Category: installations

Home Security Basics You Need To Teach Your Children

A home security system is a great way to protect your family. However, it’s only half of the equation. Yes, a home security system brings many benefits, but knowing how to deal with an emergency situation is still important. It not only protects you, but it can help keep you alive.

When it comes to children, they need to know how to handle themselves in an emergency situation.  Therefore, they also need to know some home security basics.

Here are just a few of the things you need to teach your children so that they can stay safe whether you are around or not.

Home Security Basics To Teach Children

Our children are the pride and joy of our lives. We need to ensure that they are protected, whether we are around during an emergency situation or not.

Here are 7 home security basics you need to teach your kids to keep them safe:

  1. How to operate the home security system
  2. The importance of locking doors and windows
  3. Teach children how to deal with strangers at the door
  4. Remind children of alarm codes
  5. Create an emergency plan in case of a home fire or intrusion
  6. Enforce rules when they are home alone
  7. Choose a safe meeting place

Know How a Security System Works

Teach your kids what your security system is, how it protects them, and how it works. If you have an older child, give them the code so that they have the ability to feel in control of their surroundings and safety net. This can also help prevent older children from accidently setting off the alarm when they come in and out of the home.

A home security system can also be a great tool to help keep your children out of trouble. Some security providers offer the ability to stream instant photos and video to your smartphone or tablet. This means mom or dad can keep an eye on the kids who are home alone. This protects them from not only the outside world but themselves as well.

Explain the Rules of Being Home Alone

When children reach the age where they can be left home alone for short periods of time, it is important to set boundaries of what they should and shouldn’t be doing. Let them know what rooms of the house they are allowed in when you are not around, and whether they are allowed to answer the door or play outside with friends. No one is born knowing what to do, and children can often get into trouble when they are unsupervised. Lay out firm expectations and explain to your child that the rules are there to keep them safe Explain that consequences will follow if they don’t listen to you, and be consistent.

Create a Security Plan for your Kids

A security plan is extremely important. This gives your children the ability to make decisions so they know exactly what to do, even when panic takes over. Go over the plan for emergencies in child-friendly terms Two or three times a year.

But don’t just tell them – show them! Show children how to get out of your home safely in an emergency. Take them to your family’s safe meeting place. Also, explain what they should do if they encounter an intruder in your home. Make sure they know how to keep themselves safe even if you happen to not be there.

If you start when they are young, you can train them in security basics. This will show them the proper way to stay safe, no matter what the emergency.

The Benefits of Installing a Stairlift

Living with seniors or someone who is critically ill or injured in a storey house can be a nightmare. While moving to a single house might sound like a good solution, it is quite impractical.  A modern stairlift can solve many problems.

Stairlifts are a perfect way to take anything upstairs without taking the stairs. Think of them as a small enough lift that will fit into your house without forcing you to build an elevator shaft. Their use will vary from shuttling people who can’t take the stairs safely to carrying groceries, laundry, or heavy things up and down the stairs.

How Does the Stairlift Work?

The stairlift is a comfortable seat with a foot rest. It rides a rail up and down the stairs with a small, silent but powerful motor installed beneath the seat. Typical stairlifts will run on 0.5 or 3/4 horsepower motors that are just about enough to carry a heavy person.

A remote or a switch on the armrest will control the seat’s speed and up or down motion. The power to run the stairlift can come straight from your mains supply or a rechargeable battery.  This keeps the seat moving even when there is a power outage.

Standard seats will carry up to 300 pounds while heavy duty models have bigger seats and can easily accommodate up to 350 lbs.

Why Buy a Stairlift?

Modern stairlifts are a convenience to anyone who cannot take the stairs for any reason.  They are a perfect way for you or a loved one to enjoy that feeling of independence and mobility. You won’t have to dread every moment you have to move from one level to another.

To seniors or slightly disabled, the stairlift will make moving up and down the stairs simpler. It also reduces the chances of a fall. This makes for a happier family that doesn’t have to relocate to a single level building to accommodate illness, injuries, or old age.

Safety Features Are Improving By the Day

Even though the stairlift is designed to make life simpler and safer, most homeowners still remain skeptical of its safety features. While initial stairlifts might have been a nightmare, most of the modern builds bristle with safety features and wouldn’t even hurt a mouse – let alone your cat.

Soft start and stop make it comfortable to ride all the way. A swivel and lock feature makes it easier to embark or disembark. A couple of sensors that monitor leg positions, obstacles along the way, loading weight, and armrest position sensors.

All these sensors ensure that the lift only moves when someone is seated in a safe position and will never roll over an obstacle. This makes it safer for the user and all members of the house.

Convenience Even in a Multi-user Setup

Stair lifts can work on either straight staircases or curved staircases. Curved staircase lifts tend to be costlier to install and maintain. Sometimes it would be wise to bridge different house levels with more than one straight staircase lift.

Very few people will have to worry about this since most people who can’t take the stairs will rarely be comfortable living beyond the first floor anyway. A good lift with all the important safety features and a fallback safety plan in case of power failure or a fatal component failure will be a great addition to your home too.

Modern designs also pack a remote or a way to summon the lift from whatever side of the stairs you are. This maximizes convenience. Of course, it will finish an active trip before coming to you, but getting up and down the stairs has never been safer and more convenient than when you install a modern stairlift.