This week’s CAPS I class, with attendees from coast-to-coast-to-coast and representing several important professions for understanding and creating aging in place living spaces, was the initial step for certification.
An easy and pleasant transition
When we began our online Certified Aging In Place (CAPS) classes the second quarter of 2020, we weren’t sure what to expect because our in-person courses were so well-received and successful. However, we underestimated the demand for the online classes and the benefits of attending the classes.
Dozens of people have been able to attend online classes that would have challenges taking time off, making travel arrangements, or finding a convenient location and date to take the classes.
The online classes greatly simplified that.
Geography is not a limitation
Our online CAPS and other classes that we are doing, have been extremely well-attended and successful, allowing people with a range of experiences and hometowns to convene at the same time without the need to make any travel arrangements. They get to attend the classes with each other right from where they are – even when they have issues that they are dealing with that would preclude traveling to or attending a class location away from their home or office.
This week was a classic illustration of this. We had people attending from as far west as Honolulu and as far east as the Boston area, and from Michigan to the north and central Florida to the south, with central Iowa and the New York City area as well. This was about as multi-coastal as we could want.
We also have had attendees from many other countries on 5 other continents besides North America.
Learning from each other
Each person that attends the CAPS classes has their own professional expertise and experience. In addition to representing various parts of the world, this professional diversity aids the learning process also. Some people are still in college when they attend (undergrad or postgraduate), and some are retired, with a tremendous range of experiences in between to share with each other and apply to the material being discussed.
There really is no upper age limit to who can attend the classes because all of us are aging in place, and we can relate to the concept from our life experiences and professional history.
Many OTs (occupational therapists) and a growing number of PTs (physical therapists) are taking the classes and are able to contribute their real-world experiences to the discussion. This week we also had a great representation of architectural designers as well as a CIL (center for independent living) representative. Each class has a slightly different composition and has people from various cities, but we consistently have attendees with the background and experience to discuss aging in place issues with authority.
2023 is coming
We will be publishing our schedule of classes for the first half of 2023 within a couple of days. It will parallel the offerings for this year, meaning CAPS classes will be offered nearly every week. Universal Design Essentials, Beyond Your CAPS, and a couple of other classes in the development stage will round out the schedule of dates.