How to keep elderly parents safe at home

For many people, having elderly parents living some distance away can be a worry. Even if they are perfectly capable of living their lives without assistance, the idea that they are vulnerable should anything happen – such as a break in or attempted break-in – can cause sleepless nights. If this sounds like the kind of situation you find yourself in, you can start to worry less because there are a number of ways that you can ensure your elderly parents and relatives are safe and secure at home, even if you live hundreds or perhaps thousands of miles away.

 

CCTV

Installing CCTV outside your parents’ home is an ideal way to keep them safe when you can’t be there. This is not something that will invade their privacy – the cameras won’t be inside their house, but outside, monitoring the driveway, the outbuildings such as sheds and garages, and the front door. If you connect your parents’ CCTV system to your smartphone or laptop, you can be alerted if anything untoward happens, and you’ll be able to see exactly what is going on. If need be, you can contact your parents or even the police in plenty of time.

 

If something were to go wrong and a burglar did gain entrance to the property, the CCTV system will provide evidence against them, so it serves a dual purpose.

 

Alarm System

So that your parents can take care of their own property, why not have an alarm system installed for them? They simply need to set it when they leave the house and at night, and they will automatically be more secure. An alarm is a brilliant deterrent to would-be thieves; they would much rather try to break into a house that has no alarm than run the risk of waking the occupants and alerting the authorities in a house that does have one, no matter what tempting items there might be inside.

 

Some alarms can automatically call the police if they are not deactivated within a certain amount of time, and others can call family members, which is an added layer of security that will help everyone sleep more easily.

 

Video Doorbell

Installing any one of the many video doorbells that are now on the market will help your parents determine whether or not they should answer the front door, and that can be extremely useful for the elderly. It also means that they can protect their property easily even if they are away from it.

 

Talk To Them

As well as installing all the latest security equipment in your parents’ home, you will need to talk to them to ensure that they understand that times have changed, and it’s no longer safe to go out and leave the door unlocked, or to keep a spare key under the doormat or flowerpot. Gently reminding them about these things is important as it means they will be more likely to lock up and keep their belongings safe. Vigilance is so often the watch-word when it comes to security.