Condo Media - September 2016 - 31

GOOD ADVICE: GETTING READY
FOR OWNERS WHO ARE GETTING OLDER
is important to educate staff members,
and volunteers about the 'right' way to
provide assistance," de Haan says. "If
you decide it is necessary to check on
a resident, you don't go into their residence on your own; you call the police
for help." Boards should also develop
procedures for dealing with owners who
die in their homes, Scott Eriksen, a partner in Perkins & Anctil, P.C., suggests-
an unpleasant prospect, he agrees, but
a problem many boards and managers
are likely to confront.

As more than one philosopher has
observed, "Few people know how to be
old." It's something most people learn
by doing. Association managers and
board members are similarly learning
on the job how to manage communities
in which residents are aging in place.
Industry professionals offer this general
advice for associations that are beginning to think about how their communities will respond to these challenges.

Start by analyzing the demographics of your community to gauge the
extent to which age-related problems are
a concern or are likely to become one.

Collect emergency contact information for all residents and update
it periodically. This information should
include the names of family members
or close friends and (if residents are
willing to provide it) the name and
phone number of their physician.

Compile information that would
be useful, and possibly essential, to
emergency responders. Note, for example,
any individuals who would need special
help if forced to evacuate. Ellen Hirsch
de Haan, a partner in Florida-based
Wetherington Hamilton and a specialist
in aging-related problems in condominiums, notes that some communities install
strobe lights that can be activated in an
emergency to ﬂash on buildings in which
these residents reside.

Collect information about elder
services available in the community. The Department of Public Health
and the mayor's ofﬁce are good places
to start. Local hospitals also may be a
good source of information and assistance; so are churches and synagogues
and community service organizations.
It's a good idea to locate and make
contact with these resources in advance,

so you won't have to spend time trying
to ﬁnd them in a crisis. You might also
post this listing of services on the association's website or publish it periodically in the association's newsletter.

Take advantage of educational
programs focusing on age-related
concerns. De Haan notes that these
training programs can help managers and board members recognize the
difference between residents who may
be suffering from dementia, substance
abuse (an increasing problem for the
elderly), or other medical conditions
and those who are simply constant complainers.

Develop written protocols for
responding to emergencies. These
guidelines should specify circumstances in which you will enter a unit
without permission, and detail the procedures you will follow if you do so. "It

Encourage residents to watch out
for each other generally and to
keep an eye on their older neighbors in
particular, noticing if papers are stacking up outside a doorway or if someone
known for taking daily walks around the
community suddenly stops doing so.
Consider establishing a volunteer committee responsible for checking periodically on older residents. While some
seniors may resent the intrusion, others
will welcome the attention. "But don't
call these wellness or health checks," de
Haan advises, because that terminology
implies more formal services than the
association is offering and more liability than it wants to incur.

Think seriously about how the
association will respond as the
needs of its residents change and
encourage owners to participate in that
discussion-through special meetings
or surveys to solicit their input on key
questions, such as how the association
will manage the services and facilities
older residents demand but younger
ones don't want-as an association
expense, shared by all, or as a separate
fee imposed only on those who use the
amenities. You probably won't be able
to answer all of the questions, industry
professionals note, but it is important to
begin asking them.
September 2016

Condo Media - September 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2016