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Home for Life Designs: Accessibility design and home modifications for individuals with disabilities and health challenges.
Home for Life Designs, based in North Carolina, specializes in accessibility design and home modification services, creating safe and accessible environments for individuals facing disabilities, injuries, and aging-related health challenges. The organization's core mission is to prevent reoccurring issues after hospital recovery by proactively addressing environmental barriers within homes, thereby promoting greater independence. Founded by occupational therapist Carolyn Sithong, Home for Life Designs has successfully secured grant funding, notably receiving the NC IDEA MICRO grant in 2021 and the NC IDEA SEED grant in 2023. While specific total funding or valuation figures are not publicly disclosed, the company has shown operational expansion, including the recent hiring of an intern from Duke's Fuqua School of Business. Active by 2020, Home for Life Designs continues to engage with the startup ecosystem, having submitted a case study to NC IDEA, which was published in June 2024.
Home for Life Design is a technology company offering a data-driven, mobile and cloud-based home safety assessment application that measures the safety and accessibility of homes using proprietary Accessibility Ratings™. It serves professionals in healthcare, occupational therapy, housing, and disability services, enabling them to conduct standardized, metric-driven assessments in-person or virtually, generate one-click reports, and track data to recommend modifications that prolong independent living for aging and disabled populations[1][2][3][6]. The platform solves the problem of antiquated, non-standardized home assessments—often limited to basic advice like removing rugs—by providing precise metrics on health impacts, barrier elimination, and tailored solutions to reduce falls, prevent institutionalization, and cut healthcare costs, ultimately aiming to "eliminate disability one home at a time"[1][3].
Founded by Carolyn Sithong, an occupational therapist, Home for Life Design emerged from her expertise in assessing individuals for recovery and applying that same personalized approach to homes as living environments[1][3]. Based in Salisbury, North Carolina, the company developed its revolutionary tool to address the obstacles faced by people returning home after injuries, transforming familiar spaces into safe, accessible ones that support lifelong independence[1]. Early traction included national recognition as an award-winning solution trusted by academic professionals and higher education institutions, with pivotal growth through NC IDEA support, internships from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, and plans for SBIR grants to expand remote assessment capabilities[2][3].
Home for Life Design rides the wave of aging-in-place technology and healthtech for accessibility, capitalizing on a growing global population of seniors and disabled individuals seeking to avoid institutional care amid rising healthcare costs[1][3]. Timing aligns with post-pandemic demand for virtual assessments and data-standardization in occupational therapy/home health, where market forces like U.S. demographic shifts (e.g., baby boomers aging) and policy pushes for cost-saving home modifications favor scalable SaaS tools[1][2][3]. It influences the ecosystem by empowering professionals with evidence-based metrics, fostering community-level changes like job creation in regions such as Rowan County, NC, and bridging healthcare with proptech for healthier living environments[1][3].
Home for Life Design is poised for expansion through SBIR grants, tech augmentations for universal remote assessments, and deeper integration with healthcare/housing providers, potentially becoming the industry standard for home health metrics[3]. Trends like AI-enhanced personalization in healthtech and government incentives for aging-in-place solutions will accelerate its growth, evolving its influence from niche occupational therapy tool to ecosystem-wide platform that scales community impact. This mission-driven innovator, born from Sithong's vision, continues transforming obstacles into opportunities for lifelong home independence[1][3].