Why I built Oupa.
Oupa helps you stay independent as you get older by showing you what to do, in what order, and who can help. It starts with your home.
“Oupa” (pronounced OH-puh) is the Afrikaans word for grandfather.
My corporate career began as a chartered accountant at PwC, one of the world’s largest professional services firms, and the 25+ years since have been spent in real estate and business. Numbers, property, and big decisions about home have been my working life.
Oupa is personal for me. My grandfather, my oupa, spent his last days in a nursing home. The decisions that put him there were made without enough information, without enough options, and without the dignity he deserved. I built Oupa so other families can decide differently: earlier, with clearer information, and on their own terms.
I’m a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)® and a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). Those credentials hold me to professional standards in how I guide people and how homes can adapt as needs change. That’s why Oupa looks at the whole picture: your home, your health, your support, your finances, and the life you want to live.
John Fick, Founder
What the $150 plan is
The Independence Plan is a written roadmap for staying independent as you get older. It covers Home & Safety, Health & Wellbeing, Support & Care, Financial Security, and Lifestyle Fit: what to do first, what can wait, local costs, and vetted professionals near you. It costs $150, paid once, and arrives by email within seven days of your plan questions. Software, including AI, helps me draft; I review, edit and sign off every plan.
See a sampleWhat I’ll never do
- Take a referral fee from a senior care facility, or anything from a professional I introduce.
- Push you to stay or to move.
- Sell your information.
Certified Senior Advisors (CSAs) have supplemented their individual professional licenses, credentials, and education with knowledge about aging and working with older adults. It is recommended that you verify the validity of any professional's credentials with whom you conduct business and be sure you completely understand what those licenses, credentials, and education signify. The CSA certification alone does not imply expertise in financial, health, or social matters. For more details visit www.csa.us.