The certified aging-in-place specialist (CAPS) designation, which is granted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), has become a familiar indicator of a remodeler who knows how to update homes using the principles of universal design. The program teaches technical, business management, and customer service skills related to home modifications for aging in place.

And one of the first to sign up for the class was an occupational therapist.

That first class was in 2002, and though it was designed for remodelers, said Therese Ford Crahan, NAHB Remodelers’ executive director, the interest from an occupational therapist was a “good predictor for future classes.” Since then, designers, architects, real estate agents, nurses, and even lawyers specializing in elder law—anyone who might have something to say about home modification—have taken the class.

“It’s gone way beyond what we ever expected,” she said. “People in the health care field have taken it so they can understand, when they’re working with patients, what kind of adaptations they need to work on in the house.” Since then, 2,871 people have been through course, she said, and fewer than 20% come from outside the field of builders and remodelers.

The program began as a convergence of concern from AARP, the NAHB, some remodelers and designers, and people in the aging field over what needed to be done to help the elderly age in place. Fueled by an AARP study, Fixing to Stay—which sent the message that Americans wanted to stay in their homes as they aged and that they wanted a reliable way to identify remodelers they could trust—and armed with a grant from the Administration on Aging, the NAHB Research Center developed the first curriculum.

Since then, classes have been modified somewhat, but overall haven’t changed much, Crahan said. CAPS students attend three days of in-person classes. “It has been a great program,” she said. “I’ve loved working with it, and our remodelers have too. They’re businesspeople, and they take the class because of the business opportunity, but they come out impassioned about the aging-in-place concept and spreading it beyond.”

Now, “because of demand from CAPS graduates,” NAHB is in the process of developing an advanced CAPS program, mostly on the technical aspects and on problem solving. The group creating it isn’t just remodelers, she said. “It’s architects, occupational therapists, universal design specialists, kitchen and bath design specialists. It’s a very interesting group.”

Because homeowners aren’t always open to aging-in-place modifications, remodelers sometimes have to introduce them using a different tack. Crahan calls it stealth marketing. When they’re doing a remodel, they might suggest wider hallways or putting in grab bars. Instead of using the term roll-in shower, remodelers might suggest a European-style shower. A large closet could be put in where a future elevator might go. Or they can approach the homeowner with the idea that maybe they don’t need the modifications, but what about older people who may come to visit them? “So many people don’t think they’re going to need it,” Crahan said. Remodelers need to let people know “that accessible design can be good design.”

How hard is it to get the word out that this is good for people? NAHB does a quarterly survey of remodelers to find out, among other things, how busy they are and what kinds of additions and remodels they’re seeing. In the fourth quarter of 2008, she said, remodelers were asked if they had seen an increase in requests for aging-in-place features over the previous five years. The response: 65% had seen some increase, 9% had seen a significant increase, and 26% had seen no increase. “So it’s still a challenge out there,” she said.

In that survey, 70% of the remodelers have been involved in aging-in-place work, while 30% don’t do that work. When asked if consumers were familiar with aging in place, she said, 75% of the remodelers said consumers were somewhat familiar with it, 9% said most were, and 16% percent said none were.

Best designs for 2009 announced

In 2007, NAHB began awarding members for “excellence in aging-in-place design and/or accessible home modifications in a remodeled home.” The Homes for Life Awards are given in two categories: one for a single-space remodel (such as a kitchen, sunroom, or bathroom) and one for a major space (such as a whole house or several rooms).

The 2009 winners were announced at the end of October: Carole Ponzio of Design Solutions in Port Charlotte, Florida; Patricia Nunan of Lifestyles Design in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania; and Tom Ashley of Expand, Inc., in Denham Hills, Louisiana. Click here to see pictures of this year’s winning designs and here to see last year’s.