Condo Media - September 2016 - 33

duties. While the desire to help older
residents is admirable, he agrees, "it's
not what managers or association staff
members are being paid to do."
That doesn't mean managers and
boards should ignore the problems of
struggling seniors, Eriksen and de Haan
emphasize; only that they should find
help for them rather than providing it
directly. "If someone falls in the parking
lot, you don't help them up," de Haan
advises. "You call 911."
Even when you suspect that an aging
owner needs help, privacy considerations require a hands-off approach. As
one association manager noted, "You
can't just walk up to someone and say,
'I've noticed that you're becoming quite
forgetful-do you think you might be suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's?'"
Unless an individual's behavior is
"dangerous or truly bizarre," de Haan
advises, "you shouldn't do anything."
Where action is required, she says,

boards and managers should "be discreet
and deferential, and avoid anything that
crosses the line into invasion of privacy."
If residents endanger their own health
or safety, and certainly if they disturb or
threaten the safety of others, the association will have to intervene. The hard-ofhearing senior who plays a stereo at maximum volume at all hours and the hoarder
whose cluttered unit attracts rodents and
creates a fire hazard are obvious examples.
FINDING HELP
The first step in dealing with these situations, de Haan and Eriksen agree, is to
contact family members or close friends
and ask them to provide the assistance the
elderly resident needs. If those closest to
the individual don't respond, social services agencies may be able to help. Most
communities offer support services for
elderly residents; the quality varies, but at
a minimum, they may provide advice or
connections to other helpful resources.

If you're dealing with a potential fire
hazard or other health or safety issue, the
governing documents of most communities allow boards to enter a unit without
permission, resolve the problem, and bill
the owner for the costs. But some documents provide more or less emergency
authority than others, Eriksen cautions.
For example, he notes, while some
documents impose no restrictions on
emergency access, others may require
advance notice to the owner or the
owner's presence. He advises boards:
"Review your governing documents, and
match your response to the conditions.
You don't break down a door just to clean
up a mess; you do that only if you're dealing with a true emergency."
If a threat isn't imminent and time
allows, he prefers obtaining a court order
before entering a unit without the owner's
permission. This process takes longer and
is more expensive, he notes, "but it gives
the association a bit more protection."

STATEWIDE RM

Top quality in masonry restoration,
brickwork and waterproofing since 1996

Inch by inch and
brick by brick...

We work to ensure the durability
and attractiveness of the masonry
and other related surfaces of your
community association property.

617-686-3302

Kieran Fitzgibbon - President
kfitzgibbon@statewiderm.com
www.statewiderm.com

NEW
MEMBER
BENEFIT!

IDEA

exchange
INFORMATION
exchange
CAI
exchange
Your members-only online community
for connecting and collaborating.
Curious? Log on today using your
CAI website password at
www.caionline.org/exchange.

September 2016

http://www.statewiderm.com http://www.caionline.org/exchange http://www.statewiderm.com

Condo Media - September 2016

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