Accessibility of Home Street Curb. Who should I talk to? Help Please

[Rod Hagen]

My friend is just back home after over two months at the Hospital and then Physical Rehab.  He has stairs up to his house.  26 Stairs.  He's trapped.  A physical therapist is going to work with him at home, and maybe once again he can get up and down the stairs.  He wasn't particularly mobile before his hospitalization (see thread in health forum) and getting from the bottom of his stairs to his garage/car was always dangerous.  He fell several times and had to get help from the neighbors passing by.

You can see in the photos that the bottom curb is very very high, and also, there's that darn Fire Hydrant hazard if he tries to (dangerously) use the handrail and skirt above the street.

I want to make the curb at the bottom of his stairs accessible to the street. That way someone could easily pick him up and drop him off at the bottom of the stairs and he can either walk down and up, if able, or we can have a chair lift put in.  

I'm wondering who at the City of Los Angeles I should reach out to about making the curb at the bottom of his stairs accessible to the street?  Any ideas what department/person that would be?  THANKS!

 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Rod Hagen

[Lookin]

3 hours ago, Rod Hagen said:

I want to make the curb at the bottom of his stairs accessible to the street. That way someone could easily pick him up and drop him off at the bottom of the stairs and he can either walk down and up, if able, or we can have a chair lift put in.  

I'm wondering who at the City of Los Angeles I should reach out to about making the curb at the bottom of his stairs accessible to the street?  Any ideas what department/person that would be?

I'm not a Los Angeles resident but a quick Google brought up this web page from the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works.  If they're not the ones, they should be able to tell you who is.

Very kind of you to help him with this. 👍  Best of luck!

[Rod Hagen]

4 hours ago, Lookin said:

I'm not a Los Angeles resident but a quick Google brought up this web page from the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works.  If they're not the ones, they should be able to tell you who is.

Very kind of you to help him with this. 👍  Best of luck!

Thank You Lookin. Will contact them.  

Also, friend suggested I reach out to my friend’s councilman, so I just did that too. 

[+ nycman]

He needs to move into a more appropriate home.

Fixing that curb isn’t going to fix those stairs.

Everyone on the forum take note….that day is coming……plan ahead.

[Rod Hagen]

1 hour ago, nycman said:

He needs to move into a more appropriate home.

Fixing that curb isn’t going to fix those stairs.

Everyone on the forum take note….that day is coming……plan ahead.

Eventually he'll be getting a Stair Lift, I presume.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, nycman said:

He needs to move into a more appropriate home.

Fixing that curb isn’t going to fix those stairs.

Everyone on the forum take note….that day is coming……plan ahead.

I think @nycman hit the nail on the head. My late father lived in a house with stairs up to the front door, when he developed a stroke which made it impossible to get to the front door without 2 people assisting (essentially carrying him up there). This essentially made him a prisoner in his house. My sibs and I encouraged my step-mother (his wife) to move to a more appropriate home. She resisted for over a year, hoping that my father could navigate the stairs if he just applied himself more in his physical therapy sessions. Eventually, they moved to a penthouse apartment with an elevator, just down the street, and they were much happier after that. Another issue is that he had to go to the ER a couple of times, and his insurance denied payment for ambulance transport, stating there was nothing requiring ambulance amenities such as an IV, oxygen, or cardiac monitoring. His inability to get down the stairs to the car was definitely not a qualifying disability. 

I'm now in the house in which I plan to spend the rest of my days. When I looked for a house, I wanted to make sure I could continue to live there should I be unable to climb stairs. I live on the crest of a hill, and the top floor is at street level. The master bedroom, kitchen, dining room, and living room (and office) are all at street level. There is a downstairs, which is mostly a guest and party area. One needs to go down to the larger guest bedroom, entertainment room, bar, swimming pool, and back yard, but there is no necessity to go there unless I'm going to the pool, back yard, or exercise machine. Unless your friend can be rehabilitated to the point in which he can safely go down the stairs, it would probably be wisest to move to a more appropriate living situation, rather than trying to spend the time and energy and $$$ trying to adapt the current place. A ranch-style house or an assisted living facility would be better alternatives, depending on his needs. 

 

[+ APPLE1]

The city of LA settled a major lawsuit over ADA compliant sidewalks back in like 2016. I recall reading at that time it was projected to take over 30 years and a billion dollars to fix the problem.

I am assuming with such a large investment, there's some sort of priority repair schedule being implemented. I would reach out to the city's disability department to see where your friend's street lies in the plan, and inquire if an immediate need will move his street up on the list.

Home | Department on Disability

DISABILITY.LACITY.ORG

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by APPLE1

[pubic_assistance]

On 4/17/2023 at 10:52 AM, nycman said:

He needs to move into a more appropriate home.

I agree.

Most of my older clients are moving to homes without stairs as they reach their later years.

I also moved my own parents from our family Victorian into a 1950's ranch house with no stairs.

We all may want to keep our homes forever, but as @Unicornmentioned, if you want to stay in your home you NEED a home that you can get in and out of.

 

[Rudynate]

1 hour ago, pubic_assistance said:

I agree.

Most of my older clients are moving to homes without stairs as they reach their later years.

I also moved my own parents from our family Victorian into a 1950's ranch house with no stairs.

We all may want to keep our homes forever, but as @Unicornmentioned, if you want to stay in your home you NEED a home that you can get in and out of.

 

I have a mobility impairment that I hope is temporary, but my husband has started to say we need a house without steps.

[pubic_assistance]

My next home will have an upstairs AND downstairs master suite so I can (hopefully) stay till I depart this world.  My current home is a town house with three floors. I'm already bored with going up and downstairs all the time. I'm quite sure it's going to be a burden when I'm older.

[Rudynate]

34 minutes ago, pubic_assistance said:

My next home will have an upstairs AND downstairs master suite so I can (hopefully) stay till I depart this world.  My current home is a town house with three floors. I'm already bored with going up and downstairs all the time. I'm quite sure it's going to be a burden when I'm older.

Ours is a typical San Francisco house -  A ground floor and a flight of stairs up from the street to the main floor.  He might be being a little over-protective. I've been working with personal trainer who has a credential in corrective exercise and I'm getting better fast. I might be nearly normal by end of summer.

[keefer]

8 hours ago, Rudynate said:

I've been working with personal trainer who has a credential in corrective exercise and I'm getting better fast

Excellent news!  for the past three years my mom (91) has been going to the gym daily, seeing a physio once or twice weekly;  and the combination of both has kept her very mobile.   She can't do long distances anymore, but she can do a normal supermarket cart hanging onto a cart if the riding unit isn't available.   The physio has worked miracles - so much so that she has been able to move in with my sister for the summer (old farmhouse, two stories)..  and we've also added a personal trainer to the mix.   

All jokes aside, I never realized how critically important it was to stay flexible as one ages...

[Rudynate]

3 minutes ago, keefer said:

Excellent news!  for the past three years my mom (91) has been going to the gym daily, seeing a physio once or twice weekly;  and the combination of both has kept her very mobile.   She can't do long distances anymore, but she can do a normal supermarket cart hanging onto a cart if the riding unit isn't available.   The physio has worked miracles - so much so that she has been able to move in with my sister for the summer (old farmhouse, two stories)..  and we've also added a personal trainer to the mix.   

All jokes aside, I never realized how critically important it was to stay flexible as one ages...

I'm a believer after my experience of the last 18 months.  I never imagined I could go to hell so quickly.  July of 2021,  I did a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas and won both classes I entered.  Sept 2021 I had a hip replacement that took me 8 months to recover from.  Only a couple months after that I developed an autoimmune problem.  I had no idea it was even possible to feel that bad.  No end in sight for the autommune problem, but it is easing up some.   

[Luv2play]

12 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

My next home will have an upstairs AND downstairs master suite so I can (hopefully) stay till I depart this world.  My current home is a town house with three floors. I'm already bored with going up and downstairs all the time. I'm quite sure it's going to be a burden when I'm older.

Look on the bright side. Climbing those stairs multiple times a day is a very good form of enforced exercise. It will keep you more fit and mobile longer, all other things being equal. 

[pubic_assistance]

8 hours ago, Luv2play said:

Look on the bright side. Climbing those stairs multiple times a day is a very good form of enforced exercise. It will keep you more fit and mobile longer, all other things being equal. 

I'm not that old (yet). I get plenty of exercise at the gym etc. By the time I get home I don't need more. But yes ...for older people stairs are good exercise. ( Until you fall down them ). Which is often the case with elderly people. Lost one grandmother to a flight of stairs and nearly said goodbye to a neighbor recently who was otherwise healthy and active. Bedridden for a year now after a tumble.

[Luv2play]

1 hour ago, pubic_assistance said:

I'm not that old (yet). I get plenty of exercise at the gym etc. By the time I get home I don't need more. But yes ...for older people stairs are good exercise. ( Until you fall down them ). Which is often the case with elderly people. Lost one grandmother to a flight of stairs and nearly said goodbye to a neighbor recently who was otherwise healthy and active. Bedridden for a year now after a tumble.

I'm 75 and took a tumble on Easter weekend when I stepped off a curb and rolled over on my right side flipping as well, all in an instant. I had a backpack on which cushioned my fall and ehen I got up all felt well. Later I had a sore rib cage on the right side but that has now disappeared. 

I kept fit and appropriate weight all my life and now it is paying off. And I like to climb the stairs in my house since it is built in exercise, you don't have to think about it. And you do it every day several times or more. 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Luv2play said:

... I like to climb the stairs in my house since it is built in exercise, you don't have to think about it....

Owning a dog is another way to get exercise without thinking about it. Probably why dog owners live longer than cat owners....

Edited April 25, 2023 by Unicorn

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

22 hours ago, Unicorn said:

Probably why dog owners live longer than cat owners....

That, and you could never get me to play with Pussy 🐈😺

[+ tassojunior]

On 4/16/2023 at 3:25 PM, Rod Hagen said:

My friend is just back home after over two months at the Hospital and then Physical Rehab.  He has stairs up to his house.  26 Stairs.  He's trapped.  A physical therapist is going to work with him at home, and maybe once again he can get up and down the stairs.  He wasn't particularly mobile before his hospitalization (see thread in health forum) and getting from the bottom of his stairs to his garage/car was always dangerous.  He fell several times and had to get help from the neighbors passing by.

You can see in the photos that the bottom curb is very very high, and also, there's that darn Fire Hydrant hazard if he tries to (dangerously) use the handrail and skirt above the street.

I want to make the curb at the bottom of his stairs accessible to the street. That way someone could easily pick him up and drop him off at the bottom of the stairs and he can either walk down and up, if able, or we can have a chair lift put in.  

I'm wondering who at the City of Los Angeles I should reach out to about making the curb at the bottom of his stairs accessible to the street?  Any ideas what department/person that would be?  THANKS!

 

 

i'd get a handrail on those steps a.s.a.p . I would never try to go down those myself without one. Is that his garage and if so isn't there an easier indoor way down? 

Stairmasters and small elevators are not that expensive. 

Edited April 27, 2023 by tassojunior

[+ sniper]

On 4/25/2023 at 10:54 AM, Luv2play said:

I'm 75 and took a tumble on Easter weekend when I stepped off a curb and rolled over on my right side flipping as well, all in an instant. I had a backpack on which cushioned my fall and ehen I got up all felt well. Later I had a sore rib cage on the right side but that has now disappeared. 

I kept fit and appropriate weight all my life and now it is paying off. And I like to climb the stairs in my house since it is built in exercise, you don't have to think about it. And you do it every day several times or more. 

You don't need to think about it..until you do. You might want to look into exercises specifically designed for older people to avoid falls. Your proprioception could be very gradually declining without you realizing it. I've had something lile that happening to me and I'll be having back surgery later this year to correct it.

[+ sync]

On 4/17/2023 at 10:52 AM, nycman said:

He needs to move into a more appropriate home.

Fixing that curb isn’t going to fix those stairs.

Everyone on the forum take note….that day is coming……plan ahead.

@nycman's words are a very good example of words needed rather than wanted.

About three weeks ago I twisted my right knee, and even without having to negotiate any steps, my quality of life plummeted. 

I live in an environment that affords me the convenience of not having to negotiate steps for anything (other than the recent city-wide power failure, which stalled all the elevators on the very day I had an unusually large grocery delivery, which I had to jackass up four flights of stairs in about eight trips.  A story for another day.)  I'm truly thankful it was before my knee injury.

 

[Lookin]

2 hours ago, sync said:

(other than the recent city-wide power failure, which stalled all the elevators on the very day I had an unusually large grocery delivery, which I had to jackass up four flights of stairs in about eight trips.)

I hope somebody remembered the Tater Tots™ . . .