As the population starts to get older, there are a remarkable amount of seniors that are living on their own. In many cases, they have been widows or widowers for many years and may be used to living alone, or being on their own could be a brand new thing. Without a roommate or partner, people may be more vulnerable to security issues, especially seniors.
The rise in senior targeted crime has dramatically risen in the past decade leaving many seniors looking for ways to improve their home security. You don’t have to turn your home into Fort Knox to have a decent level of safety, but there are certain things that you should consider to allow yourself to feel safer.
Take a moment to read this guide if you are using a wheelchair or have limited mobility and also some easy security improvements that you can implement in your own home, keep you safe and improve your peace of mind.
Install A Security Alarm
This may seem like an extreme solution, but home security systems have become very simple and easy to use over the years. You can choose the type of package that you need and target only the areas of your home that you may feel are at risk. Have an alarm only on your front door if you live in an apartment, or have all your entrances or windows wired if you are in a regular house.
Deadbolts
A lock can make all the difference when someone is trying to gain access to your home. Deadbolts are not only stronger, but they are much tougher to “pick” than a standard lock system. You should have at least one 1” deadbolt on your exterior doors to be fully protected. Make sure that your door itself is sitting firmly inside the frame as any wiggle room can weaken the effect the deadbolt will have.
Interior Door Hinges
Having your exterior doors hung with their hinges exposed to the outside is just asking for trouble. For anyone wanting to get into your home, they only need to pop out the hinge pins and remove the whole door to get inside. Make sure that your doors are hung properly with all hinges on the inside of your house.
Create An Illusion
Any intruder that thinks that someone may be home in a house will nearly always move on to another target. There are many types of light timers that you can easily hook up to lamps and outdoor lights to turn on when you are not home giving the impression that someone is around. This is great for seniors that are often away from the home at night or travel a lot.
Get A Dog
Dogs are great security alarms. Not only will a dog give you a sense of responsibility that you may be missing, but they are great company as well as protectors. Make sure you get one that has a suitable size and energy level for the senior who will be caring for it. Just by putting a “Beware of Dog” sign up around your home is often enough to deter intruders.
What types of things have you done to keep the older members of your family secure?
