Kelly Nesbitt, OTR/L, CAPS | Founder of Adaptable Abodes

ABOUT the FOUNDER

My name is Kelly Nesbitt. I’m an Occupational Therapist, accessibility consultant, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) , and holder of an Executive Certificate in Home Modification (ECHM) from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

As founder of Adaptable Abodes, I blend clinical expertise, functional design, and hands-on building experience to help people create safer, more supportive homes that work beautifully over time.

My work sits at the intersection of health, home, and design- helping people reimagine their homes for changing needs, whether through simple modifications, thoughtful remodels, multigenerational living, or future-ready planning. At the heart of my work is the belief that good design can support autonomy, dignity, and the everyday rhythms that make home feel like home.

I grew up in New England as a first-generation Irish American, shaped by my mother’s immigrant journey and a kind of Yankee ingenuity - practical, resourceful, and hands-on - informed by old houses, long winters, and making things work.

I come from a family of artists, designers, and makers: a cabinetmaker grandfather in Ireland, a father who held more than 150 design patents at Spalding, painter and photographer uncles, and a sister in Austin who teaches cooking from her home. That blend of craftsmanship, creativity, and lived problem-solving shaped how I understand human-centered design.

Occupational Therapy itself was born at the intersection of health, social reform, psychology, architecture, and design. That lineage deeply informs my work today: shaping homes around the relationship between person, environment, and daily occupation - supporting safety, autonomy, and meaningful life.

Across 27 years in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, home settings, and throughout COVID in the ICU, I specialized in neurology, geriatrics, and complex medical care, always asking how environments can better support function and wellbeing. Holding my father’s hand through hospice deepened that understanding and reinforced for me that home is not simply shelter - it is often a place of care.

I also bring an artist’s sensibility to this work. As a performance artist and red-nose clown, I have produced collaborative performances and community events recognized through arts grants, experiences that strengthened my skills in project management, improvisation, creative problem-solving, and bringing humor and levity into vulnerable moments.

Over the past 19 years, I’ve remodeled two homes and served as my own general contractor on a timber-frame tiny house and guest-suite addition. That hands-on building experience deepened my understanding of materials, construction, and how thoughtful design can help homes evolve across seasons of life.

I’m a natural connector and weaver - linking people, ideas, and trusted professionals. Together, these experiences as clinician, caregiver, artist, builder, and collaborator shaped the foundation of Adaptable Abodes.

I help individuals and families translate health, mobility, and aging needs into practical, elegant design solutions, collaborating with contractors, architects, attorneys, and care teams to create safer, more functional, future-ready homes grounded in trust, design, and care.

At its heart, my work is about helping people remain rooted in the places they love - with greater safety, possibility, and choice.

Adaptable Abodes is licensed and insured in Oregon and Washington. We hold active OT licensure in OR and WA, maintain required business registrations, and carry professional liability and general liability insurance nationwide.

Oregon EIN # 2369980-92

WA UBI: 606021555

OT LIC Oregon # 1036721

OT LIC Washington # 60952325

NPI # 1508193830

NBCOT # 1036721

Kelly Nesbitt OTR/L, CAPS, ECHM

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