We live behind a gate. Don’t for a moment, however, think Gated Community with a uniformed attendant screening our visitors. Nor should you imagine one of those motorized gates where at the flick of a something or other, the gate opens for egress or ingress as appropriate.
No, this is your basic wrought iron, keep intruders out while making them think you have some taste in barriers gate. It is manual. That is, when we drive up, we need to get out of the car and go (yes, go, at least several feet, up a slight incline!) to unlock it with a key. On the other side, when we wish to go out, we need to use said key. In both cases, the moving of the gate requires not a little person-power, i.e., muscles.
This would not be a problem were it not for our ages. We are, as you know, getting up there. Sort of. And while we’re still more than capable of the requisite person-power, not to mention the trek to the lock itself, I worry. What would happen if sometime in the night, we needed outside help. And the gate was locked. And we were inside unable to go out to unlock the gate.
Considering the fact that one night about twelve years ago, I was carted off to the ER with potentially lethal brain injury, my concerns are not untoward. Then, we didn’t live behind a gate. The paramedics were able to walk in the front door and do their job. But if it were to happen today–and trust me, when you’ve had a ruptured cerebral aneurysm once, you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop–what then?
Or if there were a fire and we were overcome with smoke. Does the fire department come with shears sufficient to cut through wrought iron?
And on the other side of the locked gate, what if we weren’t home and there was no one to open the gate and see the sign that says, Please Save Our Two Dogs Inside?
All of this was in my mind when I found out about this gizmo:
It’s the Master Lock Portable Key Safe, and it was sent to me as part of Master Lock’s campaign to focus on those of us who are 65+. “The senior demographic faces a unique set of security concerns and are also the most fearful of crime,” said Rebecca Smith, vice president, marketing for Master Lock. “We aim to not only educate this group about potential security risks, but to give them the tools they need to be – and feel – safe and secure.”
As part of that mission, Master Lock has compiled a list of senior-specific tips for safety on their website. These tips also include information on two other products aimed at keeping our demographic safe: the Master Lock SafeSpace, which is a small, portable safe to store valuables such as jewelry, cell phones or credit cards while you’re out and about – for example, working at the library or playing sports outside; and the Door Security Bar, which protects against forced entry through hinged doors and sliding patio doors.
I think I’ll hang our Portable Key Safe from a discrete place on the fence where it can only be reached by those who know it’s there. And that will be a chosen few, I can assure you.
Master Lock sent me the Portable Key Safe for the purposes of reviewing it. I received no other remuneration and the opinions here are all mine.