Michael McCartney, a former healthcare marketing executive, had a simple vision for a new venture: to enhance the lives, health, and homes of aging adults.

Over 25+ years in his corporate career, Mike worked in categories ranging from diabetes and oncology to orthopedics and ophthalmology and saw not only the healthcare costs of caring for a ballooning older population but also the opportunity to promote overall well-being by enhancing all aspects of the home environment.

“I loved the creative and strategic challenges of bringing new therapies to market and helping to educate patients and providers, yet as my career progressed and I climbed the ladder, I became increasingly disconnected from the people I wanted to serve. I felt a calling to be more hands-on and make a difference at the primary point of care – the home,” adds Mike.

Hence, Silver Age Homes was founded in early 2020. Located in the western suburbs of Chicago. Silver Age Homes is a design-and-build firm focused on the needs of aging adults, enabling seniors to age in place on their terms in safe, secure settings that cater to their individual needs and preferences. Silver Age Homes combines the expertise of a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) with architecture, design, and construction management to identify and prioritize the optimal home improvements.

“We built a business model to help with everything from post-episodic safety modifications such as grab bars and ramps, to whole house renovations and smart home technologies. Using Universal Design principles, we work to understand clients’ current needs and future considerations, and to tailor solutions that keep them safe without making the home look like a hospital. We saw a lot of early success with our share of start-up challenges, then COVID hit, and we needed to pivot,” Mike points.

Partnering with a Purpose

As 2020 saw many homeowners unwilling and unable to contract work in their homes, Silver Age sought to partner with a broader market: senior living communities. One of those facilities is Plymouth Place Senior Living in La Grange Park, Illinois, located 15 miles west of Chicago.

Plymouth Place, like most communities, faced its own struggles brought on by COVID. Aside from the health and safety challenges in senior living, perceptions declined, impacting occupancy and sales. As lockdowns eased, the need to enhance the marketability of communal senior living became paramount for Plymouth.

Silver Age partnered with Plymouth to reimagine the sales and design process by allowing new residents to fully customize their one-, two-, and three-bedroom units.

“We began to engage with prospects and the sales team during the sales process, providing an opportunity for them to fully customize their units. We offered new design selections, architecture and design services with a focus on well-being to support aging in place inside of a larger community,” extols Mike.

The new model not only helped new residents supplant some of the anxiety of transitioning to senior living with excitement about moving into their new custom home, but also helped Plymouth Place meet its business objectives.

Jay Biere, CEO of Plymouth Place: “Our partnership with Silver Age began at a critical time as our focus was to enhance our residential inventory and maximize occupancy while we were planning for a campus expansion. Silver Age acted as an extension of our internal sales and operational teams. Above and beyond the design and construction work, they significantly strengthened our capacity to attract new residents, create their ideal environments, and increase overall satisfaction.”

Future Focus

By 2030 in the U.S., Boomers will have passed age 65. We are currently in the highest-volume years of the retirement wave. Compounded by rising life expectancies, increasing healthcare costs, inadequate housing, and fewer Americans entering the trades, the need to optimize senior living environments, build a workforce to support seniors, and accelerate innovations has never been greater.

As Mike explains, “Silver Age is excited to be a part of that solution. While our business is hands-on, addressing individual needs on a case-by-case basis, we continually seek and implement solutions that can scale across communities and populations.”

Exploring and introducing new products and partnerships remains a focus for Silver Age, as manufacturers continue to bring new products to market.

According to Mike, “It’s amazing to see how we can apply these global advancements in individual homes. Lighting is a great example and one of the easiest ways to increase safety, comfort, and confidence. Beyond LED energy savings, smaller, smarter fixtures and devices allow us to easily add lighting under cabinets and toe-kicks, in staircases and hallways; we can also add motion detection, timers, or voice control with smart devices. These are cost-effective improvements that can be difference-makers in people’s lives,”

Education remains a focus for Silver Age Homes. “Not only are we always seeking new information to get smarter and faster to serve our communities, but we are also working to educate individuals and companies entering this market. I’m a CAPS Specialist and currently working with the National Association of Home Builders to become an instructor to help develop the next generation of builders and innovators in senior living,” concludes Mike.