Dr. Jill Bjerke is the CEO of Home Transition Solutions Group, LLC and CEO of the software company Silver Spaces, LLC. With over 30 years of professional experience in health care, manufacturing, government and legal arenas, she has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and skills which are unparalleled. She is an aging-in-place, downsizing and clutter elimination subject matter expert, a recognized thought leader, entrepreneur, author and change agent, known for encouraging solution-seeking and positive results.
Our lives change. Our homes don’t. That has been her company’s mantra for almost seventeen years. She followed her passion for helping others and started Home Transition Solutions™ Group, LLC in 2005, released the home safety assessment software silverspaces.com in 2015 on iTunes and recently launched the 3rd internet-based version of it. She also publishes a monthly newsletter for Silver Spaces and creates content for the SilverSpacesBlog.com.
Home Transition Solutions™ Group, launched in 2005, specializes in downsizing, relocation, eliminating clutter and creating clean and simple living and working spaces. Her company provides support and guidance in helping people successfully navigate this often overwhelming experience, providing all the services required to transition to a new home environment.
In 2009 she created a checklist that she used with clients in garnering background health, financial and other issues related to aging-in-place decisions. She received her Certified Aging in Place Specialist designation in 2011 and her focus became identifying options for creating a safe and secure environment for those who wanted to remain in their homes as they grew older but needed to make changes to do so. As this checklist became more detailed and sophisticated, it made sense to turn it into the internet application silverspaces.com. This is an evaluation that everyone can use, anywhere and on any device, whether they are a homeowner, caregiver or professional.
SilverSpaces.com is an acknowledged assessment and source of information for those wanting to determine if staying in their own home as they age is the right decision for them. For seniors, adult children, builders, remodelers, occupational and physical therapists, home health care agencies and others who care for and about seniors this is a cutting-edge method for identifying safety risks and provides targeted modification recommendations based on the resident’s health, mobility and lifestyle.
She receives contributions and reviews of it from occupational and physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons, kitchen/bath designers, remodeling/construction contractors, aging research specialists and a whole host of professionals willing to share their expertise and knowledge in designing a user-friendly, comprehensive aging-in-place assessment. Silver Spaces™ is used internationally and has drawn the attention of professionals who care for and about the aging population around the world.
Her synergistic companies have developed a well-known reputation for providing expert solutions and assistance. As a nationally recognized expert, frequent speaker and blogger on aging in place, she is committed to educating people worldwide about how to safely and securely remain in their homes as they grow older. The assessment continuously evolves to extensively expand, modify and transform the Silver Spaces home assessment that represents an unparalleled cloud-based home inspection, guiding users to create a universally livable home. She constantly continually explores new ideas and methods that can be incorporated into the exploration and planning that is required for a safe home environment
In addition to managing her businesses, Dr.Bjerke is a founder of HomesRenewed™ Alliance, a steering committee member of the nationwide Leaders in Lifelong Housing, a member of the Iowa Fall Prevention Coalition and the Iowa Livable Homes Coalition. She has also written the forward to the architectural book, “Gracious Living, Home Design For Your Future,” released in June 2013 and available on Amazon.com (http://tinyurl.com/l9x9m6d). She remains actively involved in both state and national legislative efforts to advance opportunities that will allow seniors to safely remain in their homes as they age.
Podcasts
Aging in Place with Doctor Jill Bjerke
National aging-in-place expert Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about steps we can take to maintain quality of life as we get older.
Silver Spaces Helps Aging in Place
Dr. Jill Bjerke talks about the Silver Spaces App, which helps you survey your home to make it more aging-in-place friendly.
Aging in Place Downsizing
Aging in Place expert Dr. Jill Bjerke talks about the importance of considering downsizing and decluttering if you're getting close to 65 or considering retiring.
Keep Safe in Your Home with Silver Spaces
National aging-in-place expert Dr. Jill Bjerke on finding and removing dangers in your home with the Silver Spaces App.
What Are Your Plans for Aging? Crucial Questions to Ask Yourself for Staying at...
Dr. Jill Bjerke, CEO of Silver Spaces, joins Suzanne for this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place. People don't ask these questions enough. We get emotionally attached to a locale, and while our health and lifestyle changes, our home stays the same. Tasks that seem so simple can become complicated when we age. When should you start this planning? “It really should start when you're thinking ahead about retirement, because that's the time to think about. When you get to your seventies or eighties, all of a sudden it becomes, 'Can I stay here?'”
