Action Alert

CSCS has worked with City Council for five years to have a law passed that would require landlords to install grab bars in the bathrooms of seniors. The law would parallel the window guards law that has been in place for apartments for decades.
Councilman Alan Gerson, (Lower Manhattan), has taken the lead on this issue over the years and worked closely with CSCS each step of the way. He successfully got legislation introduced by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senator Serph Maltese (Queens). The legislation was passed and recently signed into law by Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Grab bars are key to preventing falls:

Falls are the leading cause of accidental injury in the 65+ population.
Of those who fall, 20%-30% suffer moderate to severe injuries.
One out of four, 25%, of elderly individuals who sustain a hip fracture die within one year.

Next steps:

There will be a hearing in the fall because City Council needs to pass a law mandating installation upon request of seniors 60 and older, and all disabled people who don't already have them. Landlords will be reimbursed for some expenses by the city. This reflects the state law.
Further details on the law and how a senior can apply to have a grab bar installed will follow in the fall when we know more.
Please send thank you letters to Councilman Gerson thanking him for his perseverance and success in getting this legislation passed:
- Councilman Alan Gerson,
- 51 Chambers St, Room 429, NY, NY 10007

For further information, please contact Bobbie Sackman, (212) 398-6565, x226.

CSCS – THE POWER OF AGING!