a dedicated home mods practice that tailors environments for older adults in private homes and senior living communities.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Martha’s journey through school systems, hospitals, outpatient rehab, skilled nursing, and finally home health sparked her passion for home modifications, including the “aha” moment of simply repositioning a suction grab bar and realizing the impact of placement, design, and true accessibility.

Practical strategies she uses now, from acting as the communication bridge between clients and contractors, to providing caregiver education, planning for the “journey of aging,” and using grant-funded programs to create affordable, customized aging-in-place solutions in both private homes and facilities.

Business and networking insights on moving from “side hustle” to full business, deepening her expertise through, CHAT, CAPS, ECHM, and leveraging in-person networking and senior resource groups, and partnering on county grants like OAHMP to grow a sustainable practice while retaining the autonomy she wouldn’t trade to return to traditional employment.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 2282 Summary

In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Martha Pack, an occupational therapist and CHAT trained home modifications specialist based in Knoxville, about building a business focused on aging in place and caregiver support. Martha shares how her years in nearly every OT setting, combined with home health experience during COVID, led her to create a dedicated home mods practice that tailors environments for older adults in private homes and senior living communities.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Martha’s journey through school systems, hospitals, outpatient rehab, skilled nursing, and finally home health sparked her passion for home modifications, including the “aha” moment of simply repositioning a suction grab bar and realizing the impact of placement, design, and true accessibility.

Practical strategies she uses now, from acting as the communication bridge between clients and contractors, to providing caregiver education, planning for the “journey of aging,” and using grant-funded programs to create affordable, customized aging-in-place solutions in both private homes and facilities.

Business and networking insights on moving from “side hustle” to full business, deepening her expertise through, CHAT, CAPS, ECHM, and leveraging in-person networking and senior resource groups, and partnering on county grants like OAHMP to grow a sustainable practice while retaining the autonomy she wouldn’t trade to return to traditional employment.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E13: Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 3 13 13 S1E13: Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 3 full f99492c5-ad24-496f-bf4b-e880f42f0fbd https://share.transistor.fm/s/98190279 Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, unpacks how Medicare and reimbursement really work when you’re providing home safety and home modification services. She explains what counts as medical necessity, when you can and cannot bill, and how to protect both your clients and your practice while still offering valuable cash-based options.

Questions answered in this episode:

When is a home safety or home modification assessment considered medically necessary and covered, and when is it purely aging-in-place or preventative and not covered?

How do Medicare rules like mandatory claim submission, fall-risk guidelines, and quality measures (such as MIPS 154 and 155) affect what you can bill for and how you document your services?

What do therapists need to know to ethically offer cash-based home mods, set clear policies, and distinguish covered from non-covered services in day-to-day practice?

Mentioned resources and links:


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, unpacks how Medicare and reimbursement really work when you’re providing home safety and home modification services. She explains what counts as medical necessity, when you can and cannot bill, and how to protect both your clients and your practice while still offering valuable cash-based options.

Questions answered in this episode:

When is a home safety or home modification assessment considered medically necessary and covered, and when is it purely aging-in-place or preventative and not covered?

How do Medicare rules like mandatory claim submission, fall-risk guidelines, and quality measures (such as MIPS 154 and 155) affect what you can bill for and how you document your services?

What do therapists need to know to ethically offer cash-based home mods, set clear policies, and distinguish covered from non-covered services in day-to-day practice?

Mentioned resources and links:


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 823 Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, unpacks how Medicare and reimbursement really work when you’re providing home safety and home modification services. She explains what counts as medical necessity, when you can and cannot bill, and how to protect both your clients and your practice while still offering valuable cash-based options.

Questions answered in this episode:

When is a home safety or home modification assessment considered medically necessary and covered, and when is it purely aging-in-place or preventative and not covered?

How do Medicare rules like mandatory claim submission, fall-risk guidelines, and quality measures (such as MIPS 154 and 155) affect what you can bill for and how you document your services?

What do therapists need to know to ethically offer cash-based home mods, set clear policies, and distinguish covered from non-covered services in day-to-day practice?

Mentioned resources and links:


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E12: Blog-to-Audio | When the Power Goes Out: Disaster Planning for Clients With Electricity-Dependent Equipment 12 12 S1E12: Blog-to-Audio | When the Power Goes Out: Disaster Planning for Clients With Electricity-Dependent Equipment full 3675739f-1c2d-417b-afef-1a702275256f https://share.transistor.fm/s/4f2904f1 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “When the Power Goes Out: Disaster Planning for Clients With Electricity-Dependent Equipment.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how power outages turn from inconvenience to crisis for clients who rely on powered medical equipment, so you can systematically build outage planning into your OT assessments and protect function, safety, and life.


In this episode, we cover:

  • Why clients who depend on powered equipment (ventilators, oxygen concentrators, power wheelchairs, lifts, hospital beds, smart home systems) are among the most vulnerable in disasters, and why standard emergency checklists are not enough.

  • Five practical OT actions you can start using immediately: creating a detailed equipment inventory, connecting clients to utility life-support registries, developing written power-failure protocols, ensuring and practicing manual mobility options, and rehearsing evacuation or backup routines before a crisis.

  • How to think through the “cascade effect” of outages—elevators, doors, smart home controls, medication dispensers, and communication devices failing in sequence—and how OTs can respond both at the individual home level and by advocating for system-wide preparedness in agencies, shelters, and discharge planning.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “When the Power Goes Out: Disaster Planning for Clients With Electricity-Dependent Equipment.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how power outages turn from inconvenience to crisis for clients who rely on powered medical equipment, so you can systematically build outage planning into your OT assessments and protect function, safety, and life.


In this episode, we cover:

  • Why clients who depend on powered equipment (ventilators, oxygen concentrators, power wheelchairs, lifts, hospital beds, smart home systems) are among the most vulnerable in disasters, and why standard emergency checklists are not enough.

  • Five practical OT actions you can start using immediately: creating a detailed equipment inventory, connecting clients to utility life-support registries, developing written power-failure protocols, ensuring and practicing manual mobility options, and rehearsing evacuation or backup routines before a crisis.

  • How to think through the “cascade effect” of outages—elevators, doors, smart home controls, medication dispensers, and communication devices failing in sequence—and how OTs can respond both at the individual home level and by advocating for system-wide preparedness in agencies, shelters, and discharge planning.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 02 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 927 Summary
This episode is an audio version of our blog, “When the Power Goes Out: Disaster Planning for Clients With Electricity-Dependent Equipment.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how power outages turn from inconvenience to crisis for clients who rely on powered medical equipment, so you can systematically build outage planning into your OT assessments and protect function, safety, and life.


In this episode, we cover:

  • Why clients who depend on powered equipment (ventilators, oxygen concentrators, power wheelchairs, lifts, hospital beds, smart home systems) are among the most vulnerable in disasters, and why standard emergency checklists are not enough.

  • Five practical OT actions you can start using immediately: creating a detailed equipment inventory, connecting clients to utility life-support registries, developing written power-failure protocols, ensuring and practicing manual mobility options, and rehearsing evacuation or backup routines before a crisis.

  • How to think through the “cascade effect” of outages—elevators, doors, smart home controls, medication dispensers, and communication devices failing in sequence—and how OTs can respond both at the individual home level and by advocating for system-wide preparedness in agencies, shelters, and discharge planning.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E11: Blog-to-Audio | Why a Checklist Is Not Enough: Elevating Your OT Home Mod Assessments 11 11 S1E11: Blog-to-Audio | Why a Checklist Is Not Enough: Elevating Your OT Home Mod Assessments full 9711cbeb-e879-46bc-a72d-2433ad4b862c https://share.transistor.fm/s/e91b4a67 Why a Checklist Is Not Enough: Elevating Your OT Home Mod Assessments

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Why a Checklist Is Not Enough: Elevating Your OT Home Mod Assessments.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the limitations of checklist-based home safety visits and shows you how to bring deeper observation, clinical reasoning, and occupation-focused analysis into your assessments so you can make truly effective, defensible recommendations for your clients.

In this episode, we cover:

Why relying on home safety checklists alone can leave critical risks unaddressed, including how two clients with identical “checked boxes” can have completely different fall and safety profiles based on insight, cognition, habits, and support.

What checklists and standardized tools can and cannot do, and how to move beyond environment-centric box checking to person- and occupation-centered assessment that looks at real movement patterns, transfer strategies, fatigue, and how equipment is actually used.

Practical ways to deepen your home mod practice—observing meaningful tasks, sharpening your documentation language, and clarifying OT’s unique value—so you can shift from “form-completer” to confident, evidence-based home modification specialist.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Why a Checklist Is Not Enough: Elevating Your OT Home Mod Assessments

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Why a Checklist Is Not Enough: Elevating Your OT Home Mod Assessments.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the limitations of checklist-based home safety visits and shows you how to bring deeper observation, clinical reasoning, and occupation-focused analysis into your assessments so you can make truly effective, defensible recommendations for your clients.

In this episode, we cover:

Why relying on home safety checklists alone can leave critical risks unaddressed, including how two clients with identical “checked boxes” can have completely different fall and safety profiles based on insight, cognition, habits, and support.

What checklists and standardized tools can and cannot do, and how to move beyond environment-centric box checking to person- and occupation-centered assessment that looks at real movement patterns, transfer strategies, fatigue, and how equipment is actually used.

Practical ways to deepen your home mod practice—observing meaningful tasks, sharpening your documentation language, and clarifying OT’s unique value—so you can shift from “form-completer” to confident, evidence-based home modification specialist.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 26 May 2026 07:19:46 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1266 Why a Checklist Is Not Enough: Elevating Your OT Home Mod Assessments

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Why a Checklist Is Not Enough: Elevating Your OT Home Mod Assessments.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the limitations of checklist-based home safety visits and shows you how to bring deeper observation, clinical reasoning, and occupation-focused analysis into your assessments so you can make truly effective, defensible recommendations for your clients.

In this episode, we cover:

Why relying on home safety checklists alone can leave critical risks unaddressed, including how two clients with identical “checked boxes” can have completely different fall and safety profiles based on insight, cognition, habits, and support.

What checklists and standardized tools can and cannot do, and how to move beyond environment-centric box checking to person- and occupation-centered assessment that looks at real movement patterns, transfer strategies, fatigue, and how equipment is actually used.

Practical ways to deepen your home mod practice—observing meaningful tasks, sharpening your documentation language, and clarifying OT’s unique value—so you can shift from “form-completer” to confident, evidence-based home modification specialist.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E10: Therapist Thursday | Amy on Blending Architecture, OT, and Home Modifications Across the Lifespan 10 10 S1E10: Therapist Thursday | Amy on Blending Architecture, OT, and Home Modifications Across the Lifespan full 0eaeab9f-ea11-4de3-91fd-e62f093111bc https://share.transistor.fm/s/d1a88f1c Summary
 
In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Amy, an occupational therapist and founder of Live Equipped, about building a flexible OT practice that combines in‑home therapy, home modifications, and a pediatric clinic while serving both urban and rural communities around Birmingham, Alabama. Amy shares how she blended her early interest in architecture with her OT training, leveraged grants and nonprofit partnerships, and navigated Medicare and insurance so more clients can safely age in place and live more fully at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Amy’s path from “almost‑architect” to OT, then home health therapist, led her to create Live Equipt, provide in‑home OT and home accessibility assessments, and eventually open a pediatric clinic while working with large home‑modification programs across 20 counties.

Practical strategies she uses in evaluations, from walking through clients’ entire daily routines (beyond “just a few grab bars”) to generating long lists of small, low‑cost changes that dramatically improve safety, independence, and ease of daily activities in real‑world homes.

Business and career insights on carefully transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship (keeping PRN work as a safety net), learning Medicare/insurance so you can serve beneficiaries instead of excluding them, using grants and programs like Older Adults Home Modifications and PANDA, and designing a schedule that supports both client care and family life.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary
 
In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Amy, an occupational therapist and founder of Live Equipped, about building a flexible OT practice that combines in‑home therapy, home modifications, and a pediatric clinic while serving both urban and rural communities around Birmingham, Alabama. Amy shares how she blended her early interest in architecture with her OT training, leveraged grants and nonprofit partnerships, and navigated Medicare and insurance so more clients can safely age in place and live more fully at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Amy’s path from “almost‑architect” to OT, then home health therapist, led her to create Live Equipt, provide in‑home OT and home accessibility assessments, and eventually open a pediatric clinic while working with large home‑modification programs across 20 counties.

Practical strategies she uses in evaluations, from walking through clients’ entire daily routines (beyond “just a few grab bars”) to generating long lists of small, low‑cost changes that dramatically improve safety, independence, and ease of daily activities in real‑world homes.

Business and career insights on carefully transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship (keeping PRN work as a safety net), learning Medicare/insurance so you can serve beneficiaries instead of excluding them, using grants and programs like Older Adults Home Modifications and PANDA, and designing a schedule that supports both client care and family life.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 19 May 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1541 Summary
 
In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Amy, an occupational therapist and founder of Live Equipped, about building a flexible OT practice that combines in‑home therapy, home modifications, and a pediatric clinic while serving both urban and rural communities around Birmingham, Alabama. Amy shares how she blended her early interest in architecture with her OT training, leveraged grants and nonprofit partnerships, and navigated Medicare and insurance so more clients can safely age in place and live more fully at home.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Amy’s path from “almost‑architect” to OT, then home health therapist, led her to create Live Equipt, provide in‑home OT and home accessibility assessments, and eventually open a pediatric clinic while working with large home‑modification programs across 20 counties.

Practical strategies she uses in evaluations, from walking through clients’ entire daily routines (beyond “just a few grab bars”) to generating long lists of small, low‑cost changes that dramatically improve safety, independence, and ease of daily activities in real‑world homes.

Business and career insights on carefully transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship (keeping PRN work as a safety net), learning Medicare/insurance so you can serve beneficiaries instead of excluding them, using grants and programs like Older Adults Home Modifications and PANDA, and designing a schedule that supports both client care and family life.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E9: Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 2 9 9 S1E9: Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 2 full 7d158f64-b30f-4c5d-b25d-735d688db473 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2a787bd2 Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, dives into the second key step in getting started with home modifications: clarifying what expertise you truly need and how to intentionally build it over time. She highlights the unique value OTs bring, the advanced skills that go beyond basic safety checks, and practical ways to grow your confidence and competence in this specialty.

Questions answered in this episode:

What skills do therapists already have that transfer directly into home modifications, and what counts as “advanced” home mod expertise?

How is OT-led home assessment different from contractor-led or technician-led recommendations, and why does clinical reasoning make such a difference in outcomes?

What additional knowledge should you develop—like construction basics, standardized assessments, documentation, and staying current with new products—to confidently grow a home mods practice?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, dives into the second key step in getting started with home modifications: clarifying what expertise you truly need and how to intentionally build it over time. She highlights the unique value OTs bring, the advanced skills that go beyond basic safety checks, and practical ways to grow your confidence and competence in this specialty.

Questions answered in this episode:

What skills do therapists already have that transfer directly into home modifications, and what counts as “advanced” home mod expertise?

How is OT-led home assessment different from contractor-led or technician-led recommendations, and why does clinical reasoning make such a difference in outcomes?

What additional knowledge should you develop—like construction basics, standardized assessments, documentation, and staying current with new products—to confidently grow a home mods practice?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 12 May 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 908 Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, dives into the second key step in getting started with home modifications: clarifying what expertise you truly need and how to intentionally build it over time. She highlights the unique value OTs bring, the advanced skills that go beyond basic safety checks, and practical ways to grow your confidence and competence in this specialty.

Questions answered in this episode:

What skills do therapists already have that transfer directly into home modifications, and what counts as “advanced” home mod expertise?

How is OT-led home assessment different from contractor-led or technician-led recommendations, and why does clinical reasoning make such a difference in outcomes?

What additional knowledge should you develop—like construction basics, standardized assessments, documentation, and staying current with new products—to confidently grow a home mods practice?

Mentioned resources and links:

Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E8: Blog-to-Audio | From Smart Wheelchairs to Smart Homes: Updating Your Home Assessments for New Mobility Tech 8 8 S1E8: Blog-to-Audio | From Smart Wheelchairs to Smart Homes: Updating Your Home Assessments for New Mobility Tech full d7b67b3a-d319-4a19-8dc4-cc22417d9443 https://share.transistor.fm/s/75df6abb From Smart Wheelchairs to Smart Homes: Updating Your Home Assessments for New Mobility Tech

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From Smart Wheelchairs to Smart Homes: Updating Your Home Assessments for New Mobility Technology.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how rapidly evolving mobility and smart home technologies are reshaping real-world function so you can update your home assessment process to look beyond “does it fit?” and truly evaluate compatibility, safety, and daily routines.


In this episode, we cover:

  • What’s changing in mobility technology—from smart wheelchairs with obstacle detection and app-based controls to more complex charging needs and environmental control systems—and why traditional tape-measure assessments are no longer enough.
  • How to apply a compatibility lens in your home visits, including what to observe with smart wheelchairs (sensor behavior, mirrors and glass, lighting, tight turns), how to document technology–environment mismatches, and the specific questions to add to your assessments.
  • Practical ways to assess batteries, charging routines, and smart home systems (Wi‑Fi, apps, voice assistants, backup options, client cognitive/tech capacity), so you can recommend sustainable layouts, safer charging setups, and realistic automation that truly supports independence and reduces fall and caregiver burden.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> From Smart Wheelchairs to Smart Homes: Updating Your Home Assessments for New Mobility Tech

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From Smart Wheelchairs to Smart Homes: Updating Your Home Assessments for New Mobility Technology.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how rapidly evolving mobility and smart home technologies are reshaping real-world function so you can update your home assessment process to look beyond “does it fit?” and truly evaluate compatibility, safety, and daily routines.


In this episode, we cover:

  • What’s changing in mobility technology—from smart wheelchairs with obstacle detection and app-based controls to more complex charging needs and environmental control systems—and why traditional tape-measure assessments are no longer enough.
  • How to apply a compatibility lens in your home visits, including what to observe with smart wheelchairs (sensor behavior, mirrors and glass, lighting, tight turns), how to document technology–environment mismatches, and the specific questions to add to your assessments.
  • Practical ways to assess batteries, charging routines, and smart home systems (Wi‑Fi, apps, voice assistants, backup options, client cognitive/tech capacity), so you can recommend sustainable layouts, safer charging setups, and realistic automation that truly supports independence and reduces fall and caregiver burden.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1545 From Smart Wheelchairs to Smart Homes: Updating Your Home Assessments for New Mobility Tech

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “From Smart Wheelchairs to Smart Homes: Updating Your Home Assessments for New Mobility Technology.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through how rapidly evolving mobility and smart home technologies are reshaping real-world function so you can update your home assessment process to look beyond “does it fit?” and truly evaluate compatibility, safety, and daily routines.


In this episode, we cover:

  • What’s changing in mobility technology—from smart wheelchairs with obstacle detection and app-based controls to more complex charging needs and environmental control systems—and why traditional tape-measure assessments are no longer enough.
  • How to apply a compatibility lens in your home visits, including what to observe with smart wheelchairs (sensor behavior, mirrors and glass, lighting, tight turns), how to document technology–environment mismatches, and the specific questions to add to your assessments.
  • Practical ways to assess batteries, charging routines, and smart home systems (Wi‑Fi, apps, voice assistants, backup options, client cognitive/tech capacity), so you can recommend sustainable layouts, safer charging setups, and realistic automation that truly supports independence and reduces fall and caregiver burden.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:


]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E7: Blog-to-Audio | Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Through Home Modifications for OTs 7 7 S1E7: Blog-to-Audio | Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Through Home Modifications for OTs full 455ceb49-8373-42ba-8294-f409644c85b7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0380e286 Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Through Home Modifications for OTs

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Through Home Modifications for OTs.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the latest evidence on fall prevention, showing you how to combine structured assessments with targeted, room-by-room home modifications so you can meaningfully reduce fall risk and clearly demonstrate the impact of your interventions.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why falls among community-dwelling older adults are so life-altering, how often they occur, and what current research says about the potential of home modifications—within a multifactorial plan—to reduce falls and healthcare costs.

  • The key evidence-based components of fall prevention for OTs, including validated screening tools, exercise and medication considerations, environmental safety modifications, and a minimum two-visit home modification model that aligns with AOTA’s Vision 2025.

  • Practical, evidence-informed strategies for room-by-room home modification—especially in bathrooms, entrances, stairs, and living areas—focused on observing real occupational performance and tailoring grab bars, layout, lighting, flooring, and equipment to each client’s specific risks and routines.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Through Home Modifications for OTs

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Through Home Modifications for OTs.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the latest evidence on fall prevention, showing you how to combine structured assessments with targeted, room-by-room home modifications so you can meaningfully reduce fall risk and clearly demonstrate the impact of your interventions.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why falls among community-dwelling older adults are so life-altering, how often they occur, and what current research says about the potential of home modifications—within a multifactorial plan—to reduce falls and healthcare costs.

  • The key evidence-based components of fall prevention for OTs, including validated screening tools, exercise and medication considerations, environmental safety modifications, and a minimum two-visit home modification model that aligns with AOTA’s Vision 2025.

  • Practical, evidence-informed strategies for room-by-room home modification—especially in bathrooms, entrances, stairs, and living areas—focused on observing real occupational performance and tailoring grab bars, layout, lighting, flooring, and equipment to each client’s specific risks and routines.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1478 Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Through Home Modifications for OTs

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Through Home Modifications for OTs.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the latest evidence on fall prevention, showing you how to combine structured assessments with targeted, room-by-room home modifications so you can meaningfully reduce fall risk and clearly demonstrate the impact of your interventions.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why falls among community-dwelling older adults are so life-altering, how often they occur, and what current research says about the potential of home modifications—within a multifactorial plan—to reduce falls and healthcare costs.

  • The key evidence-based components of fall prevention for OTs, including validated screening tools, exercise and medication considerations, environmental safety modifications, and a minimum two-visit home modification model that aligns with AOTA’s Vision 2025.

  • Practical, evidence-informed strategies for room-by-room home modification—especially in bathrooms, entrances, stairs, and living areas—focused on observing real occupational performance and tailoring grab bars, layout, lighting, flooring, and equipment to each client’s specific risks and routines.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E6: Therapist Thursday | Cathron Sterling on Turning Personal Loss into Purposeful Home Modifications 6 6 S1E6: Therapist Thursday | Cathron Sterling on Turning Personal Loss into Purposeful Home Modifications full 311d6767-dc02-4fcc-ab96-dbc146142c8e https://share.transistor.fm/s/58a6bfd1 In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Cathron Sterling, an occupational therapist and home safety specialist from San Antonio, about building a mission-driven home modifications and DME practice after decades in traditional clinical roles. Cathron shares how her experiences in pediatric home health, care coordination, and caring for her mother after multiple strokes shaped a business focused on access, safety, and dignity at home.


What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Cathron’s 27-year OT journey—from acute care and inpatient rehab to pediatric and adult home health, liaison work, and caring for her mother after strokes—led her to start a home safety, accessibility, and wheelchair/DME-focused company in 2020 and go full-time by 2023.
  • Practical ways she blends an OT lens, public administration training, and lived family experience to assess home safety, navigate limited resources, coordinate services, and creatively modify spaces (like converting a garage into an accessible apartment).
  • Business and career insights on channeling grief into meaningful work, using community connections and care-coordination networks to build a referral base, and creating a home mods/private practice path that offers more autonomy and a sustainable alternative to burnout in traditional healthcare roles.


Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Cathron Sterling, an occupational therapist and home safety specialist from San Antonio, about building a mission-driven home modifications and DME practice after decades in traditional clinical roles. Cathron shares how her experiences in pediatric home health, care coordination, and caring for her mother after multiple strokes shaped a business focused on access, safety, and dignity at home.


What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Cathron’s 27-year OT journey—from acute care and inpatient rehab to pediatric and adult home health, liaison work, and caring for her mother after strokes—led her to start a home safety, accessibility, and wheelchair/DME-focused company in 2020 and go full-time by 2023.
  • Practical ways she blends an OT lens, public administration training, and lived family experience to assess home safety, navigate limited resources, coordinate services, and creatively modify spaces (like converting a garage into an accessible apartment).
  • Business and career insights on channeling grief into meaningful work, using community connections and care-coordination networks to build a referral base, and creating a home mods/private practice path that offers more autonomy and a sustainable alternative to burnout in traditional healthcare roles.


Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1989 In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Cathron Sterling, an occupational therapist and home safety specialist from San Antonio, about building a mission-driven home modifications and DME practice after decades in traditional clinical roles. Cathron shares how her experiences in pediatric home health, care coordination, and caring for her mother after multiple strokes shaped a business focused on access, safety, and dignity at home.


What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Cathron’s 27-year OT journey—from acute care and inpatient rehab to pediatric and adult home health, liaison work, and caring for her mother after strokes—led her to start a home safety, accessibility, and wheelchair/DME-focused company in 2020 and go full-time by 2023.
  • Practical ways she blends an OT lens, public administration training, and lived family experience to assess home safety, navigate limited resources, coordinate services, and creatively modify spaces (like converting a garage into an accessible apartment).
  • Business and career insights on channeling grief into meaningful work, using community connections and care-coordination networks to build a referral base, and creating a home mods/private practice path that offers more autonomy and a sustainable alternative to burnout in traditional healthcare roles.


Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E5 Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 1 5 5 S1E5 Office Hours | Getting Started in Home Mods Part 1 full 46a6e72c-59c0-42d0-84e0-69efbbe30fed https://share.transistor.fm/s/6e6feadd Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, walks you through the first key step in developing a home modifications practice: understanding and identifying the need in your own community. She shares fall statistics, real-life stories, and reflection prompts to help you spot where clients’ homes are putting them at risk and how that signals a growing opportunity for your skills.

Questions answered in this episode:

 How big is the problem of falls at home for older adults, and what do the latest statistics really tell us

What housing and neighborhood factors (like home age, layout, and state-level fall data) signal a strong need for home modifications services?

How can you use your current caseload and everyday observations to spot poor housing fit and define the specific home modification needs in your community?


Mentioned resources and links:


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, walks you through the first key step in developing a home modifications practice: understanding and identifying the need in your own community. She shares fall statistics, real-life stories, and reflection prompts to help you spot where clients’ homes are putting them at risk and how that signals a growing opportunity for your skills.

Questions answered in this episode:

 How big is the problem of falls at home for older adults, and what do the latest statistics really tell us

What housing and neighborhood factors (like home age, layout, and state-level fall data) signal a strong need for home modifications services?

How can you use your current caseload and everyday observations to spot poor housing fit and define the specific home modification needs in your community?


Mentioned resources and links:


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 767 Summary

In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, walks you through the first key step in developing a home modifications practice: understanding and identifying the need in your own community. She shares fall statistics, real-life stories, and reflection prompts to help you spot where clients’ homes are putting them at risk and how that signals a growing opportunity for your skills.

Questions answered in this episode:

 How big is the problem of falls at home for older adults, and what do the latest statistics really tell us

What housing and neighborhood factors (like home age, layout, and state-level fall data) signal a strong need for home modifications services?

How can you use your current caseload and everyday observations to spot poor housing fit and define the specific home modification needs in your community?


Mentioned resources and links:


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E4: Blog-to-Audio | Current Trends in Home Accessibility: What Therapists Need to Know in Q2 2026 4 4 S1E4: Blog-to-Audio | Current Trends in Home Accessibility: What Therapists Need to Know in Q2 2026 full 0e4cfa8a-236a-43f4-a2a4-bdd35b5b6779 https://share.transistor.fm/s/bbd86bdc Current Trends in Home Accessibility: What Therapists Need to Know in Q2 2026

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Current Trends in Home Accessibility: What Therapists Need to Know in Q2 2026.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the clinical, technological, and funding trends reshaping home safety so you can position your practice on the leading edge of home-based care and confidently navigate new opportunities for your clients.

In this episode, we cover:

Why demand for home safety and accessibility assessments is accelerating in 2026, including aging-in-place trends, increasing medical complexity at home, and health system pressure to reduce readmissions and ED visits.

How smart home and connected technologies, as well as redesigned “traditional” modifications, are changing what clients expect and how therapists must evaluate homes using structured, task-based, function-focused assessments.

The key workforce gaps and evolving funding pathways (VA, Medicaid waivers, grants, and loans) that create new roles for OTs as consultants, evaluators, and advocates—and how to align your documentation, messaging, and collaborations to access these opportunities.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Current Trends in Home Accessibility: What Therapists Need to Know in Q2 2026

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Current Trends in Home Accessibility: What Therapists Need to Know in Q2 2026.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the clinical, technological, and funding trends reshaping home safety so you can position your practice on the leading edge of home-based care and confidently navigate new opportunities for your clients.

In this episode, we cover:

Why demand for home safety and accessibility assessments is accelerating in 2026, including aging-in-place trends, increasing medical complexity at home, and health system pressure to reduce readmissions and ED visits.

How smart home and connected technologies, as well as redesigned “traditional” modifications, are changing what clients expect and how therapists must evaluate homes using structured, task-based, function-focused assessments.

The key workforce gaps and evolving funding pathways (VA, Medicaid waivers, grants, and loans) that create new roles for OTs as consultants, evaluators, and advocates—and how to align your documentation, messaging, and collaborations to access these opportunities.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 07 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 823 Current Trends in Home Accessibility: What Therapists Need to Know in Q2 2026

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Current Trends in Home Accessibility: What Therapists Need to Know in Q2 2026.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through the clinical, technological, and funding trends reshaping home safety so you can position your practice on the leading edge of home-based care and confidently navigate new opportunities for your clients.

In this episode, we cover:

Why demand for home safety and accessibility assessments is accelerating in 2026, including aging-in-place trends, increasing medical complexity at home, and health system pressure to reduce readmissions and ED visits.

How smart home and connected technologies, as well as redesigned “traditional” modifications, are changing what clients expect and how therapists must evaluate homes using structured, task-based, function-focused assessments.

The key workforce gaps and evolving funding pathways (VA, Medicaid waivers, grants, and loans) that create new roles for OTs as consultants, evaluators, and advocates—and how to align your documentation, messaging, and collaborations to access these opportunities.

Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E3: Blog-to-Audio| Beyond the One-and-Done: Why Home Modifications Require Ongoing OT Expertise 3 3 S1E3: Blog-to-Audio| Beyond the One-and-Done: Why Home Modifications Require Ongoing OT Expertise full ff25f4fe-7c43-43e7-83e8-a4ca928a641b https://share.transistor.fm/s/ba84a6f5 Beyond the One-and-Done: Why Home Modifications Require Ongoing OT Expertise

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Beyond the One-and-Done: Why Home Modifications Require Ongoing OT Expertise.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through why assess-and-go home modification models fall short and how a longitudinal, relationship-based approach supports better outcomes, ethics, and business stability for occupational therapists.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why the “one-and-done” home modification model is so appealing to burned-out therapists—and the ethical, functional, and clinical pitfalls it creates for clients and for our profession.
  • What the research tells us about short-term versus long-term outcomes of home modifications, and how clients’ needs and environmental barriers evolve over time.
  • How to reframe your role as an OT from one-time assessor to ongoing home and life design partner, including a phased, longitudinal service model that is both client-centered and financially sustainable.


Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Beyond the One-and-Done: Why Home Modifications Require Ongoing OT Expertise

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Beyond the One-and-Done: Why Home Modifications Require Ongoing OT Expertise.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through why assess-and-go home modification models fall short and how a longitudinal, relationship-based approach supports better outcomes, ethics, and business stability for occupational therapists.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why the “one-and-done” home modification model is so appealing to burned-out therapists—and the ethical, functional, and clinical pitfalls it creates for clients and for our profession.
  • What the research tells us about short-term versus long-term outcomes of home modifications, and how clients’ needs and environmental barriers evolve over time.
  • How to reframe your role as an OT from one-time assessor to ongoing home and life design partner, including a phased, longitudinal service model that is both client-centered and financially sustainable.


Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 1119 Beyond the One-and-Done: Why Home Modifications Require Ongoing OT Expertise

This episode is an audio version of our blog, “Beyond the One-and-Done: Why Home Modifications Require Ongoing OT Expertise.” Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L walks through why assess-and-go home modification models fall short and how a longitudinal, relationship-based approach supports better outcomes, ethics, and business stability for occupational therapists.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why the “one-and-done” home modification model is so appealing to burned-out therapists—and the ethical, functional, and clinical pitfalls it creates for clients and for our profession.
  • What the research tells us about short-term versus long-term outcomes of home modifications, and how clients’ needs and environmental barriers evolve over time.
  • How to reframe your role as an OT from one-time assessor to ongoing home and life design partner, including a phased, longitudinal service model that is both client-centered and financially sustainable.


Read the full blog and see visuals:

Related trainings and courses:

Stay connected:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E2: Therapist Thursday| Erin DiChiara on Building a Sustainable Home Modifications Practice 2 2 S1E2: Therapist Thursday| Erin DiChiara on Building a Sustainable Home Modifications Practice full 58c5042d-2d61-4d18-a18c-642df208ef6f https://share.transistor.fm/s/9a217b4d In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Erin DiChiara, OTR/L, an occupational therapist and CHAT-certified home accessibility therapist, about creating a sustainable, values-driven home mods practice that truly fits your life. Erin shares how she supports adult daughters of aging parents, clients with catastrophic injuries, and individuals with lifelong disabilities to safely age in place while running a profitable, meaningful business.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Erin got started in home modifications over 20 years ago, inspired by her 95-year-old grandmother, and how that experience grew into a CHAT-certified practice serving aging adults, people with catastrophic injuries, and clients with lifelong disabilities.
  • Practical strategies she uses in home visits, including deeply listening to how people actually live, solving problems as simply as possible, and blending assistive technology, seating and mobility, and thoughtful home modifications instead of over-engineering major construction.​
  • Business and mindset insights on overcoming fears about cash-based services, making home modifications affordable yet profitable, learning to “think like a business owner,” and staying energized in OT by carving out a home mods niche that aligns with your strengths and passions.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Erin DiChiara, OTR/L, an occupational therapist and CHAT-certified home accessibility therapist, about creating a sustainable, values-driven home mods practice that truly fits your life. Erin shares how she supports adult daughters of aging parents, clients with catastrophic injuries, and individuals with lifelong disabilities to safely age in place while running a profitable, meaningful business.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Erin got started in home modifications over 20 years ago, inspired by her 95-year-old grandmother, and how that experience grew into a CHAT-certified practice serving aging adults, people with catastrophic injuries, and clients with lifelong disabilities.
  • Practical strategies she uses in home visits, including deeply listening to how people actually live, solving problems as simply as possible, and blending assistive technology, seating and mobility, and thoughtful home modifications instead of over-engineering major construction.​
  • Business and mindset insights on overcoming fears about cash-based services, making home modifications affordable yet profitable, learning to “think like a business owner,” and staying energized in OT by carving out a home mods niche that aligns with your strengths and passions.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 2272 In this Therapist Thursday episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L talks with Erin DiChiara, OTR/L, an occupational therapist and CHAT-certified home accessibility therapist, about creating a sustainable, values-driven home mods practice that truly fits your life. Erin shares how she supports adult daughters of aging parents, clients with catastrophic injuries, and individuals with lifelong disabilities to safely age in place while running a profitable, meaningful business.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Erin got started in home modifications over 20 years ago, inspired by her 95-year-old grandmother, and how that experience grew into a CHAT-certified practice serving aging adults, people with catastrophic injuries, and clients with lifelong disabilities.
  • Practical strategies she uses in home visits, including deeply listening to how people actually live, solving problems as simply as possible, and blending assistive technology, seating and mobility, and thoughtful home modifications instead of over-engineering major construction.​
  • Business and mindset insights on overcoming fears about cash-based services, making home modifications affordable yet profitable, learning to “think like a business owner,” and staying energized in OT by carving out a home mods niche that aligns with your strengths and passions.

Guest details and links:

Resources mentioned:

Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L S1E1: Office Hours | Introduction 1 1 S1E1: Office Hours | Introduction full bdb7ecb5-1963-476b-b56a-848de0bd76b3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/133c224c
Office Hours: Introduction with Sue Doyle PhD, OTR/L.


In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle PhD, OTR/L introduced herself and shared her inspiration behind The Home Accessibility Therapist and this first episode of The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast. 


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]>
Office Hours: Introduction with Sue Doyle PhD, OTR/L.


In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle PhD, OTR/L introduced herself and shared her inspiration behind The Home Accessibility Therapist and this first episode of The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast. 


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> Tue, 17 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 671
Office Hours: Introduction with Sue Doyle PhD, OTR/L.


In this office hours episode, Sue Doyle PhD, OTR/L introduced herself and shared her inspiration behind The Home Accessibility Therapist and this first episode of The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast. 


Submit a question for a future episode:


Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L What is The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast? 1 1 What is The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast? trailer 274ba461-76c9-456a-a27f-bfeddbf64eba https://share.transistor.fm/s/948350f9 We are so glad you found us. Follow us online to find out when we will drop the first episode of The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast!

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]]> We are so glad you found us. Follow us online to find out when we will drop the first episode of The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast!

Stay connected:


Music by: andrii g. from Pixabay

]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:36:33 -0800 Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L 170 We are so glad you found us. Follow us online to find out when we will drop the first episode of The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast!

Stay connected:


Music by: andrii g. from Pixabay

]]> occupational therapy, home modifications, home accessibility, aging in place, OT home health, environmental modifications, fall prevention, fall prevention at home, accessible home design, universal design, home safety assessment, OT home evaluations, bathroom modifications, grab bars and ramps, low-cost home modifications, OT clinical reasoning, OT documentation, OT for older adults, hoarding and OT, disaster preparedness OT, community-based OT, OT private practice, home modification consulting, Certified Home Accessibility Therapist , advanced home modification skills, OT continuing education No Sue Doyle PhD OTR/L