Self Defense For Seniors
Women should also be familiar with self defense for seniors. Some of us are seniors, hopefully we all will become seniors and a lot of women care for seniors.
There are perpetrators who prey on seniors. Seniors are more vulnerable by nature, generally physically weaker and in many cases more trusting. Seniors can be victims of financial, property or violent crimes; they can also be victims of elder abuse and identity theft.
Hopefully they have at least one advocate to rely on. Some do not recognize their own diminished mental capacity. Many are used to making their own decisions and are unwilling to ask for, or even accept help. If a senior had an advocate they could always tell potential scammers, "I need to discuss this with my adviser first." This would eliminate the need for a quick decision. I’ve always felt that if the decision couldn’t wait overnight then it wasn’t a good deal. If an immediate decision is needed, my decision is always no.
Elder Abuse is a real problem in today’s world. In recent years strict reporting procedures have dramatically reduced abuse in nursing homes and assisted living organizations. Still, when choosing a facility, check its health ranking by contacting the appropriate state health care agency. Check references; make direct observations for cleanliness and appearance of employees. Make frequent visits and ask questions of your senior and the staff.
Tragically, more elder abuse occurs when a family member is the primary caregiver than in a facility. Seniors are more reluctant to report the abuse and may hide evidence. They may not wish to betray family members, they maybe afraid of going to alternative care or fear punishment for telling someone.
If you have an elderly relative or friend being cared for exclusively by a family member, you could help them out by visiting frequently and even offering to stay briefly with them to give the caregiver a break.
Fortunately for them, seniors have the lowest rate of violent crime compared to their proportion of the population. They still need to be familiar with self defense for seniors.
If they live in a house make sure the windows and doors and easily locked securely from the inside. The yard, driveway and garage should be well lit with dusk to dawn automatic lights or motion detecting lights. Sturdy railings should be on all stairways and the bath/shower. Working fire/smoke/co2 detectors should be placed so they can be heard if alarming. The floor covering should be in good repair so as not to cause a tripping hazard.
If living in an apartment complex, a good security system is invaluable! My Gramz lives in a building that no one gets in unless you ring someone to visualize you and buzz you in. They also have community activities, which is a great way to get to know who your neighbors are.
If there is any kind of fall risk you may consider getting an alert system that comes with a trigger worn like a necklace and a transmitter to signal emergency personnel in case they’ve fallen and they can’t get up.
So far we’ve been talking safety rather than self defense for seniors. A cane can make an excellent weapon if needed. It may be best used in a jabbing fashion, poking as hard as possible areas such as the neck, face and solar plexus. An upward swing to the groin can be a surprise to an unsuspecting assailant. Many seniors are studying the lastest self defense: Cane Fu.
I would also recommend a personal alarm. Pull the pin from this baby and 120 decibels of screeching noise should help change the mind of the would-be attacker. It’s a small unit that can be worn around the wrist or as a key chain. Some have a flashlight built right in!
One of the main principles of self defense for seniors, again, is someone trustworthy to check on them on a regular basis. The larger the support system the better. It’s always good to have someone to help double check their medications, cleaning, minor repairs and even running errands and sometimes just a phone call is sufficient to check in.
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