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KELLY NESBITT
Artistry / Design / Consulting
Adaptable Abodes, LLC
Accessibility Consulting · Aging in Place · Home Modifications
Live safely. Design smart. Stay home longer.
Adaptable Abodes helps older adults, families, and individuals with disabilities create homes that are safe, comfortable, and ready for the future.
From grab bars to stair lifts, ramps to elevators, shower conversions to medical equipment, smart home technology, floor plan design and multigenerational homes.
We customize a plan, connect you with trusted resources, and compare options and costs so you can make confident, informed decisions.
Investing in accessibility before a crisis isn’t just smart planning - it’s peace of mind.
Founded by Kelly Nesbitt, OT/L, CAPS, ECHM, Adaptable Abodes combines over 25 years of clinical experience in Occupational Therapy with expertise in home design and remodeling.
Kelly is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) through the National Association of Home Builders and holds an Executive Certificate in Home Modification (ECHM) from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
What We Do
Before you invest in any renovation or remodel, we recommend a clinically informed home evaluation by a licensed Occupational Therapist (OT) trained in accessibility design.
This ensures your home fits your current and future needs, preventing costly mistakes, unsafe layouts, and overlooked accessibility details.
We translate health and mobility needs into contractor-ready plans, helping you make smart design decisions that support independence, dignity, and beauty in every space.
We also help clients explore creative ways to live well at home, from multigenerational living and home sharing to ADUs, mother-in-law suites, and “boommate” arrangements - practical options that make aging in place more affordable, social, and supportive!
The Process
STEP ONE
Intake – We begin with a conversation to understand your needs, goals, budget, and timeline.
STEP TWO
CAPS-Certified Home Evaluation by an OT – A comprehensive on-site assessment that includes a detailed 20–30 page report with photos, recommendations, contractor-ready specifications, and cost projections.
STEP THREE
Choose Your Path:
A. Choose Contractors – Families may select and manage their own contractors using our report as a clear roadmap to share with their build team.
B. Project Management – Families can choose to have Adaptable Abodes quarterback the process, serving as a homeowner advocate and on-site representative to ensure design and accessibility goals are met.
Who We Work With
Adaptable Abodes collaborates with:
Homeowners and Families – adjusting to new medical needs, planning for aging in place or deciding to embrace a new space.
Professionals – architects, designers, senior advisors, senior real estate agents (SRES), financial specialists, and contractors seeking CAPS-informed collaboration.
Healthcare & Legal Teams – attorneys, life care planners, insurers, and case managers needing OT-informed reports and cost projections
Together, we create homes that are functional, stylish, and defensible - clinically sound and thoughtfully designed.
Areas of Expertise
✅ Aging in Place & Fall Prevention
✅ Remodel & Space Planning
✅ Accessibility & Universal Design
✅ Home Safety Assessments
✅ Smart Home & Adaptive Technology
✅ Contractor-Ready Specifications
✅ Project Management
✅ Homeowner Advocacy & Caregiver Support
✅ OT Legal & Insurance Documentation
What Sets Us Apart
🔹 Complex Medical Expertise – Experience with Parkinson’s, ALS, MS, dementia, stroke, SCI, TBI, and other complex conditions. We translate medical needs into safe, functional solutions that also support caregivers.
🔹 Architectural Collaboration – Partnering with architects and designers to review floor plans, flag accessibility concerns, and prevent costly redesigns.
🔹 Legal & Insurance Support – Neutral, OT-informed evaluations for attorneys, insurers, workers’ comp, and life care planners—complete with cost projections, functional needs analyses, and litigation-ready reports.
🔹 Collaborative & Human-Centered – Working side by side with families, builders, and professionals, centering the person, the home, and the story behind each space.
ServinG
Portland, Oregon • Vancouver, Washington • Virtually Nationwide
BOOK A CALL
CALL or TEXT (503) 673-6299
Kelly Nesbitt
OT/L, CAPS, ECHM
Founder • Accessibility Specialist • Occupational Therapist
Hello! I am Kelly. I am a CAPS Certified Aging in Place Specialist and certified Occupational Therapist with 25+ years of hands-on experience in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and home settings - plus nearly two decades of remodeling experience. I founded Adaptable Abodes to bridge clinical insight with real-world design.
Additional Credentials:
Certifications
Certified Occupational Therapist in Oregon # 1036721
Certified Occupational Therapist in Washington # 60952325
Executive Certificate in Home Modifications - ECHM
Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist - CAPS
Abides by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) code of ethics
Member Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance
Member OT Potential
Member Next Level OT Home and Community Therapist Network
Member National Aging in Place Council NAIPC®
Member Aging-in-Place Directory
Member Metropolitan Senior Network
Member Portland Area Rental Owners Association
(Red grab bars in photo by PONTE GUILIO in Italy)
✨ Let’s create a home that works beautifully - for how you live now and into the future.✨
adaptableabodesllc@gmail.com
SCHEDULE A SERVICE
BOOK A CALL
TEXT ME (503) 673-6299
CALL ME (503) 673-6299
Portfolio
&
Reviews
Before / After
Photos of renovation projects
The Tower of Power.
New construction, hybrid timber frame, double decker art studio, backyard speakeasy performance space, tiny home, 10-12 footprint, 25ft eave, seasonal plumbing (sink/toilet), electric heaters, mini fridge, ceiling fan, and 50 amp panel. Portland, Maine.
GC/Project manager; Kelly Nesbitt, Designer; Rachel Conly @ Juniper Design, Construction; Greg Gilman & company
IN-LAW SUITE
Remodel and new addition construction, 3 room, single level studio, 500 sqft.
GC/Project manager; Kelly Nesbitt, New Addition Designer; Das Chapin Design, Construction; Mark Pendergrass & company
Accessibility Design
"Kelly was instrumental in helping us make design choices when building my mother's casita.
After my father passed, my husband and I decided to transition my limited mobility elderly mother to our home. Soon after, we recognized we needed our own spaces and plans for an ADU to suit her needs quickly began.
Though new building codes already mandated certain ADA accessibility requirements, we quickly recognized that we needed a more customized plan. Kelly gave us a detailed list of design requirements specific to my mother's needs, including: appropriate flooring selections, lighting considerations, floor layouts that would accommodate a future live-in caretaker, specific shower bar adaptations, design layouts that would create clear pathways, AND SO MUCH MORE.
We were able to pass this detailed list on to our architect, who was able to incorporate these accommodations into our final design. We are super grateful for her insight and guidance. Her input saved us thousands of dollars and time in what would be future renovations." - Dee Roberts - 10/2024
(ADU seen in photos, first floor is her mother’s casita apartment)
Meet Marty.
Company mascot.
Referrals are Appreciated!
Referrals Are Greatly Appreciated!
I’m always looking to connect with:
Elder law attorneys
Case managers
Life care planners
Senior service professionals
Architects & Builders
Complex Rehab Professionals
If you know someone supporting families through home modifications, catastrophic injuries, or long-term care planning, a referral means so much. Together, we can ensure clients have the safety, accessibility, and dignity they deserve.
RESOURCES
via OT Potential
(Adaptable Abodes does not accept Medicare)
Home Financing for Seniors with Landis Group
Renovation Loans, Retirement Loans, VA Loans and much more
Complex environmental modifications: OT perspective
By Goldhammer, T 2024. Journal of Nurse Life Care Planning.
AGE TECHNOLOGY
Home Safety & Well-Being Device (founded in Lake Oswego, Oregon)
Architechs, Designers, Accessibility OT’s
A model that the Irish are doing.