The Chic Guide: What is Whole Home?
Nina Creech, Senior Vice President at Whole Home: Whole Home is the intersection of function, health, and remodeling when it comes to home upgrades and modifications. Whether you live in a multigenerational household, recently had surgery, or are remodeling and thinking about what your needs might be in the future, keeping your home healthy and safe at all stages of life is of the utmost importance.
The Chic Guide: What is the Whole Home Innovation Center?
Creech: The Whole Home Innovation Center opened its doors four years ago as a first-of-its-kind space focused on health, home, and how the two intersect under one roof. The space features a variety of mobile displays that demonstrate safety products and allow trial of items like pull-down cabinets and slip-resistant coatings. The Innovation Center also hosts a falls prevention workshop called “Stepping On” during which trained leaders coach participants to recognize the risk of falling and help build the balance, strength and practical skills needed to avoid a fall.
The Chic Guide: What’s the inspiration behind the Innovation Center?
Creech: Everyone deserves to have a home that is safe and accessible no matter what stage of life they are in. Whole Home is dedicated to keeping people safe and healthy in their homes, making sure they love their homes and getting people back home after a medical event with the services and modifications they need.
The Chic Guide: Who’s behind it?
Creech: Whole Home is a division of People Working Cooperatively, a local nonprofit that provides critical home repairs, weatherization services and mobility modifications for low-income residents.
The Chic Guide: What services do you offer?
Creech: Whole Home focuses on how to prepare your home for multigenerational living and/or to make your home accessible and safe for someone with a temporary or permanent disability.
Our licensed professionals help homeowners tackle remodels and renovations including freshening up a space with new fixtures and updated hardware and installing better lighting, grab bars and handrails for homeowners who are aging in place. We can even help with childproofing, lead remediation and asthma prevention to ensure that your home isn’t just beautiful and functional but also secure for all ages.
We also offer ramp rentals and permanent ramp installations for better home accessibility.
The Chic Guide: What makes Whole Home Innovation Center unique?
Creech: We collaborate with organizations throughout the community to ensure that we’re providing the best services and care that we can for our clients. This includes partnerships with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on asthma and lead remediation programs, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for multiple programs, the Ohio Department of Health for falls prevention and more.
The Chic Guide: Is there anything new on the horizon?
Creech: We have recently expanded our services with the Your Whole Home virtual home tour, which brings the Innovation Center’s hands-on experience into the virtual realm. Whether you live in a multigenerational household, recently had surgery, or are remodeling and thinking about what your needs might be in the future, Your Whole Home is a great way to virtually explore the options of everything from ramps and handrails for the exterior, to grab bars and walk-in tubs in the bathroom.
The Chic Guide: Where are you located?
Creech: The Whole Home Innovation Center can be visited at 4628 Paddock Road in Bond Hill.
The Chic Guide: Where can readers go to learn more and follow along?
Creech: Visit us online at wholehome.org or call (513) 482-5100. If you’d like to virtually tour Your Whole Home, visit your.wholehome.org.