Elderly People’s Safety Tips

It is sad but true; that in today’s world the senior citizens are not well protected and looked after. They are looked upon by criminals as vulnerable and helpless people who can be robbed off easily. This has increased manifold as in most cases, the old people live alone, away from their children which makes them an easy target to the criminals. The youth of today should take up the responsibility to protect the senior citizens, educate them about their safety measures and spread awareness on this issue.

An elderly person is generally watched for and followed by the criminals. The most likely victimization takes place in the events of:

• An elderly person travelling alone. This provides the miscreant an opportunity to attack.
• An elderly person living all alone is also an easy target.
• At night time elderly citizens going out alone also proves to be risky.
• When an old person does his banking tasks himself, it becomes an easy opportunity for the criminals to attack and rob them.
• Coming in and out of parking lots alone can also attract the criminals to take advantage of their solitude.
• Even answering the telephone may prove to be dangerous for them at times.

To prevent any unfavorable incidents certain things must always be kept in mind.

• Elderly people should NEVER be travelling alone. In events like shopping, or banking they should always consider accompaniment.
• People who live alone can keep ‘paying guests’ in their house. But however, a proper identification of the boarder before letting him in the house is very essential.
• Access to the important documents and valuables should never be shared with any outsiders. Someone trustworthy should know about this information.
• Any kind of domestic help should be hired from registered organizations and their identification and police verification must be checked before appointing them.
• Security measures should be high in the house and double bolted locks should be installed. Fire and smoke detectors are a must.
• Security cameras can be installed so that before opening the door, one gets to know who is on the other side.
• A very good companion cum security is a well trained dog. Dogs have proven to be extremely loyal and they can accompany elderly people even on morning walks, or if he has to go out at night.
• Senior citizens should never befriend unknown people easily and should never tell others about their personal secrets like banking details or other assets.
• They must have somebody to come and check on them on a regular basis, if possible everyday.
• In events like medical emergency they must always keep the medicines handy and call up the emergency number to avail of help.
• Any stranger or suspicious person they notice must be reported to the police.

It is also an important duty of the children to look after their aged parents welfare and safety. There are various senior citizen helpline numbers that can be availed of and many government registered organizations to sought help from. With a little effort from the youth and consciousness on the elderly people’s part, we can realize our dream of a society where the elder members are safe and happy.