Personal Safety & Security Tips for Senior Citizens | By Jordan Frankel
As you age, your risk for age-related illnesses and injuries increases. But that’s not all you have to worry about. Senior citizens are also highly susceptible to crimes such as robbery, burglary, home invasions, financial scams, and more.
In a KTLA5 crime report out of Thousand Oaks, California, five men invaded the home of a couple in their 70s during the night. The intruders gained entry into their home by shattering the glass on their front door. The perpetrators stole several thousand dollars in jewelry. One of the suspects was said to have a gun.
In another more heinous home invasion in Plaquemines, Louisiana, an elderly blind woman was seriously injured after a home intruder broke into her home and attacked her. According to the WDSU News report, the sheriff described the crime as “monstrous and disturbing.”
Any sort of crime against the elderly is difficult to understand. Nonetheless, they are an unfortunate reality for many senior citizens. But you don’t have to be the next victim. There are things you can do to protect against the heartless thugs that prey on senior citizens.
Tips to Improve Home Security for Seniors
With over two decades of experience working with residents of all ages, home security expert, Jordan Frankel, knows firsthand the common mistakes senior residents and others make time and time again. Some of those mistakes include inadequate exterior lighting, relying on locked doors and windows as their only form of home security, and investing in second-rate home alarms that they forget to turn on or simply leave off when they get home.
As the Vice President of Global Security Experts, Inc, Mr. Frankel has made it his mission to educate residents on the vulnerabilities of their home’s security and how to adequately protect against home intruders. Whether you are a senior citizen yourself or have an elderly parent or loved one you are concerned about, you can decrease the risk of being targeted by a criminal by incorporating the following home security measures in your life.
To prevent windows from being broken, install a security-grade glass protection film on the interior side of all glass panes, including those on main entry doors and sliding glass doors. For main entry doors such as your front door, install a security door brace. When installed at the base of entry doors that swing inward, a security door brace will prevent your front door from being kicked or busted down by brute force. For more information on how a security door brace can protect you and your loved ones, watch this OnGARD Security Door brace video.
The most effective method for deterring criminals through the use of light is installing outdoor motion sensor lights with bright LED bulbs. Such lights turn on only when they sense movement and the sudden flash of the bright lights can both startle and temporarily blind a would-be intruder, giving him or her reason to retreat. The lights can also serve as an early warning system that someone is outside your home.
Personal Safety and Security Tips for Seniors
Just as installing home security devices around one’s home is important, so is understanding the potential dangers senior citizens face and remaining alert and aware of them at all times.
Here are a few precautions elderly citizens should implement to reduce their risk of being victimized by a criminal:
The Older You Get, the Wiser You Need to Be with Your Personal Safety & Security
Many of the personal safety and security mistakes senior citizens make are not intentional. However, the devious deeds of criminals who target them are. To reduce your risk of being victimized, use the wisdom you’ve gained from this article and implement the expert advice outlined above so you can enjoy some of the best years to come.