The doorway
Fit the Exit Plan to a Shared Building: Lobby, Hall, and Stairwell Before Dusk
In an apartment or condo, the door to your parent's unit is only the first of several exits, and each one has its own owner and its own rules.
A house has one front door and maybe a back one. A building gives your parent a longer route to the street, with more doors, more locks, and more people who control them. Before you fit any exit plan to an apartment or condo, walk the whole route from her unit to the outside and count every door on the way. Each one is a separate decision.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Map every door on the route
Start at her unit door and write down each door she would pass: the hallway door, the stairwell door, the lobby or entry door, and the door to any parking area or courtyard. Note who controls each one. Some are owned by the building, some by a management company, and some by a neighbor who has a key. Mark the doors that open with a key, a fob, or a code, because those are the ones you will need to plan around.
Ask who controls each door
Ask the building manager or landlord three questions. Can a resident's fob or code be set so the lobby door does not open to her alone? Does the stairwell door sound an alarm when it opens, and who hears that alarm? Is there a front desk or staff member who can be told to watch for her at dusk? Write down each answer and the name of the person who gave it. Do not prop open or change any fire door yourself. Ask the building first.
Test the walk at dusk
Walk the full route yourself at the hour she usually tries to leave. Time it. Note which doors are heavy, which lights are dim, and where the route passes an unattended space. Walk it a second time with someone who does not know the building, and ask them where they would hesitate. Their hesitation shows you where the plan is weakest.
Set one owner for the building plan
Name one person who keeps the building plan current. That person keeps the manager's answers on file, updates the plan if the fob system changes, and checks that the staff desk still knows her photo and phone number. For why the hours around dusk matter, our Sundowning and Wandering page explains the pattern in more detail.