AppId is over the quota
As we approach another autumn, the night's starting to draw in concerns of safety and peace of mind are in the forefront of the minds of many. This year has been different to any other. An August riot that affected the whole country, constant news reports of rising burglary figures and the current state of our elderly care system are of a huge concern. What should have been a summer of sun, relaxing and carefree attitudes, leaves us with a lingering thought in the back of our minds: 'How can I protect my family?'
When we think of protection for our families and our homes, burglaries is at the top of the list. It is reported that 35% of all burglaries are crimes of opportunity through unlocked doors or windows. How do we combat this? We are extra vigilant in ensuring we have locked the door and closed a window that could be a potential threat. The next step is having a burglar alarm installed for when we are on holiday or at work. The only thing is what happens when that alarm rings? It annoys the neighbours but does anyone get called? In today's technological world, alarms are now fitted and monitored by a 24 hour monitoring station. With burglaries rising by 14% to a seven year high it is imperative that we protect ourselves and our belongings.
As well as a threat of intruders there is also the threat of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. Most of us have smoke detectors installed in our homes. Are there batteries in it? Does it work? What happens when a smoke detector is activated? In an unoccupied building it might go undetected until major damage is done. We live in a house packed with electrical devices that are potential fire risks. Evidence of this is the recent BEKO fridge freezers defrost timer faults. London Fire Brigade has reported to date twenty fires with several injuries. Carbon Monoxide and gas is known as the silent killer. Why? The effects of carbon monoxide poisoning are slow and deadly. Poisoning can occur due to poorly ventilated gas appliances. A regularly serviced gas appliance can still become a hazard if blocked. How do we combat this? Along with the Intruder alarm we can also have the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms linked to it. Knowing that if one of the alarms were activated it would not need anyone to phone anybody. The alarm system will do it for us, and within a matter of minutes the right people and emergency service will be on hand. Alternatively, imagine we all lived in a cottage in the beautifully scenic Devon with a thatched roof. Fire is our enemy! The majority of insurance companies stipulate that you must have a monitored alarm system and with it quick responses is what could save our lives and property.
I think the biggest and most widely discussed topic is how the UK is dealing with an aging population and the increasing pressure on local authorities to provide elderly care in the community. The South West is a popular retirement destination with Devon having a high proportion of elderly and vulnerable people. A recent study, conducted by Experian, discovered the percentage of people aged over fifty and living in East Devon was 49.2% compared to the national average of 34.5%. This makes Devon the sixth largest over fifty's population in England with the predicted figures for 2029 rising to 38.6% and to 55.3% in East Devon. As a family we have the ever increasing decisions for parent, grandparents and the situation of care homes. The elderly are stubborn and quite rightly so. They have lived independently for years and why should it change. The highly publicised conditions and situations of cash stricken care homes has also hit home to many families within the UK. Can my relative still live independently? Well the answer is yes! An advance in technology has enabled the vulnerable and the elderly to still live independent lives but safely in their own homes. Personal and medical alarms are carried on their persons and also monitored two way systems in their homes. If a problem occurs and the button is triggered, the control panel becomes a two way speech between the person and the monitoring station and either contact is made to the key holder or emergency services depending on the problem. For our relative it is a way for them to live their independent lives with the knowledge that if something were to happen help would be on hand quickly. For us, it is the peace of mind that although they are uneasy on their feet or have a medical condition we know that once the alarm is triggered response is quick.
If we considered all of the possible threats to us, our families and our properties we would have many sleepless nights. What we can do is be vigilant to the possible threats. The advance in technology is what we can use to combat this and let us sleep well in the knowledge that we are safe. In today's world there are systems that can combat it all in one control panel. These systems protect us all whether young, old, medical conditions or vulnerable and is essential for every household.
Philip Beale
Director of Certo Home Security LTD
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