Knowledgeable construction and design professionals are utilizing their CAPS training across the nation. CAPS stands for Certified Aging In Place Specialist. This designation is taught through the National Association of Home Builders in collaboration with AARP. CAPS connects responsible professionals with home owners who need these services on an ever-increasing basis. CAPS is a nationwide initiative and all active CAPS members can be found at nahb.org/CAPSdirectory.
The first thing you can do in making your home more age friendly is to do a self assessment. Go through your house identifying known problem areas like potential tripping or slipping hazards, as well as areas that are hard to access and difficult to maintain. Who would be better at pointing out problem areas than the person who is needing the home modifications according to their known physical condition. To help with this, there are several organizations that have aging in place checklists pointing out potential problems in certain areas of the home suggesting modification and solutions. Once you have completed your initial aging in place checklist it is time to bounce your findings off a trained aging in place specialist.
Next, contact a builder who is a listed Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS). CAPS are home remodelers and design-build professionals that are certified and knowledgeable about aging in place home modifications. This CAPS professional can suggest ways to modify or remodel your home that will fit your needs and budget. CAPS are generally paid by the hour or receive a flat fee per visit or project.
During a home assessment for increasing accessibility the structural needs of the client will be noted and documented through sketches, photos, and conversation by a registered CAPS professional. All the surroundings will be taken into account from the flooring to the layout of a specific room or location as it pertains to the inhabitant's ease of usability. The physical and emotional needs of the occupant will also come into play because of mobility, sensory, or cognitive concerns. Each individual with similar impairments describes his or her limitations differently when undergoing elder construction. The blind don't experience their world the same as a person with deafness. The ultimate goal is to modify the home in a custom manner to provide for the maximum health, independence, and safety of the occupant. Often the input from any caretakers like a physical or occupational therapist during the assessment phase can prove to be invaluable. The three main rooms involved in aging in place home modifications are the bathroom, the kitchen, and the family room in that order. These areas make up the most occupied spaces of any home and will be connected by a designated accessible route. The basic needs involve access through wider doorways, non slip floor surfaces, and adequate cabinet and plumbing fixture accessibility. What is more important is that we must observe safety for everyone as the baby boomers choose to age in place within their homes. For more information about T-Square Company, visit www.tsquareco.com or call 512-444-0097.
There are really three categories of aging in place customers. Those who are simply and wisely planning ahead for their futures to remain in their present homes. The second category concerns those people who know they have a chronic medical disorder and need to prepare in advance for accessibility issues which will come as a result of their disease. People with diseases that are constantly causing increased physical or mental changes to their being are a good representative of this second group. The third group involves those people who either have had a chronic problem that has progressed severely altering their mobility or those who have sustained a life altering tragedy such as being involved in an accident. All of these groups will drive the future metamorphosis of existing inaccessible dwellings.
In designing for specific physical conditions, we realize that aging doesn't always bring on disease while the body declines making certain physical limitations inevitable. Arthritis is the most common chronic condition to appear as it restricts ordinary daily activities. The lack of hand strength and stiff knees are indicative of this illness. This most reported arthritic condition affecting people over the age of 65 is followed by heart disease and vision loss in that order. Smart aging design and concepts can compensate for the introduction of frailty, lack of mobility, and blindness in aging in place families. We are constantly coming up with new methods for home modifications and household products to increase the comfort of our residential environments.
David L. Traut, CAPS the owner of T-Square Company in Austin, Texas is one of the select group of professionals nationwide to earn the Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation, identifying him as a home remodeler and builder with the skills and knowledge necessary to remodel or modify a home to meet the unique needs of the older population, disabled owners, or their visitors. We offer a complete line of aging in place services.
