Elder mediation

Housing

An older resident was distressed that the Council was attempting to remove her security gate, which she had installed years ago as added protection to her front door. She was angry and felt the Council wasn’t listening to her. I contacted her local councillor and the housing office to explain her concerns and suggest a meeting. What was striking was the way the Council had made an assumption about risk without discussing this with her or with the local fire department; it appeared to be a case of ‘protection imperative’, assessing risk on behalf of someone who, because of her age, was considered vulnerable. Because of Covid restrictions, it was decided that a face-to-face meeting was not possible. However, the complaint went to the head of the housing department, after which the Council stopped insisting on removing the gate. In the end, no meeting was held, but the intervention allowed the resident’s concerns to be heard and acted on.