Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist Badge
Richard Acree is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), in collaboration with AARP and other experts, developed the CAPS designation, which is achieved through training and testing during a multicourse educational program. The NAHB has been approved as a provider of American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) training for Marketing & Communicating with the Aging In Place Client (CAPS I), Design Concepts for Livable Homes and Aging In Place (CAPS II) and Details & Solutions for Livable Homes and Aging In Place (CAPS III) courses.
The CAPS certification teaches the technical, business management, and customer service skills essential to competing in the fastest growing segment of the residential remodeling industry: home modifications for the aging-in-place. As a CAPS consultant, Richard serves as a building inspector, planner, and project monitor. Richard combines his CAPS certificate with his ADAC certification, years of experience as a home and commercial building inspector, and his degree in engineering to offer a unique combination to develop plans for home modifications for people with mobility issues. ADAC is the American’s with Disabilities Act Coordinator certification required by the US Department of Justice for most government organizations. For a copy of Richard’s resume please see Richard Acree.
As a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, Richard can:
Recommend updates that will help a person live independently in his or her own home.
Collaborate with an Occupational Therapist, licensed contractor, vendor, or interior designer about building and design strategies and techniques for creating attractive, safe, functional, and barrier-free living spaces.
Provide information about building codes and standards, useful products and resources, and the costs and time required for common remodeling projects.
If desired, a preliminary virtual inspection can be completed using plans and specifications for the home. This virtual inspection will not be as detailed as an onsite inspection, but it will identify the major issues in the home that could be barriers to mobility. In this endeavor, the client will be asked to send a copy of the plans and specifications to Richard to complete the virtual inspection. Our reference for CAPS aging-in-place services is Ms. Lisa Sutherland, 618-205-2602, lksqov@gmail.com .
The disabled community and elderly have many choices for remodelers, builders, contractors and occupational therapists. The CAPS designation offers these people what they need most: reassurance that you’ll help them make the choices that will help them stay in their homes safely and securely.
In addition, the CAPS designation helps you make your clients’ homes more “visitable.” Even if the home owners don’t think they need additional task lighting, grab bars, and other home modifications for their own use, their family members and visitors might. CAPS helps you help your clients make the right choices, and it gives you more security in remodeling market niche that’s continuing to grow in popularity.
There is an increasing desire among today's home owners to live in one's home as long as possible which has created a strong demand for products and services serving this audience. To help home owners make their home a safe and comfortable living environment for the long term, many responsive and innovative products are emerging. Likewise, service providers are answering this demand by focusing their businesses on creating new homes and renovations that provide design flexibility, pleasing aesthetics, high function and usability for all people, without regard to age, income or ability level, and regardless of life’s changes and challenges. The goal of this course is to enable participants to identify common challenges within the home and understand attractive design concepts that create a safe and comfortable environment for clients who want to age in place as well as identify with one or more of these groups: Individuals who are not experiencing health issues related to aging, individuals who have a progressive or other condition that requires home modifications or equipment, and individuals who are dealing with an abrupt or traumatic health-related change.
The CAPS training course presents various methods and techniques for modifying home design, from the perspective of new construction and remodeling. By completing CAPS training, participants will be able to:
Identify special considerations for estimating, scheduling and executing the job while the client is in residence.
Identify legal and contractual considerations for building professionals providing AIP design solutions for residential clients.
Describe the categories of design and how they relate and apply to the three AIP market segments.
Describe specific design concepts for the AIP client.
Describe the challenging nature of design for aging in place projects.
Identify available innovative and specialized products.
Explain best practices for design and installation of key components in AIP home design.
Describe the importance of budget and early product selection.
Identify common missteps for design and installation of AIP solutions.
Recommend the best solutions for common single-room modifications based on needs identified in a provided client assessment and a room survey.
List installation considerations for recommended modifications in a specified space.
Prioritize the comprehensive solutions based on previous exercises when integrated into a real-world whole house scenario.
Evaluate design considerations and installation requirements for recommended modifications based on whole house layout and circulation patterns.
Prioritize individual projects relative to budget, needs and urgency.