home-safety

How To Keep Senior Parents Safe In Their Home

Many of us are dealing with ageing parents. But keeping senior parents safe can be worrisome. If we are lucky, they are healthy and still have their faculties.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

We purchased a larger house so we could move my parents in with us. They were living on a farm two hours away. We knew my dad had dementia, and it was only going to get worse. With both of us working, I was worried about their safety.

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It’s Hard To Keep Senior Parents Safe!

You see, they both still drove their car, and my father had lost the capacity to understand there was something wrong with him. They were both 79, and I knew that if I didn’t move them closer, I was going to get a panicked call in the middle of the night from my mum, and I’d have to speed my way up to the farm.

We were lucky. We found a raised bungalow that had a finished basement with a self-contained apartment. My dog was also a senior, so we decided to live downstairs and put my parents upstairs. This way, my dog didn’t have to manage any stairs.

I was a teacher, so I had the summer to think of ways to make the house safer. I got better at it through the next five years, but I had to act fast to ensure their safety and my peace of mind.

Cameras To Keep Senior Parents Safe

The first thing I did was research indoor cameras. There wasn’t a super selection in 2011. I wanted high quality, with an iPhone app, as well as sound and microphone capabilities in case I had to hear or speak with them while I was at work.

The IP cameras I chose did last as long as my parents lived with us. I bought three of them through Best Buy. They were made by a company in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, Best Buy eventually stopped carrying their products.

I had them strategically placed in the house so I could ensure my parents’ safety. Although they worked fine (until 2018!), they were very hard to set up. Each camera had to be connected to each device one at a time. It was a very frustrating process, as the connection didn’t always work the first time. They also didn’t swivel. So once they were placed, that was it. A microSD card could be installed to keep a record of all movement which was a nice feature, and the picture was excellent except in complete darkness. All in all, they did meet my needs while my parents were alive.

Better Cameras Keep Your House Safe

I lost both of my parents within 15 months four years ago. Although I don’t need the cameras for them, we have fur babies. We like to keep an eye on them if no one is home. When we took a trip in 2019, the three cats remained home alone. We hired a service to feed and play with them every day, so it was important to us that we could see them any time we wanted.

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That’s why I switched to the Amcrest camera. It has more features than my old ones. It looks much sturdier in design and can swivel on its base so we can pan the room.

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Again, there were issues setting them up. The company finally created a new app that seems to work much better. You still have to connect the camera to every device, but the bar code on the bottom does make it easier.

IP cameras are an inexpensive way to watch your house. I do recommend the PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras because they give you much more flexibility and view angle. I also suggest Ethernet as your most reliable (and secure) connection.

That’s why I’ve installed D-Link PowerLine adapters throughout the house. These allow you to connect “directly” to your router/modem through your electrical system.

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The main PowerLine adapter connects to your router/modem and plugs into the nearest outlet. Then you plug the secondary adapter to another outlet where you need an Ethernet connection. You have to press a tiny button on the bottom of each adapter to make the link. Once all the lights are green, you’re in business!

I even have a switch box connected to one PowerLine, so all my home stereo equipment is connected to the internet.

This also means that you can install IP cameras throughout your house, and never have to worry that your Wi-Fi will be interrupted or hacked.

IP cameras and Powerline adapters are easy ways you can increase security in your home for your peace of mind.