Police and support networks are keen to ensure that senior citizens have adequate burglary prevention measures and personal safety awareness 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 health and wellbeing.
Not only is it good practice for elders to take their personal protection seriously, 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 burglary prevention and personal safety pointers are geared towards bolstering an elderly person's sense of control over their own lives, as well as giving them the confidence to deal with house security.
Firstly, here are the basics as reminders to keep as a checklist:
Personal Safety and Burglar Prevention Advice for Senior Citizens
- 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 house security.
- Know the neighbours and welcome their help.
- Do not keep large sums of cash in the house.
- If people calling themselves tradesmen or engineers arrive unexpectedly, do not let them in unless they are verified with their company by telephone, even if they 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.
- Ensure 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.
Burglar Prevention Measures to Stop Burglars Targeting a Home
These additional burglary prevention ideas will make a big difference in giving elderly people peace of mind. 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 notices, let alone an elderly person who maybe has poor eyesight and mobility issues.
- Lay 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 for quick trips.
- Install home burglar alarms and set them every time on exit.
- Install a viewer window in the front door, or a door entry phone.
- 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.
- If possible, replace glass back doors with solid wood.
Senior Citizens and Personal Safety Awareness
The following advice is for people to remember when visiting the elderly, particularly if they're not already known and are not friends or family.
- It's a small point but an important one. 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 and remember they will not want a stranger wandering round their home on their own.
- 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.
Personal Safety and Security, Burglary Prevention, and How Neighbours Can Help
- 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.
- An elderly neighbour's privacy and dignity need to be respected despite the need for neighbours to keep an eye on their wellbeing. 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 burglar proof 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 advice will hopefully be of great help to any elderly person concerned about burglary prevention, or to anyone who needs personal safety and security information to pass on to elderly neighbours, friends or family. With a little more social responsibility and crime prevention advice 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
Suzanne Bosworth - Suzanne Bosworth BA (Hons) - a professional writer published in magazines, journals and websites, specialising in arts, history and ...
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