Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Sadly, seniors tend to be common targets for criminals. They are frequently targeted for scams, fraud, and financial abuse. They are also targeted for burglaries. If you’ve never been the victim of a burglary, great. But that doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen to you or a loved one. In fact, it means you’re probably overdue for one.
In the following article, we’re going to talk about seven home defense tips for seniors. Hopefully by applying these tips, you’ll feel safer in your own home. Let’s get started.
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Tip #1: Lock Your Doors
I know, that sounds pretty obvious, but are you in the habit of checking your locks everyday? If not, then it’s possible you’ve been overlooking one or more of them. Burglars assume older people forget to do things like this, so make sure they’re wrong about that. If you can remember to lock your door every time you come inside, it will be one more obstacle that the burglar will need to get through.
If you’re having difficultly remembering this, place a big sign on the inside of your door reading “Lock Me” (or something similar). This will make it impossible to forget to lock your doors. Also, don’t think that because you’re in a safe neighborhood that it’s okay not to lock your doors.
Tip #2: Make Sure Your Door Has a Peep Hole
This simple tip is very effective for home defense. When someone is knocking on your door, don’t open it to see who it is. That’s extremely risky, especially if you’re an older person. It’s better to have a peep hole. That way you can see who’s out there without having to open your door.
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If you don’t know the individual, then don’t open the door. It’s as simple as that. If they continue knocking even after you tell them to go away, call the police.
Tip #3: Solidify Your Doors
Here’s yet another tip having to do with doors (I hope you’re starting to see a pattern). There are ways to solidify a door without actually having to replace the entire door. For example, you can change out your locks for stronger ones, or replace your hinges with ones that won’t break when your door is trying to be kicked open.
You can upgrade pretty much any door for less than $100. Just type “Door Reinforcement” on Amazon and you’ll see hundreds of well-reviewed products that fall in this category. Also check out the article, First Line Of Defense: The Front Door.
Tip #4: Buy a Guard Dog
Of all the home defense tips in this article, this is arguably the most effective. By having a guard dog, you give yourself precious minutes of warning time that someone is trying to break in. Also, most burglars won’t want anything to do with your home if they see a 100-pound Pitbull standing in the living room.
Heck, buy two dogs just in case. Dogs like German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dobermans all make for excellent guard dogs.
Tip #5: Invest in a Quality Alarm System
This is more mandatory than it is a recommendation. YOU NEED AN ALARM SYSTEM. Without one, you’ll have no warning that someone is breaking in. Plus, if someone does break in, help won’t be on the way. Most quality alarm systems will automatically contact authorities in the event that the alarm goes off.
As an older person, this is something that you need. Don’t try to skimp out on an alarm system just to save a few bucks. Even if it’s a little more than you’d like to pay, it’s well worth the investment.
Tip #6: Keep Your Phone Close By
Imagine someone breaking into your home and your phone is all the way across the house. There’s no way that you’d get to it in time to call the police. That’s why you should always have your phone close by.
The moment that you hear someone breaking in (your window breaks, your door lock is being picked, etc.) call the police. Keeping the phone close by is also recommended for health reasons–like if you fall and can’t get up.
Tip #7: Invest in Motion Sensor Lights
The beauty of motion sensor lights is that they’ll only turn on when they sense movement. So if you’re inside watching T.V. at 1 A.M., and you notice a motion sensor light go off in your backyard, you know something is happening.
It could just be an animal, but it’s also possible that it was a person staking out for a way to get inside your home. Motion sensor lights aren’t that expensive (less than $30), so they are well worth every penny. Again, Amazon carries some good selection of motion sensor lights that have excellent reviews.
Bottom Line
The harsh reality is that burglars like targeting older people. For this reason, you should always be prepared. The tips in this article won’t necessarily make your home invincible, but they should decrease the chances of someone breaking in. I highly recommend buying a dog since dogs have been known to risk their lives for their owners.
Plus, they can keep you company when you’re feeling lonely. How about you? What have YOU done to keep your home safe? Leave your answer in the comments section below!
About the Author
David is the founder and writer at TruthSurvival.com, a website dedicate to helping people prepare for any survival situation. He loves camping, hiking, and anything else outdoor-related. For more of his articles, check out his website.
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Using wasp spray is stupid, just buy pepper spray and make sure you soak them all good. The only gun a person should ever use is the one that they can handle properly. Depending on the logistics of your home/apartment, a perimeter alarm should be used so that you have advanced warning of whomever is approaching.
Install the strongest exterior doors and windows you can afford. Sliding glass doors are garbage-swap ’em out for double doors, something, anything.
Poorly-trained dogs are useless at best and a liability at worst.
Battery-powered window/door alarms can be cheap. Even if you have an alarm system, they make a nice back-up. And they’ll go off right in an intruder’s ear, which I think is funny.
I still like SMITH AND WESSON the best, hear a noise pick the one with at least 10 hollow points in it. They don’t come in one at a time.
Urban Survival, have you sold out? No problem. I will spread the word far and wide that Urban Survival has decide to censor true American Patriots from free speech on their blogs. This choice to censor is your choice, how I response is my choice. Do you think that will effect your bottom line profits? I think so. Just consider the attempts to censor Goya Foods support that resulted in significant increases of Goya’s market share, and the exact opposite happened to Fox News when they decide to try to manipulate information. I’ll check back ;later to see how you decide, will you choose Free Speech, or Censorship, your choice, my response.
it appears that this website is censoring my replies, even though they are not vulgar, no profanity, or otherwise objectionable. If my posts are being censored the what is the rue objective of this website?
the solution it to post ALL my replies even if in stark opposition to someone else’s erroneous posting.
OK as a retired police officer I agree with ..ALMOST …everything in the article…I spent 18 years as a trainer for our K-9 Section and the advice about purchasing a Pit Bull or German Shepherd is not the best advice…..first this advice is for SENIORS…and sometimes depending on the senior….having a large dog and being able to control that dog equals a full time job…and a lot of seniors have grand children …so its a mix for a bad accident….LOCK THE DOORS…GET A GOOD ALARM FROM A REPUTABLE DEALER….MOTION LIGHTS…when you leave the house…arrange for lights to come on a timer…leave a radio on or leave the TV on..with curtains not closed completely so the TV is visable….now go on in and get BEAR SPRAY….the stuff is terrible..BEAR SPRAY meeting one or two guys coming down the hallway is a great deterrent…and would be fun to watch as they scream and yell..
Good article. Gives me more ideas that I can use in my home. I especially valued the link to Amazon. Thanks.
Will check on improved hinges for doors. We have steel doors and dead bolt locks but I will look into improved hinges. We have three dogs and live on a farm in the county. No sheriff will get here in time to do any good. Yes, we are armed and there is a locked gate at the highway. Motion sensitive lights in the yard and road coming in.
Good ideas, JoEllen!
I have steel doors and dead bolts but did not even think about the hinges. Will make inquiries this week. Have three dogs, live on our farm out in the county with an electric key pad controlled gate and am armed. No use calling the Deputy Sheriffs, as he will not be here any time soon. Electric fence, for my livestock, seems to be adequate at this time but we do have motion lights around the place just in case.
WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG GUN, NUFF SAID
Amen brother. .45 ACP on the hip and 500 Persuader 12 gauge pump in my hand.
Also don’t assume that because you live in an apartment style building with a locked front door that you don’t need to lock your unit’s door. There is always someone who will let anyone in. My friend lived in the same building as me and thought I was silly for locking my door as the building doors were locked…..until her ex walked into her apartment and she had trouble making him leave. Story ended well, and she started locking her door.
I agree with almost all comments made except the size of the dog. I have a rat terrier that is an excellent alarm dog. Most burglars will pass a house by that has a dog. Prickly shrubs around windows are another deterrant – the longer the thorns, the better! Lights on a timer are also a good deterrant if you are away evenings. Two to three motion sensors INSIDE your home with a very loud alarm siren inside and outside works well to let neighbors know you have been broken into. If you have a neighbor you can trust, have them put on your monitor list ( this is encouraged by ADT). It is betterr to run to safety than be involved in a shooting incident, but if you are trapped and can’t get away, do not hesitate to protect yourself if you KNOW that your loved ones are safely behind you. Use a shotgun with #6 or #4 shot, .410 bore, 20ga, or 12ga., doesn’t matter. When police shows up after a shooting, lay your firearm on the floor, ID yourself as the homeowner, but say nothing eells unless your lawyer is present. A membership in the U.S.C.C.A. would help immensely, as they have experienced lawyers, bail bondsmen, and family support on hand within a few hours. Try to utilize them, I do. Be respectful to police, but say nothing even if you feel you are in the right.
Other ideas: make a safe room if you can and USE it! Thick walls and solid 2″ doors, no windows, only peep holes in the doors. Doors to have at least two reinforced dead bolts and three heavy duty hinges per door witth a reinforcing bar you can drop in place across the door horizontally. Make sure your cellphone works in there.
Make sure your house can be seen from the street, and the house number can be clearly seen from the street. That will shorten response times for police, fire, or first reponders by seconds or minutes. Those seconds will save your life. I call this “defense in depth”. You can add motion sensors, cameras inside and outside as you can afford it. Using a firearm is the very last option you should ever use, Insurance will replace things, but taking a life is your very last resort. Use your head, imprrove your defenses to conform with your situation, but NEVER put a fence up unless you own farm animals. A fence in a urban area advertises that you have things that others want, unless it is a short white common decorative pickett fence that most people already have to keep small dogs in the yard. Good Luck! WE
aDisregarding the super size revolvers designed mostly for hunting big game, Any pistol can fail to put down some bad guys. A case within the last two years involved a law enforcement officer and a motivated bad guy. The cop scored 17 hits with his .45 automatic colt pistil. While the precise ammunition wasn’t ever described in any descriptions of the gun fight, I suspect it was 185 grain hollow points in plus P ammunition that was involved. Supposed to be the super knock down round. It wasn’t until the cop finally placed a round through the perp’s brain bucket that the perp finally laid down and gave up the fight. In the infamous Florida shootout, one of the perps was hit in the heart within 3 seconds of the commencement of the gun battle. He was already dead but the message hadn’t reached his brain yet. He continued to shoot and wound at least one FBI agent. I haven’t reviewed the details of the gun battle recently. It may even be that he not only wounded an agent, he might have actually killed the agent. There is no perfect self-defense weapon.
If you recall the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai, that was based on an actual battle between die-hard samurai versus a Joe Ordinary army armed with single shot muzzle loaders. Joe Ordinary won the battle, won the war and settled the question of which was superior the extremely well-trained samurai with a sword, spear and bow and arrows or Joe Ordinary with minimum skills armed with a single shot rifle.
Having a firearm for self-defense is like having a fire extinguisher and fire insurance on your home. You hope you never have to find out whether you really are in Good Hands or not but you have it just the same. Having a firearm and keeping your skills current is like keeping up the payments on your fire insurance. Just because you fired expert 20 years ago doesn’t translate into expertise today. Any skill involving hand-eye coordination like shooting baskets, hitting a golf ball, playing the piano all require practice. A world famous pianist is quoted as saying “If I miss practice one day, I can tell. If I miss practice two days my wife can tell and if I miss practice three days the audience can tell.” Even at the height of his career Michale Jordan tried to practice every day by shooting 500 baskets. Kim Rhode, a U.S. Olympic gold medalist is quoted as saying she fires approximately 35,000 rounds of practice ammo a year. That’s almost 100 rounds a day of 12 ga shotgun every single day of the year. While you may not need to fire that many rounds because you aren’t going to be competing against the best in the world, you should try to dry fire your chosen weapon at least fifty times a week. That’s far short of what Ms. Rhode fires a year but you will still have that trained hand-eye path current and not be relying on 20 year old skills. If commercial airline pilots are off flying for more than 30 days they have to go back to three days of simulator training before they can climb into the cockpit of commercial airliner. These are guys who fly for a living and many of them log more than 100,000 miles in a cockpit actually flying a year. When it comes to a gunfight you don’t want to be the dork who lands at an airport 100 miles from his real destination, you want to be Captain Sullenberger.
You think you’ll ever wake up from that dream you’re having? By the way………. Sullenberger was no “Hero”. He just did exactly what he was trained to do and he did it very well. Your reference to a movie tells me just how knowledgeable you really are. I guess your solution is to do nothing and let the bad guys take what they want including your life. Also, that was an interesting if not entirely accurate short novel you wrote. You should try to get it published. We need more comedy in this world.
Lefty? as in Leftist? You’re bias and lack of real world experience are showing. Trying to justify a rational against owing firearms to defend yourself because of a story of a failed encounter that the perp had to sustain a head shot to take down – well, welcome to the world of drugged up perps, .12 gauge shotguns, .30 cal rifles. and head shots. I have experience with drugged up people that could sustain significant damage and keep on going, but I have yet to encounter anyone that can take a head shot from a .12 gauge and still function. And If they are too far away for the .12 gauge, I may decide to “reach out and touch” with a .30 caliber rifle. Nothing I ever shot in the head survived, so I remain a firm believer in “one shot, one kill” philosophy,
I also have handgun’s for very close quarters, but that is for when the .12 gauge is empty and I have no more ammo on my person, and I need to get to more ammo or another weapon.
I have security screen doors. Heavy duty screens (cats can’t climb, harder to cut) with deadbolts. They are mounted inside, so they can’t be kicked in. IMO well worth the cost to be able to have fresh air in the summer
A gate, which is solar and electric powered, will keep most unpleasant persons on there way to another easier destination. There are so many easy places to approach that even a locked gate sends the drug addicted to the next easier place to investigate and steal from. Only people you wish to see will have your phone number or already have the gate code because you gave it to them.
I’m a 74 yr old widow living alone for the 1st time in my life. Also am a retired county deputy and a retired parole field officer. I have hand guns and 2 long guns w/30 yrs of “annual qualifications” under my belt so you’d think I feel pretty safe. Well, I don’t. Beside your run-of-the-mill burglars, there are lots of potential attackers who remember me and my role in “sending them up”. So, I got a Doberman and she is my constant companion. My door locks have been updated and hardened.. My ‘situ awareness’ is very primed and that is my best defense. I’m a prepper and have prepared for disaster or civil unrest, and have at least a 8 month supply of food, and a couple months supply of water. I have a medic alert that I wear everyday and light up my yard at night. I live in a rural area and was accosted in my garage one night about midnight. I had my ccw on me and displayed it. He ran. So, no one is totally safe, just try to imagine various scenarios and how you would ‘realistically’ respond. No one has all the answers, just try your best.
Great job! You might want to get a water filter if you have a river or pond near you. I love : 4 Patriots. Good stuff. Also LOTS of 5 gallon buckets. I get mine at the local supermarket bakery!
I have a small dog that wags it’s tail to strangers, but also notices saying
“Beware of the dog, survivors will be prosecuted.” No need for guns or swords for over 30years.
For your sake, Peter, I hope your little fantasy world remains undisturbed. But reality is something quite different. There are over 350,000 home invasions every year in the USA. Lawful gun owners use their guns to save lives several million times every year in America. My father was murdered by burglars who broke into our home 35 years ago. The police theorized it was to steal things they could sell to buy drugs. So the scum-bag thieves killed my father, ransacked our home and got away. I was away on active duty in the Army and couldn’t do anything about it. Now my wife and I are both retired Army officers. I fired every weapon I carried in the Army with a rating of “Expert”, including the .38 revolver, the .45 ACP and 9 mm pistols, and the M-14 and M-16 automatic rifles.We have guns and swords always at hand and I have a concealed carry permit. Anyone who tries to invade our home or assault us will die from sudden lead poisoning, and they will richly deserve their violent ending.
Peter: Did you drop your fire insurance on your home because your house hasn’t burned down in 30 years? Did you drop your auto liability insurance because you haven’t been involved in a motor vehicle collision for 30 years? Just because your home hasn’t been invaded by criminals in 30 years doesn’t mean that you won’t be the next target for — I was going to write a “gang of thieves” but decided that a gang was too vague. So I will substitute 3 gang bangers who are looking for drugs and money because you are older. They are all armed with firearms as they proceed to kick in your front door while your dog barks like crazy.
You could use your fire extinguisher to spray them and then hit them with the empty metal bottle. You could grab a kitchen knife but they are armed with firearms. You could run to the garage to get your camping ax but they are armed with firearms.
OR you could blast the first guy through the door with a Hornady .357 magnum Critical Duty round or a Federal round designed for law enforcement use. It may not kill the first guy through the door but I can assure you he will not be moving quite as fast as he was. The noise and muzzle blast from a four inch Ruger GP100 will at a bare minimum disorient him so that you can place a couple of follow-along shots in his torso.
That should encourage the other members of his party that you mean business and they are liable to get seriously hurt. This works best if you have figured out where the best cover is for you to adequately cover the front door before the event goes down. Now is the time to look around and decide where cover exists or to create cover with, say, a book case loaded with magazines. A couch or chair is not cover. If they can’t see you, it is concealment. Cover is what stops a bullet, Plaster board will to stop a bullet. A wooden stud will not stop a bullet, even a bullet from a .22 pistol. Magazines stacked on a three foot long shelf will stop a pistol bullet. A storage settee filled with sand bags, while a chore to move when the wife wants to clean under it will stop a pistol round.
Your post says to me, “I’ve been lucky so far and am keeping my fingers crossed that it continues.” Hope just doesn’t do it for me.
I advise my older friends to have wasp spray in various accessible places. Sprays quite a distance and can be quite a deterrent. Especially for those not keen on handling a gun.
There are two problems with spraying any incapacitating spray while inside one’s domicile. First of all, you have to wait until the perp is inside the dwelling before the spray will affect him. The most obvious reason for not using a spray inside your dwelling or any other building where you cannot exit quickly is that the spray will very rapidly diffuse throughout the building. This is based on first hand experience. I was exhibiting my pepper spray to a friend who was interested in it and I inadvertently spritzed a very tiny amount into the air while demonstrating how to remove the safety. It wasn’t 30 seconds before we had to evacuate the building as the pepper spray manifested itself in that short a time.
Wasp spray is not intended for use other than against wasps. The label gives a clear warning that it is a federal crime to use the spray in a manner other than as intended. Do you really want to take a chance that an overzealous prosecutor who believes the felons who were invading your home only wanted to re-distribute the goods that you had so maliciously acquired rather than spreading your good fortune around among less favored individuals who have been oppressed all their lives? Do you want to take a chance that a jury will believe that you didn’t intend to blind those poor young men who were only trying to get enough money together to buy clothes so they could enroll in college?
I would urge you to stop advising people to stock up on wasp spray. If nothing else, it opens them up to the possibility of civil damages. Deliberate torts are not covered by most home owners insurance. Spraying people with a substance that contains a federal warning not to use it as a human spray could easily be seen as a deliberate tort worth hundreds of thousands of dollars not covered by insurance.
Don’t take my word for it, check your insurance policy and see if deliberate torts are covered by the policy or ask your insurance agent if he thinks you would be covered if you deliberately sprayed someone with wasp spray with the warning that is each and every can.
I have a collection of Japanese swords, some replica, some authentic (and really, really sharp). Some of my collection is visible to anybody looking through the window (if they dare enter our garden, walk down the path and cross the jetty to the boat (by which time they’re already exposed). Other swords of my collection are concealed in various strategic, easy to access places.
Apparently, it is also known in our neighborhood, that I have this collection, and that I know how to use them. This may be a factor in creating a detente situation.
Only once have I been confronted by two guys inside our property. They had entered the garden (it’s quite easy) and were investigating our wood store, where I kept a pneumatic wood cleaver (I’ve since moved that closer in).
I arrived home in the dark to find these two jokers – one was my size and weight, the other was fairly huge. Of course, I had no access to weapons at the time, but I acted as though I did, in the sense that I showed the same confidence I would have felt with my favorite katana in my hand.
I suddenly felt that the big guy was about to attack, so I screamed a “kiai” at him. They both ran!
Point is, if you have any weapon in your possession, you MUST study and train how to use it, and to such a level that you can choose not to use it. When you possess the knowledge, ability and confidence to use your weapon of choice it is often unnecessary to use it in a given situation.
Such training and ability, (rather than fear) however, does also let you know when its use is inevitable – in which case, strike quickly, unexpectedly and effectively. There’s no sense in prolonged fights.
This doesn’t mean using lethal force (unless absolutely necessary), just enough to make the antagonist give up and want to go home to his mommy.
Ha! Funny story, thanks for sharing.
Dave, if I was out looking for targets to raid you would be a prime candidate, and I wouldn’t just walk through your property to get a closer look. I would “survey” from distance using optics and if I determine your location was a worthwhile target, you would never see it coming, and would definitely have no time to pull and use a weapon, whether a firearm, sword, or anything else.
Reality check is in order.
We have installed an easy self install security system SimpliSafe. No contract and only pay $25 a month! We love it and it really makes us feel very safe.
I’m trying hard not to take this too personally as I am 70 years old &, so far, remember to lock doors. Lol Actually these points would be well taken by everyone & I think families with children might be the ones to have a problem keeping doors locked as kids running out are not too mindful. The only point I might change would be the dog. I’ve always had dogs & often big dogs. But depending on one’s strength & balance (and, of course, the dog’s training) a big dog can be a lot to handle. I’ve heard burglars interviewed on shows about home safety & they say it’s not the size of the dog that turns them away as much as it is the noise of the dog. If an intruder is armed they can take out a big dog fairly easily. Little dogs are loud & quick making them harder to silence. I now have Jack Russells & they are excellent watch dogs, very smart & inexpensive to feed. Just a thought.
Jack Russell terriers are fierce little guys, they are great watchdogs and they don’t seem to fear anything. Good choice!
Well my daughter’s stuffed then. She has a Basenji dog. Only breed in the world that cannot bark. Mind you, might like any intruder to death.
Linda, using common sense and maintaining situational awareness are the keys. Sounds like you have a good grasp on your situation and are doing the right things you are able to do. Please continue remaining aware of your situation and your capabilities, and do not let anyone sell you a “bill of goods” that doesn’t work for you.
Don’t forget to buy a small caliber pistol, like a 9mm to keep nearby! 😛
I have with my own eyes seen on more than one occasion an individual take multiple 9 mm rounds in the chest and keep coming, even though fatally wounded. In my opinion, you need a pistol caliber that begins with the number “4” to ensure that you knock your assailant down. Admittedly some folks have issues with controlling higher caliber firearms, and I agree that having something is better than nothing. But .45 ACP or .45 Colt are better than a 9 mm to put the bad guy down.
Agreeably speaking, the bigger the bullet the better knockdown power. But I also agree that the most important part of the equation is shot placement. I believe that more people are killed in the USA with the simple .22 than any other caliber.
9mm is a GREAT PISTOL. It’s the ammo that makes a difference! Why does the Army use them? High round count with quality defensive ammo equals Dead bad guys! The 45 is not a Magic caliber! I’ve seen video of a guy take 6 45ACP to the chest and keep attacking! 9mm with Hornady XTP Critical Duty! 2 in the chest,1 in the head!