Home Security Information for the Elderly
Burglary Prevention Reminders for Senior Citizens
Oct 7, 2009
Police and support networks are keen to ensure that elderly people have adequate home security information to protect themselves from being exploited, burgled, or even harmed. Not only is there the immediate aftermath of distress and shock, but often a senior citizen will be troubled by a longer term reactive distress which can have serious effects on their future health and wellbeing.
Forewarned is therefore forearmed, and not only is it good practice for elders to be aware of good home security advice to protect themselves, but essential that they are protected as much as possible by neighbours, friends, carers, family and the wider community who can form a local burglary prevention network amongst themselves.
That's not to say that the elderly should lose their independence and be constantly watched and monitored. Incessant checking can feel like an intolerable intrusion, and so the following home security tips are therefore geared around bolstering an elderly person's sense of control over their own lives, as well as giving them the confidence to deal with security threats.
Firstly, here are the basics as reminders to keep as a checklist:
Cheap Home Security Tips for the Elderly
- Use a sturdy chain on the front door and use it every single time the door is opened.
- Never give any personal details out on the telephone
- Keep the front garden free of overgrowth that can be used as hiding places.
- Leave lights on, the curtains drawn, and switch on the radio when going out in the evening.
- Ask the local Crime Prevention Unit to visit for free advice on home security.
- Know the neighbours and welcome their help.
- Do not keep large sums of cash anywhere in the house.
- If people calling themselves tradesmen or engineers arrive unexpectedly, do not let them in unless their visit is verified with their company by telephone, even if they do have photo ID.
- Have the contact numbers available for gas, electricity, water and other utilities by the telephone and do not ring a verification number given by an engineer or tradesman arriving unexpectedly.
- Keep a dog, for the companionship as well as for their bark. Or a goose. Geese hate intruders.
- Make sure all windows are locked in rooms not being used, upstairs and downstairs.
- Leave a key with a trusted neighbour, rather than under the mat.
- Never leave keys hanging by a string behind the letterbox.
- Make sure downstairs curtains or shutters are closed at night.
Extra Home Security Ideas
These additional burglary prevention measures will make a big difference in giving elderly people peace of mind as well as making burglars think twice about trying to gain entrance. There is a cost associated with these, but councils and voluntary neighbourhood groups can help to find grants for essential home improvements, as can the Citizens' Advice Bureau.
It takes two minutes for a burglar to see the coast is clear, run in, help him or herself to what's available and disappear before anyone realises someone has been in the house, let alone an elderly person who maybe has poor eyesight and mobility issues.
- Consider having gravel at a width of 3' round the edge of the house as a visitor alert.
- Fit window locks to all windows and use them, even if making a quick trip to the shops.
- Install burglar alarms and set them every time on exit.
- Install a viewer window in the front door, or a videoentryphone.
- Use timers on light switches to give the impression of someone being in the house at night.
- Make sure front and rear doors have solid locks so doors can't be kicked in.
- If possible, replace glass back doors with solid wood
Home Security and Visitors
The following home security advice is for people to remember when visiting the elderly, particularly if they're not already known and are not friends or family.
- Unless bona fide visitors are friends or family, or already known to the elderly person, do not ask to use the bathroom. It's important to be sensitive to their privacy and security concerns.
- Genuine callers should not be offended or frustrated if an elder seems reluctant to give information at the door or on the telephone. Find a workaround.
- When calling a senior citizen on the phone, callers may be met with an initial silence. Many elderly people will want callers to identify themselves first, so callers should take the initiative and say who they are and why they're calling. Asking the elderly person's name right at the beginning of the call, or saying "Is that Mrs X" may cause anxiety if the elderly person doesn't recognise the caller's voice.
Home Security and Neighbours
- Good neighbours can bring in mail, newspapers, and anything that else that suggests the house is empty or that no-one is up and about, or can look after it until the elderly person returns.
- An elderly neighbour's privacy and dignity need to be respected despite the need for neighbours to be aware of their home security. Not all elderly people need or want people checking their welfare frequently; it's a careful balance between being kind and neighbourly, and being intrusive.
- If an elderly person is having trouble getting the council to fit locks or extra home security fixtures, and family are not available, neighbours can advocate and push on their behalf.
- Company and transport might be welcome if elderly people need to go to the hospital, the doctor, or the shops, particularly if they have mobility or sight problems and need help activating any burglary prevention devices or deactivating them upon their return.
This home security advice will hopefully be of great help to any elderly person concerned about burglary prevention, or to anyone who needs home security information to pass on to elderly neighbours, friends or family. With a little more social responsibility it's possible to make sure that all elderly people are properly looked after and that they enjoy as long a life as they're able to, free from worry and stress.
Sources:
"87 per cent of householders who had not been burgled in the previous 12 months had window locks." Crime in England and Wales 2009, UK Home Office research development statistics
Home Safety - Help the Aged
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