This happy family gathering may represent an extended family all living together or one where people have gathered to be with each other. Regardless, aging in place design encompasses the big picture.
We have selected a role
As Certified Aging In Place Specialists (CAPS), we have an important function. We get to help people where it matters – in their homes.
People are counting on us to help them remain in their living spaces and to be safe in doing so. They may not know what they need or exactly how we can help them, but they are hopeful that we can provide some assistance to allow them to use their homes more effectively. They are seeking function and safety, and we can make suggestions and recommendations for them to help accomplish this.
We voluntarily chose to become Certified Aging In Place Specialists so that we could assist people with their home living environments over time to address their needs whether they are few or many. As we age, various mobility (affecting our gait, reach, range of motion, squatting, sitting, standing
Everyone has needs
As we age, but actually at any stage of life, we have needs – some more acute than others. We need a safe, comfortable living space that we can enter easily and use without restriction. As our physical or sensory abilities change over time, our homes may not be accessible or as functional in the same ways that they had been.
The main thing that people want to do in the hours away from the workplace, the marketplace, and the rest of the outside world is to enjoy the safety and sanctuary of their home. It shelters them emotionally and physically from outside influences and events. It is a dependable place to return to each time one has been away from it.
Many factors influence how well our homes provide for our needs, and an understanding of how people go through life and the normal physical changes that occur can help us analyze someone’s home and how they relate to it. We can make suggestions for improving how they relate to their home environment.
We provide direction
Each person’s home is different – sometimes looking physically distinctive in outward appearance to the ones next to it but definitely reflecting the individual preferences of the occupants on the inside. Similarly, each person uses their home differently and expects it to meet their needs in various ways. We would not expect a street of similarly constructed homes (even when done by the same builder within the same general time frame) to provide identical experiences to those occupying them because each person has their own needs, interests, and abilities.
Due to the diversity of the marketplace in terms of the physical style and type of home, the occupants, and their specific needs – notwithstanding how those needs may change over time – each home presents a specific and unique opportunity to identify how the occupants can benefit the most from living where they do.
We get to work with people in their homes to help them achieve a high quality of life from their living space and to be safe and comfortable there.