Aging in Place · Platform

Find aging in place professionals

Look in three places: your Area Agency on Aging, reachable through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, which knows local programs and often keeps referral lists; the occupational therapist who assessed the person, who has usually seen local contractors' work; and directories of professionals holding the National Association of Home Builders' Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist designation. Then verify every candidate the ordinary way — state license lookup, insurance certificate from the insurer, and references for accessibility work at least three years old.

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Start with the non-commercial sources. Your Area Agency on Aging exists to connect older adults and caregivers to services and has no financial stake in which contractor you hire. The OT who assessed your parent has walked through dozens of houses and seen what holds up. Both of these are better starting points than a search results page, because neither is ranked by advertising spend. Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 to find your local agency.

Then verify, in this order. License number checked on your state board's public lookup — not a photo of a card, and confirm the name on the license matches the company on the invoice. Insurance certificate sent to you directly by the insurance agency. Three references for accessibility work specifically, with at least one project over three years old so you can ask how it aged. Written scope with dimensions. Permit responsibility stated in the contract. A payment schedule tied to milestones with a deposit you could stand to lose.

What good looks like. They ask to see the person move through the house before proposing anything. They ask whether an occupational therapist has been involved. They tell you at least one thing on your list isn't worth doing. They put dimensions in writing. They explain what's behind the bathroom wall as an unknown with a defined rate rather than promising no surprises. They pull the permit in their own name.

What to walk away from. Pressure to sign today. A price that expires. Door-to-door solicitation of an older adult living alone. A claim that Medicare or insurance "will cover this" without a written determination from the payer. A request that you pull the permit as the homeowner. A refusal to give a license number in writing. Large cash deposits. And any conversation that routes around the family and goes directly to the person with the checkbook and the hearing aid turned down — that pattern is the single clearest warning sign in this entire industry.

How to choose

Call 1-800-677-1116 before you search online: The Eldercare Locator connects you to your Area Agency on Aging, which has local knowledge and no commission riding on the answer.
Ask the occupational therapist who they've seen do good work: They've been inside many houses. Just confirm they have no financial relationship with anyone they name.
Verify the license yourself on the state board site: Search the number, confirm the name matches the company on your contract, and check for complaints or disciplinary history.
Get one reference at least three years old: Recent references show the sales process. An old one shows whether the shower still doesn't leak, which is the thing you actually care about.
Never allow a same-day signature: There is no legitimate reason this work has to be committed to today. A price that expires tonight is a pressure tactic aimed at exactly this audience.
Insist the contractor talks to the family, not just the homeowner: Sales conversations conducted alone with an isolated older adult are how the worst outcomes in this industry happen. Be in the room.

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FAQ

Aging in Place platform — common questions

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Where do I find a contractor who does aging in place work?

Your Area Agency on Aging via the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116; the occupational therapist who did the assessment; and directories of holders of the National Association of Home Builders' CAPS designation. Then verify license, insurance and references yourself regardless of the source.

Does CAPS certification mean they're good?

It means they completed NAHB training in this specialty, which is a real signal of interest and education. It is not a state license, it doesn't guarantee competence, and it doesn't replace checking the underlying contractor license, insurance and actual completed projects.

How many bids should I get?

Three, all against the same written scope with the same dimensions and the same fixture grade. Three bids on three different interpretations of "make the bathroom safer" tells you nothing. If one bid is far below the others, the difference is almost always missing scope.

What are the warning signs of a bad contractor in this field?

Same-day pricing pressure, door-to-door solicitation of someone living alone, coverage claims about Medicare or insurance without written payer confirmation, asking you to pull the permit, refusing to put a license number in writing, large cash deposits, and dealing directly with an isolated older adult rather than including family. Any one of these is enough to walk.

Sources

Where these figures come from

Eldercare Locator (Administration for Community Living) · retrieved 2026-07-25
American Occupational Therapy Association — What Is Occupational Therapy? · retrieved 2026-07-25
Rebuilding Together — affiliate directory for nonprofit home repair · retrieved 2026-07-25