Sue Gruber's career choices and passion for remodeling and design naturally led her to earn the National Association of Home Builder's (NAHB) designation of Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). This subsequently led her to take NAHB continuing education classes for Universal Design/Build and Train-the-Trainer status.
Years ago, as Pastoral Associate for the All Saints Parish in Corning, NY, Sue visited parishioners in nursing and assisted-living facilities and found that many of the residents were unable to go home only because their homes were unfit. This prompted her to renovate her own home, designing all of the changes and doing the majority of the renovations herself with the counsel of contractors and qualified advisors. Intuitively, she used Universal Design elements throughout. Afterwards, she was encouraged to earn CAPS designation to help educate others in our area about Aging-in-Place and Universal Design. She is passionate about educating others so that they can make good forward-thinking decisions when remodeling or building their home.
Sue is now a Licensed Approved NAHB Instructor and offers NAHB CAPS and Universal Design Essentials courses for contractors, health professionals, designers, architects, realtors, and anyone interested in modifying or building a home. Teaching these courses has been one of the most rewarding experiences for Sue, as it brings her in contact with dedicated experts from many fields related to aging in place. Their stories are awe-inspiring. The sharing of experiences and expertise makes the class a well-rounded learning experience for everyone involved. By the end of the three days, friendships have been formed and networks have been built. (Click on the "Events Calendar" tab for course details.)
Sue served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Corning Area Aging-in-Place Organization for 7 years and continues as their E-Communications Manager. She was a member of the Planning Committee for Full Circle America, an innovative Aging-in-Place model for Steuben County, NY. In addition, her home safety evaluations have become a part of the services provided by Full Circle America. She also spear-headed a group called ACES (Adult Children Empowering Seniors), which offered free presentations to the public on all matters related to empowering seniors. Sue was a consultant to Bampa's House, a Comfort Care Home in Corning, NY, which involved transforming an older home into a fully accessible, yet still beautiful building.
Sue retired from public school teaching in June 2015 after 31 years of service and has been offering her consultant service and expertise to our clients ever since. She provides home evaluations, product and funding research, as well as creates short and long-range design suggestions for homeowners, and offers liaison support between clients and contractors. In addition, she inputs 2-D designs into her 3-D Design Program to help her clients visualize the changes that are being proposed by their builders.
In order to educate herself on the latest products, innovations, and services available, Sue regularly attends numerous workshops, webinars, and classes on Universal Design, Aging-in-Place and 55+ Housing on-line and in-person at the International Builders' Show and the Kitchen & Bath International Show. Sue is also a regular participant in a regional RAAD (Resources & Advocacy for the Aging & Disabled) networking group. This enables her to direct people to the exact services that are needed, whether her services are needed or not.
Because Sue Gruber is 100% committed to educating individuals and communities about Aging-in-Place and Universal Design, her calendar has been filling up with requests from local organizations and clubs to provide complimentary educational programs for their members. Recently Sue has developed a Creating Your Forever Home series along with fellow CAPS, Mike Hurley from Gerould's HomeHealth Center. This multi-part series has been sponsored by Steuben, Chemung, and Schuyler Counties' Offices for Aging and is offered free to our community members. In addition, her consultant services are available to professional groups. Call (607)-333-4313 for a fee schedule for professionals.
To contact Sue Gruber to register for an NAHB course, to set up an educational program, or for additional information on any of the services that we offer, click here.
“Knowledge empowers! It’s my mission as an educator to inspire others to learn more.” Sue Gruber
