![]() ![]() Boards also can let seniors and their families know about medical alert necklaces and bracelets, such as those from Life Alert, Mindme, or Safe Link, and even personal GPS trackers from companies like PocketFinder and GPS Shoe. Many people, not just the elderly, suffer from hearing loss, so it’s becoming increasingly common for buildings to install strobe-light fire alarms in addition to standard aural alarms. You can get ahead of all that by installing a code-compliant ramp proactively, integrating it with the building design and installing good lighting, a canopy, and other features. There’s a New York City statute ( Local Law 58) that applies during certain renovations, plus city and state human-rights laws that in one case forced Co-op City in the Bronx to install automatic front doors for residents in wheelchairs. The act applies to your retail spaces, of course. It does not – unless there’s a place of public accommodation, such as a doctor’s office, accessible through the lobby. It’s a common misconception that the federal Americans with Disabilities Act applies to the common areas of residential co-ops and condos. Buildings with front-door steps can install a ramp for those using wheelchairs, walkers, or canes. Although many younger residents may resent a ramp because it spells wheelchairs and old age, many boards get requests for ramps. And prevent a carpet, mat, or runner from curling by taping it down with special carpet tape (and not regular double-stick tape, which leaves a sticky residue on the floor). Use feathered floor coverings, meaning ones that go from a higher surface to a lower surface gradually with a rubber border. So avoid plush carpets and heavy carpet-padding in your common areas. ![]() “Area rugs are the worst things for a senior, because they slip on them or trip over them,” says Bonnie Honya, a board member at Queens’ Clearview Gardens, a co-op with 1,788 garden apartments. They don’t just occur on the ice, either. Slip-and-fall accidents are among the most dangerous, even for robust 60-year-olds, and slip-and-fall lawsuits are among the most common that boards face. ![]()
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