In our February issue, we looked at security needs of multifamily developments and we will focus on healthcare security in March. Somewhere in the middle – part apartment complex, part medical facility – lies one of the fastest-growing residential categories, senior living.
Basic requirements for assisted living facilities include in-room emergency alarms or monitoring, perimeter access control, video surveillance, secure drug storage and stepped-up fire safety measures (especially when oxygen tanks are in use.)
On the surface, it sounds like connected home products would be ideal. Residents could control their door locks, alarms, lighting and thermometers with their smartphones as well as call for help in an emergency. This is certainly the case moving forward with active 55 and up communities. But, as I found out when older family members moved into a Florida facility, not all residents are able or tech-savvy enough to embrace newer technology.
My aunt and uncle lived on the first floor of a sprawling Florida facility that offered independent living apartments on floor 1, assisted living on floors 2 and 3 and skilled nursing care on floor 4. Visitors were supposed to come and go through the lobby, with secondary doors locked from the outside, providing free egress at all times. But those side doors were more convenient for coming and going, so the residents propped them open during the day. A propped door alarm would have been a great addition. (There were cameras in the hallways and I’m hopeful that management checked these doors at night.)
My Depression-era relatives did not want a cellphone, calling them an unnecessary luxury. They refused to “give their credit card number to the whole internet,” so they missed out on the convenience of Amazon deliveries and Uber and such. And without a smartphone, there’s no way to use phone apps to grant access or call for help.
As our population ages, we see two distinct types of senior living. First, the younger, tech savvy seniors want connected homes with all the bells and whistles, similar to upscale residential developments. Second are the elderly who need security and services more in line with medical facilities. Both are burgeoning markets for savvy locksmiths. Read more in our March issue.
Emily Pike
