One Year of Home at Home: Co-Founder Libby Stanton’s Reflection

On October 24, 2025, Home at Home celebrates its first anniversary. As we approach this milestone, we’re taking time to reflect on the journey that brought us here. Throughout the month, each of our founders will share their perspective on the past year and what it has meant to them.

Co-Founder Libby Stanton’s Reflection

One year ago, I answered a phone call that changed the course of my life.

I had just left the office after a full day of training a new sales employee, only a few weeks back from maternity leave. My son was four months old, and I was on my way to pick him up when my phone rang. The number wasn’t saved in my contacts. I almost declined — I was tired from training all day, and like any parent, I didn’t have much time to myself.

But then I remembered what I had just told my new employee: the key to success in sales is often as simple as answering the phone and staying curious. And while I wasn’t selling anything on my drive home, I try to live by that same principle — show up, and show genuine interest in others. So, I answered.

On the other end of the line was Joey Torkildson, a real estate agent calling on behalf of a client. Though I couldn’t help with his original request, we started talking about real estate and business. Our conversation evolved, and I mentioned that I work in senior housing and would be happy to be a resource for any of his aging clients. That’s when Joey told me about Don MacPherson and their plans to start Home at Home.

The concept of Home at Home had been on my heart for years. Of all the resources available to help older adults age in place, very few focus on modifying the actual home. Safety and functionality improvements are often overlooked or feel overwhelming, leaving families to believe the only safe option is to move. The idea of assessing homes for risks, recommending modifications, and implementing improvements was deeply compelling to me. If we could create safer environments, we could help reduce falls and provide older adults and their families with confidence and peace of mind. The more we talked, the more I wanted to be part of it.

For someone like me — who loves to-do lists, organized drawers, color-coded calendars, and systems — the decision to take a leap with Joey and Don felt surprisingly easy. Whether it was instinct, divine intervention, or postpartum hormones, I’m unbelievably grateful to be building such a meaningful organization with such supportive partners.

As I reflect on the last year, I’m proud of our accomplishments: building a business model, developing a Home Safety Assessment tool, creating a website and brand, partnering with other senior service providers, providing community education, and more. But what stands out most is the impact we’ve had on the adults who trusted us to walk alongside them.

When we started Home at Home, we agreed to be a family-first business. At first, that meant prioritizing my own family and maintaining a balanced schedule. Now, family-first means so much more. It’s a culture of kindness, love, grace, and encouragement. It’s having partners who feel like family — and whose families I care deeply about. It’s supporters who share our heart and mission. And it’s clients who become family as we walk with them through grief and joy.

I feel lucky to have found work where my career and personal life aren’t separate, but woven together through relationships that remind me daily what family really means.

I’m so glad I answered that phone call.