Senior Home Safety Tips
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
Fear. Most of us don't like to think about it very much. However, every day senior citizens around the country are victims of attacks and robberies in their own homes. Suddenly, fear stalks seniors who until now felt safe and secure. Now, they're wondering how to protect themselves from robbery and violence on the streets, and in their homes. Seniors don't have to be victims. The following tips will help you keep your home safe and secure, and can lessen the fear you may have about robbery and violence.
Home Safety Tips
Keep your doors and windows locked. Lock them day and night, whether you are at home or away. Unbelievably, most thieves gain easy access to a home through an unlocked window or door, especially on hot summer nights. Use approved deadbolt locks and window locks. If you don't have deadbolts on all outside doors, have them installed. If you have a sliding glass door, install locks or metal pins, or place a dowel into the track of the door. This will keep a thief from opening the door easily. Install a peep hole in your front door if you don't already have one. Keep a light on throughout the night, and occasionally change its location. Install a timer on a lamp somewhere in your home that can be seen from the outside. Set the timer so the light comes on at dusk, or randomly. Never leave your home at night without a light on. A dark home is a giveaway to thieves that no one is there.
Garage Tips
Keep your garage door locked at night and when you're away from home. Additionally, if you have an electric garage door, turn off the switch at night, or turn the switch to the "security" mode. This will keep a thief from opening the door with a generic opener. Many thieves have their own garage door openers they keep trying as they drive up and down streets. Eventually, their opener may work on a door. If you don't lock the door between the garage and your home, the thieves have instant access to you and your loved ones. If you have not changed the security code in your garage door opener since purchasing it, look in your owner's manual for instructions on how to change it. It's very simple to do – as simple as changing the battery. Many garage door openers still come programmed with the same security code. If not changed, thieves can open your door if they have the same model opener. Many garage door openers are now programmed to change the code automatically each time you open the door, which is an invaluable safety precaution.
Outdoor Tips
Plant prickly or thorny plants underneath windows. Thieves enter homes that are easily accessible. If they are going to get stuck on thorns or stickers from plants, they will probably avoid your home, and look for an easier target. If you have a lot of plants or bushes crowded underneath windows now, you may want to remove them, or at least thin them out. Burglars look for bushes and trees that hide them as they are breaking into your house. If you're going to be away from home for an extended period, be sure to cancel newspaper and mail deliveries. Perhaps you have a neighbor who can pick up papers and mail. Several papers laying in a driveway, or a full mailbox, are also giveaways to burglars that no one is home. Don't ever let a stranger into your home, no matter how plausible their story sounds to you.
Call For Help
Finally, if you think a prowler is lurking around your home, take no action directly yourself. Dial 911 immediately. Let the police do their job, and avoid the possibility of injury or death. You can conquer your fear. To gain peace of mind and make it harder for thieves to wreck havoc on your life, take the time to make your home a safer place. You're worth it.
