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Please note that this page is under construction and will be more accessible and user friendly!
KELLY NESBITT
Artistry / Design / Consulting
Adaptable Abodes, LLC
Accessibility Design & Home Modifications that Grow With You
Adaptable Abodes helps older adults and people with disabilities live safely, comfortably, and independently at home. Whether you’re planning ahead, facing a new diagnosis, or remodeling after a life change, we’re here to help your home grow with you - not against you.
We offer expert guidance on home safety, accessibility design, aging-in-place solutions, smart tech upgrades, fall prevention, and remodel planning. We also support attorneys and life care planners with functional and cognitive assessments, accessibility reports, cost projections, and legal documentation.
From grab bars to elevators, minor adjustments to full renovations - our goal is to make your home work better for your life.
Based in Portland, Oregon & Vancouver, Washington – proudly serving clients virtually nationwide.
📞 Call (503) 673-6299 for a FREE 15-minute consult
📧 Email: AdaptableAbodesLLC@gmail.com
Kelly Nesbitt OT, CAPS, ECHM
Meet Kelly Nesbitt, OTR/L, CAPS, ECHM - Founder, Accessibility Specialist & Occupational Therapist
I’m Kelly Nesbitt, a licensed Occupational Therapist with over 25 years of experience helping people live independently, safely, and with dignity. I founded Adaptable Abodes after nearly two decades of hands-on remodeling experience and clinical work across hospital, rehab, and home settings.
I hold two additional certifications:
• CAPS – Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (National Association of Home Builders)
• ECHM – Executive Certificate in Home Modification (USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology)
These credentials deepen my work in accessibility, safety codes, adaptive design, and aging-focused planning. Combined with my OT expertise, I understand how physical, sensory, and cognitive challenges impact daily living - and how to design homes that adapt to real-life needs.
What Sets My Work Apart
🔹 Complex Medical Knowledge
I specialize in helping clients with Parkinson’s, ALS, MS, dementia, stroke, spinal cord injury, and TBI - translating medical needs into practical, comfortable home environments.
🔹 Architectural Collaboration & Floor Plan Review
I partner with architects and designers to review floor plans through a clinical lens - flagging accessibility concerns and suggesting custom design solutions that go beyond ADA. My input helps ensure homes meet the user’s current and future needs, reducing costly changes down the line.
🔹 Legal & Professional Support
I provide neutral, OT-informed assessments for elder law, guardianship, and litigation cases - with rapid turnaround and court-ready documentation to support capacity, safety, and functional needs. I am also available to serve as a professional witness when needed.
🔹 Collaborative by Nature
I work side by side with families, builders, designers, and attorneys - bringing clinical perspective and human insight to every project.
🔹 A Holistic, Human-Centered Approach
At the heart of this work is respect - for the person, the home, and the story each space tells. I strive to make environments not just safer, but more empowering and comfortable, too.
Let’s create a home that works beautifully - for how you live now and in the future.
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)
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!
Please feel free to share my services with anyone who might benefit - friends, builders, contractors, architects, designers, gerontologists, housing specialists, life care planners, senior real estate agents, property managers, senior advisors, elder law attorneys, adult children of aging parents, and local community organizations. I truly appreciate your support.
Thank you!
RESOURCES & EDUCATION
Building your Accessibility Design Team
Residential Architects and Accessibility Consultants: Collaboration for Designing an Accessible Home
Complex environmental modifications: An Occupational Therapy Perspective.
By Goldhammer, T 2024. Journal of Nurse Life Care Planning.
LISTEN TO THE “ON POINT” RADIO EPISODE ABOUT BOOMMATES
High housing costs are pushing more Americans to find roommates, including baby boomers and empty nesters. We take a look at the growing trend of intergenerational living and ask could ‘boommates’ help ease the housing crisis?
Learn about AVA HOUSING (HOUSE SPLITTING)
This is an innovative Home Share model in Dublin, Ireland. They provide access to grants, project management and support services to older homeowners who wish to adapt their home to provide space for a rental capacity upstairs.
An Age-Friendly Ecosystem is a comprehensive framework that integrates age-friendly policies, environments, and services to support healthy aging, independence, and social inclusion across all aspects of life.
These ecosystems recognize that aging is influenced by multiple interconnected factors and strive to create inclusive, supportive, and accessible communities for older adults.
Note:
Please note that this page is under construction and will be more accessible and user friendly. I encourage you to return for updates!