Preparing Your Home Security for Aging in Place

As the baby boom generation moves into their senior years, more and more Americans are renovating their homes in order to make them senior friendly. According to the National Council on Aging, almost 90% of people over 65 intend to stay in their current homes for at least the next five to ten years.

If you are one of these seniors or seniors-to-be renovating your home in anticipation of aging in place, you've probably already considered many of the obvious steps: handrails, clutter removal, first floor bed and bathrooms, even ramps. But you may be overlooking an important upgrade that will do much to keep you safe, healthy, and independent in your home for years to come: your security system.

Fire Protection

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, fires are twice as likely to be fatal for those over the age of 65. Loss of hearing, slowed reaction times, and mobility challenges are some of the effects of aging that put seniors at risk from house fires.

If you've lived in your current home for a long time, you may well still have the fire alarms you installed years, even decades, ago. Even if you've kept these in working order, you should consider replacing them. Many of today's fire alarms include features essential to a home safe for seniors. These include:

• Low frequency alarm signals easier for those with hearing loss to detect
• Flashing lights or vibrations to amplify the alarm further
• Automatic connection to the security company, fire department, and EMS
• Integration with emergency exit lighting

Panic Buttons

Seniors should consider installing a security system with panic buttons in every room as well as some sort of remote panic button. The ability to call quickly for help in an emergency is a feature that will allow many seniors, especially those living alone, to stay in their homes longer.

Integration with Smart Home Amenities

There are many new wired home devices that make life easier, whatever your age. These include lights, entertainment systems, window blinds, door locks, garage door openers, and the like, all of which can be operated from a phone or a remote.

A new security system can interface with these sorts of smart home features to add another level or convenience and security for seniors. Benefits of such a system include the ability to:

• Monitor the front door from your phone
• Turn on and off lights from any room or when approaching the house
• Check whether the door is locked or an appliance on when away from home
• Receive emergency alerts and check security cameras from anywhere with an internet connection

Help From Others

A full security system with in-home cameras, pressure sensors, and smart phone controls can make it possible for relatives or caregivers to monitor seniors living home alone. One expert estimated that an advanced security system like this can cost as little as one month at an assisted living facility.

With such a system, your loved one or caretaker will be able, without intruding into your everyday life, to monitor:

• Your movements, to make sure you haven't fallen or taken ill
• Whether your doors are locked and your house is otherwise secure
• If you appliances have been left on or are malfunctioning

You may not need this sort of close monitoring right now, but having a system in place that will allow it is one way to increase the odds you will be able to say in your home for many years in the future.

A robust security system will increase the comfort and safety of your home, no matter your age. But it is a necessity for seniors designing a home in which to age in place.

As a company that prides ourselves on knowing each of our customers as a person and responding to their unique home security needs, Coastal Burglar Alarm would be honored to help make your senior years as safe and comfortable as possible. Call us for an appointment to discuss a security system to fit into your plans for aging in place.