As people get older, there are certain adjustments that need to be made. They may not have time to take care of a large yard, clean certain areas in their house or have immediate access to call for assistance. However, most people can agree that seniors still want to live in the home that they built a life in. Even more, people take pride in their independence and that’s no different for seniors.

In order to maintain independence and continue living in their homes with peace of mind, a lot of families want to make sure that seniors are safe and have all of their needs met.

This is why one of the areas that we worry most about with senior citizens is safety and response time in case of medical emergencies. Statistics show that as you get older, accidents including falling and getting hurt in your home begins to increase. However, one statistic that often goes overlooked revolves around crimes against the elderly. Senior citizens are more likely to be targeted for property crimes than younger adults and families and a staggering 59% of violent crimes against seniors happen at or near their homes.

For this reason, we need to make sure that we protect our loved ones and ourselves. Since we can’t be around all the time, make sure that the seniors in your life are living with top of the line security systems. With all of the options available, it can be confusing to make a decision but we’re here to help. Check out some of our tips and suggestions for the best home alarm system for seniors.

Keep it Simple

Remember, many people did not grow up with technology like the kids do today. They aren’t as familiar with complicated technology gadgets. They are also less likely to use something if it takes too much effort to figure out, which why we recommend keeping your alarm operating systems simple.

Arming and Disarming

We’ve all accidently set off our own alarms and there is nothing worse than not knowing how to shut it off. The pressure from the noise and the desire to make it stop gets everyone flustered and since it is connected to emergency services, needs to be done correctly. This is why it’s important that your alarm is easy to both arm and disarm. Regardless of which system you choose, keep this at the forefront of your decision.

Hard to Set Off Accidentally

In addition to being easy to arm and disarm, find a system that is hard to set off on accident. This will lead to fewer mistakes and less accidental authority visits. Plus, when your alarm is hard to set off accidentally, you know that when it does go off, it’s the real deal. Nobody wants to own the alarm system that “cried wolf”.

Automatically Contact Authorities

Surprisingly, some home alarm systems do not automatically contact the authorities. It seems like it should be common sense, but there are a lot of systems that lack this feature. Make it easy for the people you are protecting in your life and get an alarm system that connects them to the authorities using a UL Central Station. This is an added layer of security, as when things happen it is not always easy or fast enough to contact them on your own.

24/7 Monitoring and Support

Finally, make sure that the alarm system you choose is backed with 24/7 monitoring and support. This gives you an added sense of peace and mind and a professional for your family to call if they have questions or concerns.

Optional Additional Features

There are tons of additional options that you can add to your home alarm system to increase security and monitor different aspects of life. The technology is getting pretty advanced, but the operating systems are still simple enough for everyone to use.  You can monitor security, smoke, carbon monoxide, natural gas, moisture, movement and have access to live or recorded video from your smartphone.

Mobile Integration

A recent addition to security systems is mobile integration and linking your home to a Smartphone device or tablet. With the ability to control and monitor your home from your Smartphone, you open up a whole new list of opportunities. You can link multiple devices so that family members and their parents and caregivers can monitor the home. Some of the best features of this allow you to set up alerts, status-reports and immediate responses.

With mobile integration you can link certain appliances as well, so you are able to keep track of thermostats, water systems and even CCTV. Additionally, mobile integration offers the following features:

• Arming reminders for seniors who may leave their homes and forget to activate the systems
• Ability to see the complete history, updated in real-time, of when your doors and windows are opened or closed
• Motion detector monitoring to alert you when someone walks by any active detectors even if the alarm system is not armed

Taking advantage of mobile integration is the closest you can get to living with your elderly loved ones. It gives you the ability to control everything through one convenient and easy-to-use application.

Glass Break Detectors

Installing the additional features of glass break detectors increase your home’s first line of defense. They essentially “hear” the glass breaking and immediately trigger the alarm system before an intruder has time to enter your home. Since this technology has improved since it was first created, there are a lot of failsafe features. For instance, your alarm will no longer be triggered by the sound of something inside of your home breaking (unless of course it is made of glass). They are great to use in areas that might not be reached by traditional motion sensors.

Door Sensors

Through an all-in-one app you can set alerts so that every time an exterior door opens you are notified. This way, if you have any loved ones and family coming and going, you’ll be able to monitor just when they arrive and leave.  If they are constantly late, leave early or simply don’t always show up, you’ll be able to know about it so you can find someone else that you trust.

Video Doorbell

We absolutely love the ability to take your security to the next level with Wi-Fi doorbell cameras. It uses motion sensors, microphones and speakers to be able to see who’s at your door, and talk to them, from a simple app. It is a way to deter thefts from taking advantage of seniors who answer the door. It’s also great for those with limited mobility and even has a feature where you can unlock your front door from the application.

Using night vision, people can safely answer late night visits and let potential intruders know that they are home by the two-way audio. When intruders know that someone is home, they are much less likely to attempt to break in.

Panic Buttons

We’ve all seen the life alert commercials and know that there are mobile alarm systems available for medical emergencies. Now, there are also mobile panic buttons for home security. Panic buttons are a great thing to consider when looking at the home alarm systems available to seniors. It allows you to sound your alarm even when your system is not activated. It can be placed throughout your home and works from anywhere. We recommend keeping it in your bedroom where seniors can easily sound the alarm at night if need be. You can even get more than one to conveniently place them in different rooms.

Expensive Doesn’t Mean Better

The most important thing to keep in mind when considering your home alarm system for seniors is that expensive doesn’t always mean better. There are a ton of companies that will prey on uneducated seniors to increase their profits. Some companies even go as far to illicit fear in anyone and make them feel like they won’t be safe without their most expensive models and long-term contracts. Make sure you know what you want and what you’re willing to pay, and then find a company you can trust.

Next Steps

If you or your loved ones are in the market for a comprehensive and affordable security system, contact us at Forest Security today. We will take you through our 4-step process and ensure that you are satisfied with your package. Our consultants can help you set up a walk through after which our fully trained professionals will come by and make sure that everything is installed and ready to go. After installation, you can count on our customer service to keep satisfied well into the future.

Visit us at www.forestsecurity.com or give us a call at 708-452-2000.