Universal Design: CAPS - Certified Aging In Place

Hooray! I am a CAPS graduate. What’s so different? Through manuals, instruction, discussion and testing, I added to my knowledge (even me, Mr. know-it-all). And, I am very excited.

CAPS is an acronym for Certified Aging In Place Specialist. It is a three-day training and certification course offered by NAHB, National Association of Home Builders. One day is devoted to general business management for builders; the other two days provide aging-in-place training in both marketing and communication strategies and design-and-build solutions.

The courses are great and I doubt that anyone walked away not having expanded their knowledge and added to their skills. The manuals are tight; they successfully condense an enormous amount of information into a well-conceived order that is easy to follow and to reference. I’ve seen week-long seminars fail to accomplish what these manuals do in 100 pages. The instructors skillfully navigate you through the material providing an overview powerful enough to help you get the details when you need them. Participant discussions add to the richness of the material bringing specialized and current knowledge.

However, NAHB is shooting a bit off-center with the certification requirements. Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the material taught over the three days had nothing to do with aging-in-place; there was lots of basic business management and marketing. Why? It doesn’t serve the participant who gives up three days in the field for a specific training they are counting on to give their business a competitive edge.

I regretted the missed opportunity of a full three days on topic, the opportunity to be more thorough as we worked through the course materials, and the opportunity of discussion with participants who possessed much practical experience in a variety of related fields. I also was disappointed not to gain any insights on how to partner with local government on aging-in-place incentives.

I humbly suggest that NAHB removes the day-long business management requirement from their CAPS training; it’s useful, but not relevant. On the remaining two days, focus even more directly on only that which is specific to aging-in-place removing any non-specific material. Assume that participants have competence in the general management and marketing of their businesses, not that they don’t.

Great course and timely material; most construction will be remodeling as baby boomers adapt their homes to maintain the active lifestyle that has marked their generation.

My appreciation to the Builders League of South Jersey for such a fantastic job hosting the course and making us feel so welcome and cared for.


Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
February 26, 2009
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Universal Design: The Three Little Boomers

Once upon a time there were three little boomers and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes. Before they left, their mother told them, "Whatever you do, do it the best that you can because that's the way to get along in the world."

The first little boomer built his house out of straw because it was the easiest and cheapest thing to do.

The second little boomer built his house out of sticks. This was a more expensive and beautiful house but lacked any amenities for later in life.

The third little boomer built his house out of bricks. This was a house for all the years of one’s life; it would never fail to keep its inhabitants happy and secure.

One night, big bad father time, who dearly loved to eat boomers, came along and saw the first little boomer in his house of straw. He said "Let me in, Let me in, little boomer or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the little boomer.

But of course big bad father time did blow the house in and so burdened the little boomer with no place to live.

Then big bad father time came to the beautiful house of sticks.

"Let me in, let me in little boomer or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the little boomer. But big bad father time blew that house in too, and meanly forced little boomer into assisted living in a far away city where costs were lower.

Big bad father time then came to the house of bricks.

"Let me in, let me in," cried the big bad father time. "Or I'll huff and I'll puff till I blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the oldest boomer. Well, big bad father time huffed and puffed but he could not blow down that brick house. But big bad father time was a sly old man and he climbed up on the roof to look for another way to get at the older boomer.

The older boomer saw big bad father time climb up on the roof and prepared; he lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and on it placed a large kettle of water.

Big bad father time found the chimney and crawled down. KER-SPLASH! Into the kettle of boiling water he fell! That was the end of big bad father time.

The next day the older boomer invited his mother over. She said "You see it is just as I told you. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can." Fortunately for that older boomer, he had learned that lesson. And he just lived happily ever after!


Konrad Kaletsch
February 18, 2009
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Universal Design: The Wooden Plate

Long ago there lived a happy family in the foothills of the Pyrenees. They raised livestock in the hills, mostly sheep and pig, and went into town once a week to trade their meats for supplies. The grandfather, too old for work, stayed in the home and helped care for his little grandson. The father toiled long days in the fields while the mother maintained order in the home. As the years passed the grandfather became increasingly difficult; at dinner he often pushed his plate off the table and grumbled about circumstances.

Grandfather’s behavior became increasingly disruptive at mealtime, causing frequent messes and much broken crockery. The father, tired after his long days sought easy ways to improve the situation and restore peace to the evening meal. The solution was to move grandfather to a different table far away from the family and to serve him dinner on a wooden plate. In a way, peace was restored. The young boy, observing the new family order, spent the next days with carving knife and a piece of wood. The father took notice of the boy’s project and watched with pride seeing his son so focused and determined. The father asked the son what it was that he was making. The son said, “This will be a wooden plate for you Papa when you are old.”

The father understood and brought grandfather back to the family table. Although mealtime wasn’t always smooth, it was understood that caring for Grandfather was more than pushing him away when he became inconvenient.


Konrad Kaletsch
February 13, 2009
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Universal Design: Gorilla Marketing

We are GUILTY when we pretend that our current designs don’t foster a class of OUTLIERS. We pretend that THREE CUPS OF TEA will make it go away. But let me tell you THE SECRET: the DREAMS OF MY FATHER and the dreams of all our fathers wasn’t WHY WE SUCK, it was about us as the AMERICAN LION, it was about THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, it was THE LOVE DARE! Would we have a society that cared for all, would we design in a way that says, WHAT’S AGE GOT TO DO WITH IT? Would we design in a way that didn’t marginalize?

For universal design to be BROKEN OPEN, we don’t need another lecture or even THE LAST LECTURE; what we need is a TEAM OF RIVALS who’s ambitions and commitments are to look after us all, even old MARLEY & ME. However, if instead what we hear is, HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU, we fall back to not caring for each other and seeking out some thrill like a HIGH VOLTAGE TATTOO to take us away from our experience of isolation, boredom and suffering. If young and vain, our attention focuses on distractions like our FLAT BELLY DIET. In the end, you just don’t know WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING. Sadness replaces hope and even SUZE ORMAN’S ACTION PLAN fails to elicit passion; even DEWEY the cat, ceases to matter.

Welcome to the blog Universal Design 2010 and the website Universal Design Resource. Please forgive my clever ploy to interrupt your search for a non-fiction New York Times best-seller. But now that you are here, do you know what universal design is? It’s an approach to designing in a way that doesn’t marginalize someone with a physical limitation - could be eyeglasses, pregnancy, arthritis, a recent hip operation or living with wheels.

Are you able-bodied? Will you always be able-bodied? Do you know people who struggle with basic life activities? Read, or bookmark and come back. The information here makes a huge difference either for you now, for you one day, or for someone you know. Learn a little, share what you discover and see a world that’s a little brighter because some guy used an opportunistic marketing strategy to put something new under your nose.

Konrad Kaletsch
February 5, 2009
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