Innovative Building and Remodeling Solutions
for Independent Living

Earlier this year, Sherry L. Schwab, the 2008 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) CAPS Chair, returned from her 3-week business trip to Germany, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, and Russia. While there, she learned a great deal about how people overseas view aging-in-place.

Many of the buildings she visited and stayed in were older than our structures here in the United States. While energy conservation was quite obvious, accessibility was less present.  Schwab said that these countries varied from one another, and certainly from the U.S., in their views of moving toward the future.

"Countries promoting and rewarding innovation have creative, entrepreneurial, and optimistic citizens," she wrote in her letter from the editor column in CAPS Connection, a publication of the NAHB. "Even Russia has visions of future trade and tourism; however, citizens have not bought into the value of work to get ahead and the importance of customer service to achieve future goals."

Schwab said that her group learned that the amount a country promotes goals, coupled with incentives, seems to be directly related to the success of innovation. For the U.S. to remain a world leader, innovation and creativity should be a constant in American education, business, and commerce.

Aging-in-place is one area in which she believes that we can set the standard in the U.S. and in the world.

Not only is the U.S. population aging, but so are all of the other countries that were affected by World War II.

"The U.S. baby boomers have put a mark on every stage of life they've gone through, and no doubt they will redefine the golden years as well," she said. "Many of these changes have influenced trends in other countries. Longer life expectancies, delayed retirement, more active lifestyles, and improved healthcare already are evident life style changes in the U.S."

She added that as our population continues to age, we individually and collectively need to plan our future lifestyle and how to achieve it so we can all live independently.  Schwab wants to see the U.S. as a leader in the Aging-in-Place industry. And it's up to each Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) to make that possible.

"We must share information on what works and what doesn't," she said. "We need to develop new products and techniques to improve accessibility and adaptability. Individually and collectively we can make aging easier to live with because to do so beats the alternative."

That's one of the goals we have established here at Home Evolutions. We aim to be a leader in the Age-in-Place movement. But being a good leader all begins with offering excellent customer service. Not only do we provide you with customized, high-quality building and remodeling services for those who wish to maintain their independence, but we also educate our customers in the process. Additionally, our commitment to overall quality includes continuing service after the initial project and cultivating true partnerships with our customers for life.