The Would-be Intruder Wasn't Aware My Mom Was Inside...

My mom was vulnerable.  Living in the country by herself

On September 19, 2008 my 79 year old mom who lives alone, had her home nearly broken into during broad daylight. She lives in an upscale suburb west of Chicago outside of town on 2 1/2 acres. I live 200 miles north in Wisconsin.

At 2:40 in the afternoon, she heard a loud bang!, bang!, bang! on the door in her sitting room. She looked through a window from her bathroom to the driveway and saw a red truck with someone sitting in the passenger seat. Alarmed, she couldn't see the person at the door and certainly didn't consider letting him know she was inside.
Frantic and her heart pounding, she didn't know what to do. She wasn't expecting anyone. She stood silent and after a minute, noticed the driver getting back in the vehicle and backing down her 75 yard long driveway. Who was this, she thought. Maybe they were lost and looking for an address or would have asked to use my phone.

                                    Watch the video - how to make a home safer for seniors

She tried to calm herself down and settle back into her daily activities. A short time later, she was in her kitchen next to her sitting room when she heard bang!, bang!, bang! - this time on the back door of her sitting room. She walked into the room and saw a man in his 20's pounding on the door. They spied each other - eyeball to eyeball - through the window in the door. Looking through the window on the other side of the room facing the driveway, she noticed there was no vehicle in the driveway. She thought to herself, "Was the first person sizing up her home to see if someone was home?" "Why is this man pounding on my back door?" "How did he get here without a vehicle?"

Her heart once again pounding and she wondered what she should do if the man broke in. Luckily, after realizing that she was inside, he quickly walked away though her back yard into the property next door and then disappeared.

I was so alarmed when my mom shared her story with me and was determined right then and there something had to be done - and fast. I searched the internet for security devices and called the person that takes care of the security system in our home to ask for advice.

Ultimately we called ADT and my brother who lives close by reviewed the solution presented by their representative. They installed a system that protected all 5 of her doors and provided my mom with a pendent that included three buttons that she can press to call the police, fire department or my brother.

Because its all wireless, there was no drilling or major installation required. The best part - there was no hardware to buy or own. If anything goes wrong they come and fix it for free. The only cost is a simple monthly payment which covers the hardware and the monitoring - $41.00 per month. For us, that amount is worth the daily peace of mind we all now have. It's less than the daily cost of a cup of coffee.

To learn more go to: www.adt.com. They are a unit of Tyco International.

Another useful 'peace of mind' tool is a personal emergency response system.  




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About The CareGiver Partnership.  Lynn Wilson founded The CareGiver Partnership based on her experience in caring for loved ones as well as providing the highest level of customer service. She takes pride in offering personalized attention service that helps her customers find solutions. Now that her children are grown, Lynn enjoys spending time with her granddaughter while also helping to care for her mom. To find out how The CareGiver Partnership can serve you, call 1-800-985-1353 M-F 9-4 CDT.