DOug Zabor, CaPS

I become acutely aware of the need for more accessible living space after my wife and I become empty nesters having raised three boys in a large two story home. My wife, with Parkinson’s disease, was having a bad year. And, I was falling behind keeping up with house work and maintanence and beginning to encounter barriers to my wife’s mobility throughout the house and her safety. We started to visit the homes of church friends with a chronic debiliating disease, like MS or Parkinson’s, who built or remodeled. to accomodate them. That provide my first Aging-in-Place list of 22 criteria which we handed to a Realtor and asked if she could get us a house to fit those needs. That’s when we found how difficult it is to find home that are fully aging-in-place certified or even ready for aging-in-place with additional work. Luckily I found a great home which has the 4 fundamental features of an age-in-place ready home. Feeling that “there had to be a better way.” I signed up for a National Association of Home Builder 3 day in person class to to then be tested and approaved as an NAHB certified as aging-in-place specialist in 2016. I thought all was good until I had a chance to review the NAHB checklist and found it lacking. It lacked measures and since the “of course” focus on remodeling solution, it lacked DIY solutions to enhance safety and comfort. I started a search for a better checklist and after reviewing 17, I was happy that I had compiled the best possible checklist. On average every question has 4 references from the worlds most reputable standards for aging in place. I took a year of testing the new home checklist by offering free home assessments. Lo and behond, 85% of people did something to their home on their own or in conjunction with professional services. It worked by providing a priority list of to-do’s. Today, that list is available to you.