Seniors Security

The longer we live, and the healthier we are, the more we want to spend that time in our own home. Yet it is important to recognize a couple of truths about that:

• The older you become, the more vulnerable you and your home appear to be to criminals; therefore,
• the smarter you need to be about managing your security.

Whether you are more physically or mentally vulnerable in reality is not the issue. It is that you appear to be more vulnerable. That is what makes a target. Bad guys like to reduce their risk also – risk of personal injury, risk of a failed burglary, risk of being caught. Consequently, they choose the easiest targets they can find. That’s smart, so you have to be smart too.  

Costing Burglary

To help you identify and choose one or more ways in which you can reduce your vulnerability to attack, I have laid out five security options for you to consider. If you are in any doubt as to the cost-effectiveness of employing at least one security tool as protection, do a simple cost comparison.

Write down what it would cost if you were burgled and/or attacked. Include everything from the broken window or busted door through to your medical bills and your time out-of-action. Then compare the total cost of that to the cost of one of these five security options. Which is worth it? All of the options below can be costed by using the links in the resource box at the end of this article.

Reducing your security risk with leverage:

Option 1 - Door and window alarms. There is a variety of alarms you can choose from to scare off burglars. These work on motion detection and are portable and individually attached so it is not a big job for the homeowner or a family member to set them in place and activate them. 

Option 2 – Security camera. These provide a strong deterrent as they mean greater risk of detection and eventual capture to the burglar. Having an outdoor surveillance camera can be good as it advertises your home as less vulnerable, less of a juicy target. Even having a fake security camera acts as a deterrent as long as you never tell anyone it’s non-functional.

Option 3 – Door stop alarm. There is also a simple door stop that can be positioned against a door. This will set off an alarm if moved. This is good at night for any main doors into the house or your bedroom. This can also help if you live in shared quarters and aren’t able to control alarms on external doors and windows.

Option 4 – Personal alarm. This type of alarm comes as a belt attachment or as a keychain. The idea here is you keep it with you so you can trigger it instantly if needed. Alarms can be as powerful as 125 decibels and one model has a hidden cut-off switch so the burglar or attacker cannot take it from you and turn it off. The longer an alarm sounds, the more attention it attracts.

Option 5 – Diversion Safes. These handy little safes in the guise of household items hide your personal valuables in places burglars don’t recognize as being of any value. For example, the peanut butter jar, the soft drink bottle, the leftovers container. Even if you are burgled, your small valuables remain safe.

Living in the peace and comfort of your own home is something the baby boomer generation has clearly identified as their preference. Government aged care policy and services have been altered to follow this lead. Security is no less important, but it is left up to the home owner to take responsibility for this.

The options and advice in this article aim to make managing your own security a simple and cost-effective process for seniors. All you have to do is recognize the value of personal security and implement these simple steps. Keeping it simple and inexpensive will allow you to maintain your own security for years to come.

Resource Box   -----------------------------------------------
For costings on home security products: http://www.selfinstallhomesecurity.biz/homesecurity

For costings on personal security products: http://www.selfinstallhomesecurity.com/personalsecurity 

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© RT Hàg 2007. All rights reserved worldwide.  
The author is Director of SihS, a Self Install Home Security store,
and is a qualified, certified private investigator.