FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2026 — Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Privacy-First Smart Home Firm Adds NAHB Aging-in-Place Credential to Growing Stack of Accessibility and Home Safety Designations
Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) Seal
Cherry Hill, NJ — Ashley Williams, founder of Serenity Smart Homes, is now one of a select group of professionals nationwide to earn the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation from the National Association of Home Builders. The CAPS designation identifies her as a home safety and smart home consultant with the skills and knowledge necessary to evaluate and recommend modifications that meet the unique needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and their visitors.
The National Association of Home Builders, in partnership with AARP and the NAHB Research Center, created the CAPS program to deliver training and education on the technical, business management, and customer service skills essential to the fastest-growing segment of the residential remodeling industry: home modifications for aging-in-place. CAPS graduates include remodelers, builders, designers, architects, occupational therapists, and home safety consultants who help homeowners remain in their homes safely, independently, and comfortably as they age.
The CAPS curriculum incorporates market demographics, communication techniques, marketing, common barriers and design solutions, building codes and standards, product ideas and resources, and business management. CAPS graduates are required to maintain their designation by attending continuing education programs and participating in community service projects.
"Aging in place is rarely about a single modification. It is about a sequenced plan that fits the way the household actually lives — what they need first, what can wait, and what the next health event or family transition will likely require. The CAPS designation deepens my ability to build that plan and explain it in a way the homeowner, the family, and the contractor can all act on. I look forward to helping more households across South Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Northern Delaware plan ahead instead of reacting to a crisis."
Where Aging-in-Place Planning Meets Smart Home Technology
Ashley Williams brings more than 20 years of cybersecurity and network infrastructure experience to Serenity Smart Homes, a Cherry Hill-based firm serving clients across New Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Northern Delaware in-person, with remote consulting available nationally. Serenity specializes in privacy-first smart home automation that runs entirely on local control: no cloud dependency for safety-critical functions, no monthly subscription fees, no third-party data exposure.
The CAPS designation adds a recognized aging-in-place framework to Ashley's existing CLIPP credential and her Senior Home Safety Specialist (SHSS) training, allowing Serenity to approach each engagement at the intersection of three disciplines that rarely sit together at the same planning table: aging-in-place home modification, accessibility planning, and privacy-first smart home design. Services relevant to aging-in-place and accessibility clients include:
- 230-point home safety and aging-in-place assessments delivered as a written, prioritized plan
- Bathroom, kitchen, and circulation recommendations grounded in CAPS, CLIPP, and SHSS frameworks
- Smart lighting and automated routines that reduce fall risk and cognitive load
- Voice control and adaptive interface configuration for clients with mobility or dexterity limitations
- Caregiver alert and remote monitoring systems that respect both resident privacy and family peace of mind
- Coordination with occupational therapists, contractors, and family members so the plan actually gets executed
About Serenity Smart Homes
Serenity Smart Homes is a privacy-first home safety and smart home consultancy based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, serving clients across NJ, Southeastern PA, and Northern DE for in-person work, with remote consulting available nationally. Founded by Ashley Williams — a cybersecurity and network infrastructure veteran with more than 20 years of enterprise experience — Serenity builds smart home systems that are locally controlled, subscription-free, and designed to last. I am a consultant, not an integrator: I assess first, recommend second, and coordinate implementation with the right people on the ground.
Serenity's core audiences include adults and families planning ahead for aging-in-place, households with neurodivergent members, multigenerational households, and short-term rental operators seeking honest accessibility audits. The firm holds NJ SBE and MWBE certifications, is a Loxone Silver Partner, NJ HIC Licensed, and maintains active CEDIA membership.
Credentials: CAPS (Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, NAHB), CLIPP™ C00967 (Certified Living In Place Professional™), SHSS (Senior Home Safety Specialist, Age Safe America)
Website: www.serenitysmarthomesnj.com
Service Area: New Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Northern Delaware; Remote Consulting Nationwide
About the CAPS Program
The Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) program is administered by the National Association of Home Builders in partnership with AARP and the NAHB Research Center. It is the leading aging-in-place credential for housing professionals in the United States, identifying graduates as trained in the technical, business management, and customer service skills required to serve the aging-in-place segment of the residential market. For additional information about the CAPS program, visit www.nahb.org/caps.
Media Contact
Ashley Williams, CAPS, CLIPP™, SHSS
Serenity Smart Homes
Cherry Hill, NJ
www.serenitysmarthomesnj.com
Questions About CAPS Certification and Aging-in-Place Planning
Adults planning ahead for the long term, and adult children supporting aging parents, often ask the same questions when they start thinking about how their home will need to change. Here are the ones I hear most.
A Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) is a professional trained by the National Association of Home Builders, in partnership with AARP and the NAHB Research Center, to assess and modify homes for the unique needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and their visitors. The CAPS curriculum covers market demographics, communication techniques, common barriers and design solutions, building codes and standards, product options, and the business of aging-in-place. Graduates include remodelers, builders, designers, architects, occupational therapists, and home safety consultants who help homeowners remain in their homes safely and independently as they age.
CAPS focuses on the built environment: the physical home, its layout, materials, and modifications. It pairs well with credentials like CLIPP (Certified Living In Place Professional), which adds an interdisciplinary framework spanning accessibility, technology, and health, and SHSS (Senior Home Safety Specialist), which focuses on fall prevention and senior safety risk. I hold all three, which means a Serenity assessment looks at the house, the technology ecosystem, and the safety risk profile together, not as separate conversations.
Smart home technology only works if the physical home is set up to support it. A motion-activated lighting plan does not help a household if the bathroom transition is the actual fall risk. A medication reminder routine does not replace a kitchen layout that supports the resident's reach and mobility. CAPS training equips me to look at the home as a system: the construction, the modifications, the assistive technology, and the daily routines together. That is what turns a list of devices into a plan a household can actually live with.
The CAPS curriculum addresses the full range of modifications that support living in place over time: entry and approach (zero-step entries, ramps, handrails), interior circulation (door widths, hallway clearances, flooring transitions), bathrooms (curbless showers, grab bar placement, comfort-height fixtures), kitchens (reach, lighting, work zones), bedrooms, and whole-home systems including lighting, environmental controls, and assistive technology. I assess all of these as part of every aging-in-place engagement and document them in a prioritized written report.
Earlier than most people think. The most useful time to bring in a CAPS-credentialed consultant is before a health event forces decisions under pressure: when you are planning a remodel you want to live with for the next twenty years, when an adult child is starting to think about a parent's home, when someone has recovered from a fall and the family wants to prevent the next one, or when a household is considering multigenerational living. The assessment gives you a sequenced plan, including what to do first, what can wait, and what to hand a contractor with enough context that the contractor actually understands the job.
Serenity Smart Homes provides in-person aging-in-place assessments and smart home consulting across New Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Northern Delaware, with Cherry Hill, NJ as its home base. Remote assessments are available nationally for clients who want professional eyes on their home without waiting for a local assessor. The starting point is a free 30-minute discovery call. The call exists to determine whether the engagement is the right fit, with no commitment on either side.