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Senior residents frustrated with elevator broken since August

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The one elevator at Indianapolis senior living home Capitol Station has been out of service for six weeks.

For many of the people who live on the second and third floors, the stairs aren’t an option.

A staircase might as well be Mount Everest for Susanne Webb.

“My back is bad, I’m 86 years old,” Webb said.

She lives on the second floor of Capitol Station apartments.

But she hasn’t left the building since the elevator broke in August.

“It’s been very depressing to be isolated in that little apartment,” she said.

She can’t get to the grocery store, the doctors office or even get some fresh air.

“I cannot go up and down stairs and to sit outside when it was nice,” she said.

She lives next to Bueford Collins who is taking the stairs, but at a strong risk to his safety.

“The doctor about two months ago told me don’t walk up and down stairs and here I am having to do it every day,” Collins said.

He and Susanne can’t believe it’s taking this long to fix their only elevator.

They feel frustrated with the explanations given to them by management.

“You hear one thing and then you hear another and then no one shows up,” Webb said.

Capitol Station is owned by Ohio based company “United Church Homes.”

Their Chief Financial Officer John Renner said, on the phone, the issue has been finding replacement parts.

“It’s been difficult finding the parts and getting them shipped to the local elevator maintenance company,” Renner said.

He acknowledges this is an ongoing problem and asks for residents’ understanding.

“We are deeply concerned and regretful that it has taken so long to get the repair work done,” he said.

Renner said that someone is expected to come out with a new part Friday morning.

But the residents said at this point they will have to see that to believe it.