Q: My husband and I are concerned about my mother. She lives alone in her own home in a small community just north of us. We worry for her safety.
My husband has checked all the doors and windows, repaired her electrical outlets and renovated her bathroom. However, we do not know what to do to discourage a home invasion and robbery. We are worried someone will break into her house and hurt Mom in the process. Do you have any suggestions?
A: I am glad you looked after safety in your mother’s house first. People tend to be their own worst enemies when they are at home. A study reported that one out of eight accidents showing up in hospital emergency rooms are elderly people living in their own homes.
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The biggest single problem for seniors living at home is falling. In the United States, more than 1.6 million elderly people are treated for falls every year. Most of those accidents happened in the bathroom. The most frequent cause for falls are wet floors or floors with slippery rugs on them.
The safe-home antidote for criminal activity that might end up hurting your mother is a little more difficult to find.
You can encourage her to trust her bank account more than she does her cookie jar and ask her not to keep large sums of money in the house. The less cash she has, the less likely it is that someone will want to break into her home.
You can install motion sensory outside lights to flood her yard with light to warn her should someone venture into it. Thieves prefer the dark and will often leave when the lights come on.
You can install a home alarm system that alerts the local RCMP detachment if someone breaks into her home.
You can also remind her that 911 is her ally should she need help. Calling 911 puts her in touch with most if not all of the emergency services she might need to help her.
Probably the best antidote for a home invasion is the extent to which your mother and her friends can look after each other. Isolation is a key variable in any form of abuse, and one that is frequently overlooked.
Men who physically abuse their wives usually start by isolating them from their families and friends. Children who bully others on the playground target those kids who are socially isolated.
The same is true for our elderly parents. As much as we like to blame our woes on strangers in town, the sad reality is that most criminals who break into the homes of the elderly know, and are known by, their communities. They pick homes that they think are most likely isolated.
The more that your mother is involved in her community and the more she and her friends check up on each other, the safer all of them will be. This, of course, is not an iron clad guarantee, but working together improves all of their chances for protection.
Jacklin Andrews is a family counsellor from Saskatchewan who has taught social work at two universities. Mail correspondence in care of Western Producer, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or e-mail jandrews@producer.com.
