“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community.”
– Max Carver
By Marianne Lyons Delorey, Ph.D.
While visiting someone’s house the other day, I commented to the couple living there that if they had some salt, I would gladly throw it down for them as the walkway was very iced over.
“Nah,” the older woman said. “I’m pretty spry for my age, I’ll be fine.”
I nodded my understanding, not wanting to overstep, offend her, or be patronizing.
But then I got to thinking. As a lifelong property manager, we don’t care for our homes solely for the benefit of the people who live there. This idea may ruffle the feathers of many Americans, who are brought up to believe that property rights are sacred. But unless we live in the middle of nowhere, there are plenty of other people for whom we must maintain our property. Generally, these people can be considered invited and uninvited.
Invitees should absolutely be considered when planning your maintenance. I am not sure why the older woman in the scenario above did not consider that we would want to salt the walkway for us who were visiting her, but she didn’t. Making sure your invited guests are safe should be a no-brainer.
Moreover, even uninvited guests should be considered. Consider Girl Scouts selling cookies, neighbors looking for a cup of sugar, or even someone who is at the wrong house. Aren’t these people worthy of safety?
While these people may be kept away with a “No Trespassing” sign, the reality is that even still there are people whose business (and our own needs) bring them to our houses. Think of the people who deliver mail and packages, the person who reads the water meter, and emergency responders. These people deserve to do their jobs without risk of harm to themselves, even if we did not expect them.
Emergency responders in particular warrant a fuller review of reasonableness of maintenance standards precisely because we don’t always know when we will need their help. Unpopular though my opinion may be, I think we owe our first responders some basic maintenance both outside and inside the house.
Outside maintenance includes making sure house numbers are clearly visible plus passage to necessary areas (front door, meters, oil tank) to include snow removal and treatment of icy areas or, in warmer weather, a path free of overgrowth.
Inside maintenance includes clear passage around the home to areas where there are common emergencies. This includes no obvious tripping hazards or clutter near
- Gas lines
- Water main
- Dryer
- Kitchen
- Bathrooms
- Bedrooms
- Other living spaces
While this may seem like a lot, I like to explain to my residents who struggle with clutter and housekeeping that if there is ever a fire, you don’t need to think about what you would need to escape, but rather how a firefighter unfamiliar with your apartment, carrying 50 pounds of equipment could find you in a smoke-filled, unlit apartment, in order to get you out safely.
Granted, having interior housekeeping standards sounds like a bridge too far when you start the conversation with salting a walkway for an invited guest. Perhaps we are not there quite yet. However, as we saw during the pandemic, the rights of individuals do need to be carefully weighed against the safety of first responders so they can continue to serve our communities.
Marianne Lyons Delorey, Ph.D. is the executive director of Colony Retirement Homes. She can be reached at 508-755-0444 or [email protected] and www.colonyretirementhomes.com.
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