Canada is generally perceived by Canadians as a safe place to live, which leads many to believe their home is safe from home invasion. Break and enter rates vary from city to city, but regardless of where you live, you should take steps towards fundamental precautions against burglars. Luckily there are quite a few tricks that are tried and true to protect seniors from dangerous people entering their homes.
Staying One Step Ahead of Burglars
The first thing that thieves will do is survey your home and the general area. They will observe from a distance your routines, making note of when you are home and when you’re gone. They’ll also note habits indicating the things you do when you’re living at home.
Understanding your own patterns will go a long way to tricking robbers into thinking that you have an unpredictable schedule and you never leave for vacation. This may sound far-fetched, but it’s good enough advice that police encourage homeowners to do the same things. Since burglars are interested in breaking into your home without escalating the incident with violence and leaving with your possessions unnoticed, they will avoid you.
Making robbers think you don’t have a set schedule can be as easy as leaving a light on while you’re away, or parking your car in your driveway instead of your garage to create the illusion that you’re home.
In case you fail to fool them, inspect your home and identify points of entry. Once you’ve done so, envision ways to make breaking into your home more difficult. Place locks on windows and keep them closed when you leave the house. Install motion-activated lights that are directed at doors and windows, or simply keep them on at night. The motion activated option is more environmentally friendly and easier on the electricity bill.
Failing to Keep Robbers Out of your Home
If a burglar is determined to break into your house, they eventually will. That is why you should not keep valuables or large sums of money inside your home; instead, consider storing them in a safety deposit box. However, a dummy safe at home is a great way to distract thieves. Or else take this burglar’s advice to hide money.
Have a small amount of money stored in a high-searched area like your closet or sock drawer. Often when robbers find something like this, they will assume it’s all there is to find and move on to the next target.
Preparing your Home for Vacation
As much time as you’ll spend planning and packing for your trip, you should consider preparing your home for your absence. The best option is to have a trustworthy friend live in your home during your time away. If you don’t have access to a house sitter, avoid telling everyone about your vacation, as the news may spread to unsavory individuals who are looking for an opportunity to steal. And as hard as it may be in this day and age, this includes avoiding posting it on social media, as well!
Other prevention tips for vacationing include:
- Arrange to have your driveway shoveled in the winter, your leaves raked in the fall, and your grass cut in the summer
- Put a temporary hold on the delivery of your mail
- Install a timed light switch that changes its duration throughout the week
- Double check that you’ve locked all windows and doors before leaving
- Have an alarm system from a reputable company
Author Bio:
Paul Graver lives in Toronto with his lovely wife Liz and his pet dog Berno. He is been in the health industry for about 30 years. He has now retired from being a full time doctor but he still provides his services for a nursing home in Oregaon. He loves reading and writing about retirement, healthy living and staying fit. You can follow him on twitter.