Our Toronto seniors are being encouraged to remain in their homes through the offerings of many government support programs. This is something that many of them welcome as they have their roots set in their dwellings ,and don’t want to give up their independence. At the same time many of the older generation have lost their partners and are living on their own. In some cases their security is vulnerable, and they are not up to date with implementing proper security measures.
Seniors who are living on their own, often get lonely and tend to not be as cautious with who they trust. They are used to the old way of living where people never used to lock their doors, or when someone would come to the door they would just invite them in. Getting the senior to realize that this is not a safe practice is the basics of getting them to become security savvy.
A lot of the older people don’t like to have security systems or equipment installed because they are nervous about learning how to operate it, and are afraid it will trigger unnecessarily. You can start with a few simple items, and one that is particularly important is the intercom system. You may get the argument that they don’t need this, and they will simply not answer the door. This is not a good move however, as many crooks will knock on the door first and if there is no response then they will proceed to break in.
Another important area to be concerned about with the older individual is perhaps an increased risk for fire. Anyone can forget they have something cooking on the stove, or perhaps putting something too close to a portable heater. Knowing the level of alertness that the aging senior possesses is a good indicator as to whether there should be increased concern for a possible fire mishap. Ensuring that there are plenty of fire/smoke detectors located throughout the home in the proper places is a wise move. Plus, make sure that the senior has some course of direction for escaping the home should the alerts be triggered.
It is a difficult decision at times for family members to determine whether their elderly family members are going to be safe living on their own. There are some additional security steps you can take for your seniors, and in addition to these you can call the experts at Pre-lock to assist you in determining if your senior is security protected by having them perform a home inspection.
