New lift to elevate mobility in older apartment building
A new elevator is being installed in an older residential building in the Xiayang Subdistrict of Qingpu District. The lift is meant to promote mobility and quality of life for local seniors, many of whom struggle with climbing stairs.
The building in question is part of the Chenxing Garden residential complex, on Gongyuan Road. The complex was built in 1998 and has 21 buildings.
Construction on the lift started on Monday at a building with 10 households, and is scheduled to finish in May 2020.
"Most residents in the community are seniors in their 70s or 80s," said Yao Huiping, Party secretary of Jiejinggang residential community, where Chenxing Garden is located.
"They find it difficult to climb stairs when they need to visit hospitals. We learned that they are in need of a lift."
"The lift will improve the living quality of residents, and make it more convenient for seniors to get outside," she said.
"There are 67 steps in total, and I count them one by one every time I climb the stairs," said 71-year-old Shen Jinying, who has lived on the fifth floor of the building since 2001.
Shen's husband suffers from lumbar disc herniation and heart disease. Due to mobility issues, the family was planning to move but dropped this idea following news of the new elevator.
"Everybody here has been waiting years for a lift," said Liu Pei, 68, who has been living in the building for six years. She also lives with her 2-year-old grandson.
"His parents worry a lot that the boy may fall down when we take him to climb the stairs, but this concern will be eliminated soon," said Liu.
"We are happy to have such an elevator," she said.
A contract to install a lift in another building in the complex has already been signed, and negotiations are underway for similar projects in other buildings, said Yao.