Here is how we can help your loved ones age in place gracefully.

Lantern Years helps families understand whether home can still work, what would need to change, and which priorities matter most. Families answer guided questions, share home photos, and receive an OT-reviewed Stay-at-Home Plan with feasibility guidance, daily routine notes, room-by-room priorities, caregiver coverage, care-level guidance, equipment and home-change recommendations, contractor questions, family tasks, and clear follow-up steps.

It is for older adults, adult children, spouses, family caregivers, paid helpers, care managers, referral partners, and families planning ahead. Lantern Years can help when someone is aging in place, returning home after a hospital or rehab stay, adjusting after a change in mobility, coordinating care from another city, preparing for surgery, setting up a new living arrangement, or simply wanting the home to work better before daily routines become harder.

No. The questions and plan are written in plain language. You do not need to know medical terms or know what changes the home needs before you begin.

Families can choose the Stay-at-Home Feasibility & Care Plan or Priority Stay-at-Home Review. Both include licensed occupational therapist review. Priority review is for time-sensitive decisions such as recent falls, discharge planning, sudden changes, or urgent caregiver uncertainty after the home questions and photos are complete.

You get a clearer picture of whether home still looks realistic, where your parent may need support, what changes are worth doing first, and how family or paid caregivers can help without guessing.

You can plan ahead for daily routines that matter to you, such as bathing, stairs, getting in and out of the home, nighttime trips, and keeping useful items easier to reach.

The plan gives caregivers clearer cues for where help is needed, what setup changes may reduce strain, what family can reasonably do, what a paid caregiver should cover, and which first tasks family members can divide instead of carrying everything informally.

Yes. Lantern Years is built around practical priorities. Your plan helps separate simple first changes from bigger projects, so your family can act without turning every concern into a remodel.

Small home changes are often easier to make before everyone is under pressure. Starting now can help your family notice daily trouble spots, prepare caregivers, and make the home easier to use sooner.

The plan can include a stay-at-home feasibility category, daily independence notes, a home risk map, recommended care level, caregiver coverage guidance, bathroom safety, bedroom and nighttime paths, stairs, entry access, lighting, equipment, home changes, contractor questions, family task assignments, and the first priorities to consider.

Yes. The plan gives a clear feasibility category with the reasoning behind it. It explains what can make home safer, what needs more support, and when home may not be reliable without skilled help, more caregiver coverage, medical follow-up, or a different setting.

Helpful photos include the bathroom, shower or tub, toilet area, stairs from top and bottom, entry from inside and outside, the bedroom path to the bathroom, hallways used at night, and any room your family is worried about.

A trusted adult child, spouse, family member, or caregiver can help answer the questions and upload photos with permission.

No. Many families start because something feels harder, but they are not sure what to change. The guided questions help organize concerns by room, routine, and level of support.

Yes. The plan can highlight everyday setup changes, equipment ideas, lighting improvements, clearer paths, caregiver routines, and questions to ask before considering larger home projects.

Yes. The plan is written so family members can understand priorities, discuss next steps, and divide tasks such as moving items, checking lighting, asking about equipment, contacting local help, or following up after a quote or completed change.

Share the areas that matter most, such as the bathroom, entry, stairs, bedroom path, or the room where daily routines feel hardest. Clear photos from a few angles are often enough to begin a useful plan.

Yes. Families can review the plan in the secure account, keep the family action board updated, and download the plan when PDF access is available for the account.

The family action board turns the plan into practical follow-through. It keeps priorities, task owners, timing, item notes, caregiver guidance, contractor questions, and progress in one place so the plan does not get lost in separate texts or calls.

Yes. The plan owner can invite trusted helpers so family members can review the plan, understand tasks, and stay aligned around next steps. Private home details and photos stay organized in the family account.

Families can request updated next steps when routines change, new photos are available, equipment is added, home work is completed, quotes raise questions, or the family is unsure whether the first plan still fits.

Yes. Ongoing Support is available after an OT-reviewed plan starts. Families can add dashboard check-ins or monthly video check-ins for caregiver guidance, reminders, task tracking, and updated next steps as routines, equipment, photos, or home changes evolve.

The plan and support options can help with bathroom routines, night paths, entry setup, post-fall resets, helping without taking over, task handoffs, and deciding what family can handle versus what should go to paid caregivers or local professionals.

Yes. Nicola Davidson, OTR/L, is the licensed occupational therapist named on Lantern Years reviewed guidance. Wisconsin is our first focus, and Wisconsin families receive review from a Wisconsin-licensed occupational therapist.

Occupational therapist review helps connect home setup with real daily routines, such as bathing, transfers, stairs, reaching, caregiver support, and preserving independence where possible.

Lantern Years will say when the shared details point to a different next step, such as local in-person occupational therapy, physical therapy, home health, a physician, emergency care, contractor evaluation, or more caregiver coverage before the family relies on the home setup.

Lantern Years is Wisconsin-first right now. We are building with future expansion in mind, but Wisconsin families are the best fit at launch.

Lantern Years is self-pay, so families can start without waiting for a doctor's referral or insurance paperwork. It does not replace insurance-covered therapy, home health, or emergency care.

No. Families can start without a doctor's referral. If the plan suggests medical follow-up, skilled home health, or local in-person therapy, Lantern Years will make that next step clear.

No. Lantern Years helps your family understand what to ask for and what to prioritize. Families hire local installers, contractors, or other professionals separately.

Online advice can be useful, but it does not know your rooms, routines, photos, family help, care decisions, or priorities. Lantern Years turns those details into a clearer plan your family can discuss, assign, and revisit.

Yes. Elder law, home care, senior move, contractor, financial planning, community, and care partners can refer Wisconsin families when there is a practical home question to answer first. The family should know about the referral and agree that Lantern Years may contact them.

Partners can share helpful context and track high-level referral status. Private home photos, resident details, and family decisions stay with the family account unless the family chooses to share them.

No. If someone is in immediate danger, has fallen and may be injured, has chest pain, sudden weakness, severe confusion, or needs urgent medical care, call emergency services or a medical professional right away.

No. Lantern Years helps families choose practical next steps and prepare better questions, but it does not replace emergency services, medical care, skilled home health, in-person therapy, paid caregiving, contractors, or local safety checks when those are needed.