If you’ve been a part of your HOA community for many years now, chances are you have neighbors who’ve reached their senior years already. They may have been young when they moved in but now they have become vulnerable” members of your community; and you, as a member of the same HOA community, have a responsibility to look after them. How do you help aging HOA residents? Here are seven ways…
1. Always check on them
First off, it is recommended that you get everyone on board with your “senior citizen watch” project. Take turns keeping an eye on them and call for assistance when needed. Take this time, too, to spend a little time with them.
2. Perform regular inspections around the community
When was the last time common areas in the community were inspected and evaluated for “senior safety?” Check ramps and walkways, stairs and rails, gates, and other public areas that everyone has access to. Make sure there are designated points of entry and exit and other areas for senior residents alone for their safety.
3. Get contact details of the aging residents’ respective families
Should anything happen to your aging neighbor; should there be an emergency, who is the resident’s next of kin to contact? You have to know who to call because your neighbor’s life could very well depend on that crucial phone call.
4. Provide point persons
In the same vein, who will the senior residents call should they need help with something? It could be a home emergency in the middle of the night like a power outage or a slip and fall accident. It would be ideal if there is only one point person for all concerns, so the senior resident won’t have a difficult time figuring out who exactly to call from the list of contact persons you provided.
5. Stay up-to-date with state laws and regulations
You have to stay updated with laws and regulations regarding special privileges for senior citizens as well as local and state laws regarding disabilities in aging residents. To know these laws and regulations is to protect the vulnerable members of your community.
6. Assist aging residents with HOA rules and restrictions
Homeowners associations have their own set of rules and regulations, which are strictly implemented for the betterment of the community. And within these rules and regulations are specific guidelines for practically everything that concerns the community, including such restrictions as using specific colors on exterior walls, and landscaping. Aging HOA residents may not have the physical capacity anymore to comply with these guidelines, and this is where you come in. You can make sure that these are still followed by offering your help.
7. Hold special events
Often, < a= rel”nofollow”href=”https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-of-older-adults”>senior citizens feel lonely and isolated because of their impaired mobility and cognitive function. Community events held especially for them will help ease their loneliness, make them feel they still matter, and that they are an important part of the community.