There are many different times that our senior loved ones are in harm’s way. Yeah, some of us here in Western Oklahoma have Dads and granddads that are farmers and ranchers. These men and often country grandmothers are out doing stuff that makes their city counterparts sweat at the very thought. From clearing stock tanks of ice on a frigid morning to working on a jammed auger. Staying up late cause a Heffer is about to drop a calf. They are a completely different stock. Yet there are things that all senior citizens need to be on the lookout for. As someone caring for a senior, you might also want to keep an eye out for these problems.
Burglary
Especially if you are in a major urban area on one of our coasts crime is running rampant. While our crime rates here in western Oklahoma are comparatively nonexistent that doesn’t mean burglaries don’t happen out here. Yeah, it was worse when the oil field was in full swing but there is still the occasional sticky-fingered culprit who believes they would have better use of your property.
We set up large motion-activated lights because we still want to believe that most burglaries are supposed to happen at night. However, that’s not the truth. Most thefts happen during the day. The thief looks for unlocked doors and windows to gain entry into a person’s house.
If they are not able to gain easy entrance but know they want what is inside then they look for places to hide so they can break into a door or window. Since this takes time they have to hide. That is also the reason many houses that do not have their landscape taken care of are more likely to be broken into. Overgrown hedges and shrubs are great hiding places.
Also, burglars also look at other indicators as to how easy it would be to break into a house. It is easier to take something from a house if a person isn’t inside. So if the yard is overgrown and there are no lights on. If no television making noise then there’s a good chance that someone isn’t home.
What do you do?
Double-check the doors and windows to ensure they lock. If they don’t then need to get them replaced so that they are secure.
Make a plan for if a problem does arise. Who do they need to call? Things along those lines. Now you or your family members may have thoughts that you are treating them like a child yet as Archilochus once said
We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.
Archilochus
It is so much more helpful if you have the info close by so that while shaken up and stressed out from the theft your loved ones can call those who need to know. It is more of a piece of loving mind than it is trying to treat our senior citizens as kids.
Also, use timers to turn on lamps and radios come on at different times of the day and night.. So that there are noises coming from the house.
Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photography-of-person-in-handcuffs-7714892/Fraud
We have talked about fraud on this site before, and it all stands to help keep your loved ones from being taken advantage of.
One other piece of advice I would give is your loved ones don’t need to take their Social Security card with them. I know this sounds odd, and it would also benefit today’s youth who seem to keep their Social security in their wallet. It’s not needed except on rare times
Elder Abuse
Elder abuse is one of those insidious acts that happens more often than you would like to think. Yet many times people can be cruel and that becomes even more evident when the perpetrator ends up being a relative. Upwards of 5 million senior citizens are abused in one form or another each year. What is more shocking is that 60% of all abuse cases come from a family member.
When many people hear of abuse there are only one or two types of abuse they think of. However, there are many different types of abuses.
Physical
This is where an elder person is physically assaulted by someone else. The abused are often hidden away so that they are not able to talk about the abuse to others. So you want to be on the lookout for an abnormal amount of cuts and bruises. Difficulty sitting or walking is often a sign of physical abuse
Sexual
This is just as heinous of an act that is done to the elderly as it is done to children. Yet the unwanted sexual acts performed on the elderly are often underreported.
Emotional
Often goes hand in hand with Psychological these are often verbal assaults, threats of abuse, harassment, or intimidation. This drives the person to try to be as small as possible.
Psychological
Often these are attacks on a person’s self-worth and criticize the senior citizen. This has the very same effect as the emotional abuse
Financial
This is very common because people with a scarcity mindset believe they can actually get away with this type of abuse. Yes, they do for a while yet eventually they do get caught.
Neglect
This abuse is the failure to provide an older adult with life’s necessities, including, but not limited to, food, clothing, shelter, or medical care. This often can go a long time without notice because the abused is often tucked away in a room and people end up forgetting about them.
Something that needs to be said about elder abuse is that it is often underreported, and we often don’t want to rock the boat because of the probability that we may be wrong. Yet report it and let the Adult protective services investigate if nothing happened then it’s okay that you were wrong. However, if you were right you may have just saved a life.
Fire Hazards
Now that we are coming into spring and summer the fire hazards are going to drop, but they still exist for elderly people. The bigger cause of fires here in western Oklahoma is space heaters and their strain on the wiring system in a house. In the summer the fire is more environmental. Which means that a grass fire consumes a home.
In a home, there are cases of random fires things being left on the stove, and items like that. Grease getting too hot often will destroy a house before a person has time to react.
Physical Limitations
Our senior citizens often don’t have the same mobility as they did when they were 35. So the fact that they can’t pick their legs up as high can often lead to them tripping over a threshold or something of that nature. Physical limitations are the prime source of a senior citizen having trouble. They will find themselves hurt and on the floor because they tripped or they got dizzy.