Remodelers, occupational therapists, an architect, an interior designer, a planner, several economists and representatives from non-profits and government agencies such as AARP, Rebuilding Together, the Veterans Administration and the Paralyzed Veterans of America met recently during two days in Washington at NAHB to brainstorm ideas for the next level of Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) training. The meeting was made possible with funding from the National Housing Endowment.

The original CAPS designation, a three-day program that teaches the strategies and techniques for marketing, designing and building aesthetically enriching, barrier-free environments has proved to be more successful than was ever anticipated. More than 2,300 students have successfully completed the program and the graduates reach well beyond remodelers to include architects, designers, occupational therapists and other health care professionals. And recently more than 100 agents in the Specially Adaptive Housing Department of the Veterans Administration graduated as CAPS. These agents work with disabled veterans who have received a grant to modify their homes for accessibility. 

Many CAPS graduates have come back to NAHB asking for advanced classes and NAHB has funded the development of twelve hours of classes this year.

Elinor Ginzler of AARP, Kermit Baker of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing, and Gopal Ahluwalia of NAHB, each presented research results on both the aging population and remodeling that was used by the group to help frame the discussion on the class development.

The group looked at how the twelve hours of classes could be delivered and considered several options including three or four hour modules with in class training and online training. It was decided that “CAPS” has achieved significant brand recognition and should be included in the name of any future courses. The group also made recommendations for topic areas covering advanced kitchen and bath design, technology, partnering with health care professionals, and societal trends.

In the near future, the NAHB University of Housing will assemble a team of Subject Matter Experts to begin developing a new 12-hour Advanced CAPS curriculum. This process will begin with an in-person course development workshop in Washington, D.C. During the workshop, the course objectives and a related outline will be created, which will serve as the framework for writing the course. Content assignments and roles and responsibilities for each team member will also be determined during the workshop. 

Bill Owens, CGR, CAPS, who led the meeting for the two days said, “To be in a room with such incredible brain power in the aging-in-place field was an honor. Everyone brought their individual talents and skills to the table allowing them to develop the outline for the best course possible to take CAPS to the next level.” 

If you have suggestions for what you would like to see in an Advanced CAPS curriculum, contact Therese Crahan at tcrahan@nahb.com. [ return to top ]