Certified Aging In Place Pro Opening Resource Center December 11

SOUTHBURY — Todd Schuck, co-owner of A&C Medical Supplies and Equipment, Inc in Southbury, recently was named one of a select group of professionals across the United States who has earned the designation of being a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS). Mr Schuck received the designation from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) based in Washington, D.C. (www.nahb.org).

This distinctive designation identifies Mr Schuck as one of the top professionals in the nation’s building industry with the skills and knowledge specific to home modifications for individuals who would like to “age in place” in their own homes. 

On Saturday, December 11, between 10 am and 2 pm, Todd Schuck, and his brother Craig Schuck, co-owners of A&C Medical, will host a Grand Opening Open House for the general public of their new Aging in Place Resource Center. The center is adjacent to the A&C Medical store at 358 Main Street South in Southbury’s Union Square Plaza.

The new Aging in Place Resource Center (www.aginginplaceresourcecenter.org) was created through a strategic alliance between A&C Medical and the Certified Aging in Place Specialists at the Ready Living Structures Division of the Rockfall Company, LLC in Meriden, creators of PALS — practical assisted living structures (www.palsbuilt.com).

“The ambition of this center” explained Todd Schuck, “is to provide a place where people can visit to obtain ideas about how a senior or handicapped individual can safely and independently age in place in their own home, or the home of a family member or caregiver. Visitors to our new Aging In Place Resource Center showroom and display area can see examples of everything from minor adaptive home medical equipment and simple home remodeling plans to PALS variety of add-on prefabricated add-on units to full-scale home modification projects.”

The interior of the new Aging In Place Resource Center features a PALS modular, prefabricated and self-contained unit that is enhanced with features to accommodate the needs of handicapped or older individuals. Floor plans for PALS adaptable units range from 280 to 660 square feet, and can be added onto an existing home or built as a standalone unit on an existing property.

Living Independently

Henry Racki, owner of Rockfall Company, LLC and its Ready Living Structures Division, said, “We created PALS to provide seniors and physically impaired individuals with the ability to live independently and safely in their home, or the home of a family member or caregiver. PALS special need accommodations allow for long-term living solutions, as well as short-term rehabilitation needs.

“It is one of the most unique, cost effective alternatives to a nursing home or complete home remodel projects available today,” Mr Racki added.

“We collaborated to create the Aging In Place Resource Center,” commented Craig Schuck, “as a one-stop solution for any accessibility and/or safety challenges an individual and their family may face. By collaborating with the CAPS professionals at the Ready Living Structures Division of the Rockfall Company, which has built hundreds of accessibility/safety modifications in homes throughout Connecticut, our center’s staff will perform modification projects both big and small.”

According to a recent study commissioned by Clarity and The EAR Foundation, “Aging in Place in America,” senior citizens fear moving into a nursing home and losing their independence more than they fear death.

The study also found that the baby boomer children of seniors also fear for their parents. “Boomers express particular concern about their parents’ emotional and physical well-being should they have to enter a nursing home,” stated the study, which examines the attitudes and anxieties of the nation’s elderly population (via MediaPost).

“When asked what they fear most,” the study reported, “seniors rated loss of independence (26 percent) and moving out of home into a nursing home (13 percent) as their greatest fears. Death was cited as the greatest fear for just 3 percent of seniors.”

Todd Shuck said working with the CAPS professionals at Rockfall Company’s Ready Living Structures Division provides access to the products, resources, and expertise to perform modification and adaptation projects of various size.

“The new Aging In Place Resource Center’s service techs will handle jobs that will include installation of bathroom safety grab bars, railings and ramp systems, while the remodeling team will handle larger accessibility remodeling projects,” said Mr Shuck. “All of our employees are specifically trained and familiar with the unique and often sensitive nature of the situations we work in.”

To learn more, call toll free at 877-262-1671 or visit www.aginginplaceresourcecenter.org.