Security For Elderly Relatives

The elderly are a naturally vulnerable group; with age there comes a deterioration in physical abilities. Strength and movement start to decline, and because of this, the ability to physically defend yourself when attacked is reduced. It would be nice to think that through training we can delay these things – and to a certain extent we can – but for those of us with elderly parents and relatives, who have never trained, this isn’t an option (my parents are in their 80’s – and have never done any martial arts or self-defense training). There are those who would suggest firearms training, to help “level the playing field”, but this may not be appropriate, due to diminished mental faculties – a firearm in the home of somebody suffering from some degree of dementia may be more of a liability than an asset – and physical concerns, such as vision problems, tremors, etc, also come into play. Firearms ownership also isn’t legal in every country or locale. This means that in order to keep our elderly relatives safe, the focus (as it should be with all self-defense training), should be on prevention and target-hardening, to avoid victimization.

It is worth understanding some of the particular types of crime that target the elderly. Drug addicts, know that the bathroom cabinets of many elderly people, contain prescriptions for opioids – including Fentanyl - and other powerful pain killers. In many cases, there may be the remnants of courses of these drugs, that were over-prescribed, and never used. This makes the homes of the elderly an attractive target for criminals in pursuit of these drugs. It also makes the elderly vulnerable when they pick up/fill their prescription, and they should take the same precautions when in the pharmacy, as they would when getting cash from an ATM/cash machine i.e. being aware of who is around them, who seems interested in them, etc. If it is possible for them to use a delivery service for their prescriptions, this would be preferable to picking them up, in person. I would also advise that they not use ATM’s for cash withdrawals, but instead use the counter service at the bank, as there will be security cameras, and other people present (crime preventers), which are likely to deter most opportunistic predators.

As we get older, our memory does start to deteriorate – the degree to which it does will vary from person to person – and we will be more likely to forget to lock a door, or close a window, than we would have, when younger. One way to help mitigate this vulnerability, is not to rely on memory, but instead use checklists as reminders. If you have an elderly relative, you may want to help them create a checklist of windows and doors, etc. that they need to make certain are secured, before they go out, and/or when they return home. This list can be pinned to the front door, and it can also be used last thing at night, before they go to bed. The list can also include things such as checking that electrical items are turned off at the socket, etc. As long as the individual sticks to the list, and goes through it each time they leave the house (or go to bed), they will know that they will have limited these opportunities for criminals to exploit.

The elderly are often targeted as victims of fraudulent marketing campaigns, whether by phone or door-to-door. Unfortunately, many seniors, who would once have recognized a con with ease, are no longer so confident of their world as they once were, and may be susceptible to misinformation, especially if the consequences of not going along with the plan are presented in dire and extreme ways e.g. if you don’t switch over your electricity provider, you’ll be cut-off within 7 days, or if you don’t sign these forms, your pension will be frozen, and you’ll not be able to make a new claim for 30 days, etc. One role that you can play in the life of an elderly relative, is to be the person that they direct any cold-caller, or telemarketer to, with your role being presented as the final/actual decision maker. It is also worth reminding them that no legitimate organization is going to require an on the spot decision about anything, and that they will have the time to talk things over with yourself, and that you will be able to talk things over with whomever it is that has contacted them about services, etc. When a con-artist, has to involve another party, they are likely to back away, as there are unfortunately far easier victims to exploit.

 If you are able to, get a security chain fitted to your relative’s front door, so that they never have to fully open it to someone. If a criminal has targeted an elderly relative’s home, because they believe that there are valuables/drugs inside, but there are no accessible windows and doors that would facilitate a break-in, they may attempt a simple home-invasion, via a “push in” e.g. when the door is opened they barge in, knocking whoever opened it out of the way. For many doors and frames, it will be difficult to screw the security chain unit, deep enough, for it to have much integrity on its own, and so it is worth backing this system up with a rubber door stop, that can be pushed under the door as it is opened. The two together should be enough to stop the door being pushed in – if not, standing on the door stop can strengthen it further. A high-pitched alarm, with a pull string release, can be placed by the door, and set off if/when somebody tries to get past the chain and door-stop. This is likely to make a would-be intruder question the potential costs of trying to continue the break-in i.e. there are probably easier properties to target.

Security and personal safety are, at their core, largely about procedures and protocols, and as somebody gets older and their natural abilities start to diminish – so that they can’t see or hear as well as they once did, aren’t as strong/agile as they once were – these protocols become all the more important. Telling an elderly relative to simply be more aware, may be something that they forget to do, or are unable to do, etc. Having lists, that they follow to the letter, will hopefully ensure that from a basic personal safety perspective they are becoming a harder target than those around them. With unlimited funding and resourcing there are many things that can be done to make an elderly relative’s life/home more secure – such as installing surveillance cameras in their property, so that you can check if doors/windows have been left open etc. – however, this isn’t always possible or practical. Setting our elderly relatives up with simple manual processes and procedures requires little or no investment, and can in fact have a great effect on their overall safety.