Disability and Age can pose signifcant challenges in everyday living and routine tasks in our homes. We can help you cope and and rise above these with the training and experience we've gained in more than 20 years of helping people with their homes.
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| CAPS - Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist |
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Besides the basics of an accessible sink and safe shower, his Aging in Place training was very useful in a host of other details.
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We are one of the select professionals in the nation and one of the few Remodelers in Florida, to earn the Certified Aging-In-Place (CAPS) designation. The CAPS program was developed in collaboration between AARP and the National Assoc. of Home Builders (NAHB) as the result of a request from AARP.
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We would like to talk about superior service, quality craftsmanship, professional management and providing creative design however, our clients do a better job than we do. We invite you to read what they have to say by clicking on any underlined comment and/or visiting Remodeling Comments.
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The CAPS designation identifies a Remodeler that has been trained to help retirees and older adults remain in their homes and continue to live in a familiar environment, safely, independently and comfortably.
The 3 days of course work incorporates information tailored to aging-in-place modifications, common barriers and solutions, codes and standards, products ideas and resources, communication techniques, common aging in place remodeling projects, and more.
The simple fact of life is that as people get older they are much less likely to move voluntarily. Modification of one's home, before a crisis, is the best way to accommodate remaining in our homes a long time.
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| Wheelchair accessible lavatory |
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These are just a few examples of typical CAPS projects
Mother in-law suites
We've built a number of these when an older family member comes to live with their younger family members. These have been either as additions to, or modifications of, an existing home. Typically they incorporate a sitting area or combination living/eating area and along with a bedroom and new or remodeled private bathroom. The size, design, extent and accommodates will vary as every one is different, just like the clients who live there.
Tubs with showers are the norm in most homes and we don't think a lot about this arrangement. When we get older, many of us find its its hard to get in and out of a tub. Climbing over the edge of the tub can be difficult and dangerous for seniors. We've taken out several tub-shower combinations and replaced them with walk-in showers. A solid tiled seat in the shower along with a hand held shower unit is a great idea. Several properly located grab bars, make the shower seem much less of a task, and a new covered recessed light, in the shower, makes it much easier to see.
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Kip added 1300 square feet to our home for a mother-in-law suite, beginning on Aug. 1, 2002 and ending mid- Nov, 2002.
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| The shower floor slopes towards the drain keeping water without the need for shower curb |
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Lever handles on doors are great for opening when your hands are full, or if your hands are wet or dirty. Lever handles may also be the only type of door handle set you can operate if you have arthritis, recent surgery or other impediments to grasping a door knob.
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"I never knew there was so much detail in remodeling an 80's bathroom into a contemporary wheelchair-accessible bathroom, so I'm grateful that I found Kip.
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Lighting: More lights in kitchens, hallways, bathrooms, porches, garages and entrances; the right type of lights. with the appropriate illumination and properly located ones, allow all of us to see better. For the partially sighted, or those with any type of failing eye sight, this additional lighting may be the key to avoiding an accident.
Ramps can be very small, and installed unobtrusively, to eliminate a step and smooth a path of travel around the house, yard, garage, patio and porch. Ramps have always been used to accommodate wheel-chairs and should be built to ADA standards or as close as practical depending on feasibility.
Doors are an impediment if they are too small in width. You don't have to be confined to a wheelchair or a senior to appreciate a wide door into the bathroom. If you have knee, ankle, hip or foot surgery or have a simple injury, and are on crutches, a wider bathroom door is much easier to use.
Everyone is different and each client has different needs, which may change over time. The home and the individual needs must be evaluated, on site, with the client and perhaps the family.
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