“CAPS Certification For Aging In Place Renovations Is A Great Way To Launch The Fall Season”

As summer has turned the corner into early fall and routines are being settled into once again, this is a great time to look at completing the CAPS designation (“Certified Aging In Place Specialist”) to be ready for year-end projects with clients and to begin planning for next year.

This about the time of year we begin thinking about goals for the new year, and becoming a CAPS professional now will help any of us establish and complete some stronger goals than just doing remodeling projects for people. With the CAPS designation, we can take great satisfaction in knowing that we will have the requisite information and understanding to begin working with any client committed to the long-term use of their home, but especially the older ones and those already in their homes for several years, and those with special sensory, cognitive, or mobility needs that require our input and help.

Getting the CAPS designation now, or planning to use it for those who already have it, is a great way to get a head start on the fall, the winter months, and the new year.

Regardless of the type of professional we might be – contractor, occupational or physical therapist (or assistant), interior designer (or kitchen and bath designer), architect, building designer, non-profit organization or governmental agency for seniors, durable medical equipment supplier (or assistive technology), trade contractor (carpenter, plumber, painter, HVAC, lighting, flooring, cabinetry, roofing, siding, windows and door, for example), building materials or  kitchen and bath products supplier, or any similar services from many different areas that are dedicated to helping people renovate their homes for safety, accessibility, and maneuverability – the CAPS designation can give us the tools, techniques, guidelines, and thought processes to help people stay in their homes over the long term.

People today are looking to remain living in their homes for a variety of reasons. Overwhelmingly, AARP finds that nearly everyone over the age of 65 wants to remain in their current home. Younger people do as well, but not at these same numbers. It turns out that there are three primary reasons why people age in place – they really like their current home and all that it offers for them (including the layout and location) so they have no desire to go house-hunting, economically they can’t afford to consider anything else because their money would not go near as far in acquiring a similar home anywhere, and they just have amassed and accumulated too much stuff (and likely will continue to do so). Another reason is that people become creatures of habit and just don’t want to make any changes in their lives.

The homes that people have now may already be the right size to do that, or they may need to be enlarged or reconfigured. Regardless, there likely will need some advice or help to be truly successful in their pursuits. We won’t learn everything there is to know about modifying and improving homes to take into account issues of aging and mobility and limitations caused by the older homes themselves when that is the case, but there is much that we begin doing to help make staying in their homes safer and more enjoyable than what we knew before completing the training program. Then we will better with experience..

When compared to the enormous annual cost of moving into a nursing home. Assisted living, memory care, or other type of retirement center, even several thousand dollars spent on a one-time remodeling and updating project that offers comfort, convenience, safety, and accessibility seems like a great value. Actually, it is. Not only that, people typically have more financial resources available to them that they think. We can help them sort through this as well.

It might be just a few little things that someone needs to have done to enhance their basic quality of life, or it could be a significant remodeling. Nevertheless, we can be instrumental in helping our clients accomplish this and turning their present home into their forever home that continues to meet their needs over time. Safety, accessibility, comfort, and convenience are major areas of focus that we want to improve with our clients.

Over the remaining months of 2018, the CAPS program is going to be presented several times in West Palm Beach, Florida for those who would like to take a subtropical vacation (especially as the weather cools and the leaves are gone), in Iowa (Waterloo and Davenport), Tennessee (Chattanooga), West Virginia (Morgantown), Alabama (Dothan), and Ohio (North Canton). Check the schedule (https://www.stevehoffacker.com/caps-schedule/) for specific dates and locations, and get started on becoming a CAPS professional.

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