The Best Home Security Tips for Homebound Seniors
While we as Americans and world citizens are currently (mostly) homebound ourselves due to government restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of our seniors have been homebound for a lot longer.
Do you have an elderly family member who lives alone?
Have you given their continued safety enough consideration?
In this article, we will give you the best home security tips for homebound seniors! Please share with those you love.
Who is Considered a Homebound Senior?
The definition of a homebound senior:
being homebound or housebound means an individual is unable to leave their home without difficulty, and due to this difficulty, generally does not leave their home. It is usually due to advanced age, illness, or a disability.
Often, seniors deal not only with their advanced age, but they also have illnesses or disabilities that would prevent them from leaving their homes.
How To Keep a Homebound Senior Safe
The best way to keep a homebound senior safe is to create a safety care plan with all parties involved.
Who needs to be included in this security and safety plan?
- the senior(s)
- adult children
- primary physician
- home healthcare workers
- home care workers
While this plan most often focusses on physical health; making sure meds are taken, doctor appointments are kept and food is delivered, cooked and eaten, there has to be ONE central command center, so to speak.
Once a plan has been formulated, it’s time to put it into action.
Tracking Progress and Safety
While the senior in your life might or might not have access and the ability to use technology, the care team certainly does.
We found several great apps to check out to coordinate efforts to keep the senior healthy and safe.
We liked these two:
Alzheimer’s Caregiver Buddy
The Alzheimer’s Association, a leader in action and awareness around the disease, developed this “caregiver buddy” app to help caregivers manage their personal stress, navigate family conflict and reach a 24/7 helpline.
The app includes features like daily care tips for tasks related to hygiene and meal times, and fun activities that will stimulate the body and mind of someone living with dementia. It also covers how to cope with new and sometimes overwhelming behaviors, like aggression or hallucination.
Alzheimer’s Caregiver Buddy is available for free on iPhone or Android.
Caring Bridge
Communication is critical when dividing caregiving duties among multiple people — and that’s where CaringBridge can help. CaringBridge connects several caregivers through one app, allowing several people to keep track of appointments, changes in health and other essential information.
Users can also send each other inspiring messages and motivation through the app, which really helps pull together a team of caregivers in the toughest moments.
Home Security Tips for Seniors
If the senior in your life lives at home, here are the best home security tips we’ve found to protect your senior. If the senior lives with you and your family, we recommend you read this.
Immediate Access to Emergency
This is the number one concern so set up your senior with a panic button so that help is on the way quickly. It could save their life!
Fire Safety
If the senior in your life is still doing some home cooking, it might be time to install some additional safety measures.
Start with this checklist of prevention tips, and move onto these types of devices, if needed!
Then invest in an automatic stove turn-off device before the first fire even starts.
Security Cameras and Smart Technology
If you can’t be with them all the time, the closest, or second-best option is to install security cameras in your senior’s home. Both Alarm.com and Honeywell Total Connect offer apps with smarthome technology to keep an eye on your senior. While this is something the senior has to agree to, it might give all of the family peace of mind!
Install and Teach Your Senior To Use The Peephole
This goes without saying, and seniors might need to hear this more than once; not everyone who comes to their door is up to good. Remind your senior to not open the door to strangers.
Keep Windows and Doors Locked When at Home!
While fresh air is great, open doors and windows could potentially invite unwanted visitors. We don’t recommend scaring your senior, but common sense should prevail. When living alone, they need to be aware of doors and windows and not leave them opened and unattended for long periods of time!
Alert the Senior of Phone Scams Targeting Seniors
Keep this dialogue going! Local police will often warn of local scams, and putting a note near your senior’s phone might be a good start! The note should remind them to NEVER give out their Social Security number, a credit card number, or send money. When in doubt, they need to know it’s OK to disconnect the call!
How Can We Help?
We at Strand Security understand you might not live near your senior. If we can help you keep you in any way as you navigate keeping your loved one safe from a distance, do not hesitate to reach out!
10 Reasons To Love Our Community
This is the THIRD in a series of 12 articles published to celebrate Strand Security’s 10th anniversary. Read:
10 Reasons To Love The Grand Strand
_________________________________________________________________________
While this article was planned back in January 2020 as part of our 12 month-long 10-year anniversary celebration, this month is the right time to write it as we are collectively struggling with the effects of a Pandemic.
What a different article it will be than originally planned.
While we at Strand Security love our community, we have come to understand how much our community loves us back.
In light of this COVID-19 Pandemic, our Grand Strand community is doing some amazing things.
Check out these amazing people, groups, organizations, and individuals who call the Grand Strand ‘home’. We are honored to live and work here alongside them.
Here Are 10 Reasons to Love Our Community!
(in no particular order!)
1) #MyrtleBeachStrong Bringing Hope To Those in Need
The city of Myrtle Beach shares a message of strength during COVID-19 pandemic.
Christian Sliker with the Myrtle Beach Fire Department came up with the idea of #MyrtleBeachStrong.
“Be safe, be calm, be responsible, be #MyrtleBeachStrong,” the city of Myrtle Beach said in a post.
The Myrtle Beach community will see this message on local billboards; and on social media where we all meet to offer help and support.
2) Facebook Groups Connect Offers of Help With Those in Need
Horry County Citizen’s Crisis Response Facebook group is brand new just this month, yet already had helped so many local residents.
This local news story tells to story of a 93-year-old woman who needed a new fridge. Not only was a new fridge donated, but it was also picked up, delivered and stocked full of food. What an amazing act of kindness.
3) Restaurant Delivery Service During This Pandemic
While this might not matter to some, to others who don’t know how to cook or care to cook, the closing of restaurants has been hard. Another reason to love our community is that restaurants now deliver food!
Check out this story and be sure to order some food; for curbside pickup or delivery. One Facebook user shared that a local restaurant added a gift of toilet paper to his delivery, which made his day!
4) Teachers Hold Parade For Kids
If the kids can’t come to school, teachers will show the kids how much they care!
Teachers and staff from Burgess Elementary paraded through their kid’s neighborhoods on Monday with decorated cars honking and waving from a safe distance so their school children would know they were thinking of them during the coronavirus recess.
Due to social distancing practices, the cars carried only a couple of teachers each, hence the need for about a dozen cars in the procession.
As the cars slowly drove by, teachers waved and greeted their kids by name. Students didn’t walk up to the cars out of safety precautions, but waved back as the teachers passed.
5) A Little River Distillery is Making Craft Sanitizers
Due to the coronavirus, Twelve 33 Distillery is switching from making craft liquor to craft sanitation supplies to help local hospitals and residents.
Osborn said while he wouldn’t make liquor this strong, his stills can produce alcohol strong enough to put into sanitizer. Currently, he is using the Center for Disease Control’s recipe for hand sanitizer and hopes to be giving it out to residents, hospitals and public safety soon.
6) Community Pop-Up Pantries
Like this one at Infinity Hair Salon next to Walmart at 3630 Walton Dr, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.
‘Take what you need, leave what you don’t”
Donations are streaming in and those in need can just come and take, no questions asked!
7) Hot Meals Served Daily to Those in Need
While cooking at home is great, what if you don’t have a home? The Shepherd’s Table serves a hot meal twice per day. They are located in Conway and serve a to-go lunch at 11 AM – 12 PM and to-go dinner 4 PM-5:30 PM according to their Facebook Page.
1412 Gamecock Ave # A, Conway, SC 29526
8) Fresh Produce at Reduced Prices
When the hotels and restaurants started to close, local company A & A Produce found themselves ‘stuck’ with lots of fresh produce. Rather than throw it away, they pivoted and offered $20 boxes of fresh produce to the community. That offer has been well-received.
9) When Hotel Kitchens Shut Down, Food Inventory Was Donated
We found this post to be so heart-warming.
It starts like this:
“hi guys!! my father works at a hotel at the beach and he had to shut down his kitchen so that means that he has a lot of perishable items to give away!
if you or someone you know needs the following items, please feel free to reach out and dm me!!
everything is FREE and has to go!!
if you know people that are in need, let me know!!
we are willing to deliver as well!”
The response was overwhelming – all food was distributed and donated! Well done.
10) Local Resident Collects Easter Baskets To be Be Delivered Along With Food
Marnie Kennedy is no stranger to helping out. During recent hurricanes and floods, she has been the driving force behind many projects to benefit local Grand Strand Residents. Her tagline ‘Leave it To Marnie’ is brilliant. Check out how she’s organizing a 3000 Easter Basket project.
If you are in need or know of someone else in need, please reach out to us at Strand Security. We will do what we can to help!
How To Be Safe at Home During a Pandemic
Social Distancing, Self-Quarantine, and Shelter-in-Place
No matter where you live or work, chances are that you’ve been affected by COVID-19. “In times like these” isn’t a phrase we can use because none of us have ever seen a time like this before. We are in this together, whether we like it, or not.
As South Carolinians, we have dealt with floods, hurricanes and lengthy school closures, but nothing of this magnitude.
Whether you are practicing social distancing, self-quarantining or have been asked to shelter in place, please know we feel anxiety, stress and worries just like you are.
Everyone is Home; How to Stay Safe!
Now that everyone in your household, and perhaps with an extra family member, college student or elderly parents who moved (back) in, is home – how can you keep everyone safe?
Physical Safety
Unless you’ve opened your pool early this year, or you are using power tools, staying safe at home during this Pandemic means practicing and adhering to safety protocols as usual.
Test and change your smoke alarm batteries, tend to fires, and be sure to alarm you home when you are in it!
Watch your kids as you normally would – and remove known safety hazards.
Mental Health
This is a bit trickier. Your mental health is important to be able to function at home for the long haul of being quarantined. Make sure to use technology to connect with loved ones, pick up new hobbies and above all, eat healthily and exercise! If you have a pet, taking care of your pet’s needs or walking your dog also helps relieve stress.
Health
It’s easy to fall into bad habits; while we can’t go out and eat, this is a great time to cook, bake and enjoy some home-made recipes. Do go to the store once per week if possible to buy fresh produce; it’s more important than ever to take in as many vitamins and minerals as possible to boost your immune system!
Everyone is Home; How to Stay Sane!
As far as occupying your time and entertainment goes, we have some ideas to share.
Sound System
Hold family dance parties, create TikTok videos and just move! Use your Sonos sound system to wake up the house and sing!
Home Theater
Pull out old family movies, watch long-forgotten classics or stream the latest Hulu, NetFlix, Disney or Amazon Prime shows and movies. Home theaters at a time like this can offer great relief at the end of yet another quarantined day!
Technology Saves The Day
As far as technology goes, the sky is the limit. Imagine it and you can do it!
- Chat with friends through Facetime
- Jump on a Zoom family call and see Grandma and Grandpa
- Play Bingo with cousins
- Start a game of Cards against Humanity with friends
- Have ‘dinner and wine’ with your neighbors via Facebook Portal
- Go on a virtual museum tour
- Check out remote place with Google Earth
We’ve seen the gamut and encourage you to ‘think outside the box’ to stay connected while distancing.
After all, we really should call it physical distancing, not social distancing!
Stay safe, healthy and connected and give us a call if you need anything.
Go Ahead and Take Charge with URC Total Control!
New Home? New Automation!
If you have just build a new home or purchased a new home on the Grand Strand in South Carolina, we want to talk to you!
Did you know that ANY HOME, no matter when it was built, can be turned into a Smarthome!?
Yes! 🙌🏻
No need to wait for contractors or handyman… (because we know you already have!)
We at Strand Security can turn ANY home into a Smarthome with URC!
Old Home? New Automation!
Now if you are looking for a Smarthome but you do not want to move, rebuild or construct something, we’ve got great news! Any home can be made into a Smarthome with URC automation.
Even the oldest homes, the most basic homes, can be updated to become smart.
How awesome is that, right?
Just let us know WHAT you’d like to automate, and what brands/equipment you currently have and we will make a plan together!
URC Touchscreen Controller
Check out this super cool touchscreen technology.
Image this tabletop controller sitting on your kitchen table.
You activate the system with your voice and be giving a commend, you can turn on lights, turn the thermostat up or down or control the window shades!
How sweet is that?!
Need to change something? Use the tabletop controller to adjust a setting.
Need to monitor your cameras? Use the tabletop controller to see every angle!
URC Remote Control!
However, if you want total reach from say, your couch, you also need a universal remote from URC!
No need for any other remote – this one REPLACES all your other remotes!
How is that for Smarthome technology.
Chuck your tv remote, surround sound system remote, and all other gadgets…
The BEST PART?
We will INSTALL and PROGRAM your remote for you!
Let’s review that…
You do not have to know how to program this; Strand Security staff will program your URC system and remote for you!
Take Total Control Of Your Home with URC
The URC remote gives you
- Touchscreen LCD
- WiFi remote control
- Microphone and speaker for voice control
- Seamless integration with Total Connect systems
- Includes charging dock
South Carolina; are you ready for the next generation of Smarthome technology?
Give us a call!
Smart Solutions for Businesses; Smart Owners Automate
Smarthomes Are All the Rage, How About Smart Businesses?
It’s no secret that we at Strand Security love Alarm.com.
In December 2018, we welcomed Alarm.com to the Strand Security family of brands we use and endorse. As always, we don’t just recommend brands, we use them too, to keep our own families safe.
Engineered for small and medium-sized business owners, Smarter Business Security combines intelligent intrusion detection, video surveillance, access control, and energy management into a single, cost-effective solution.
Smart Business Owners Chose Alarm.com
What can Alarm.com do for your business?
Connect your
- security
- lights
- locks
- thermostats
- video
- and more
for seamless automation and control!
From Alarm.com:
Get visibility into activity trends to make smarter decisions around staffing, promotions, energy use and more.
Easy to understand reports let you quickly see activity patterns across your business and spot unexpected changes.
Get smart!
Get Alarm.com from Strand Security and let us help you optimize your business for excellent ROI – and peace of mind!
Smart Business Owners Make Smart Choices!
What does automating business tasks do for the business owner?
Smart business owners use their money wisely. They budget their money, market themselves and invest in new technology when and where available to stay up-to-date on industry newest, smartest and savviest ways to do business.
Let’s take a look; here are 5 reasons why your business should be a ‘smart business’!
1) Smart Businesses Save Time
When recurring tasks in a business environment are automated, this means time is saved each day.
Personnel who were previously responsible for these daily tasks, now have time for other tasks.
2) Smart Businesses Save Money
The automation of business tasks saves not only time but money, because of the fact that time = money in buisness.
Automation saves money, always.
3) Smart Businesses Are More Energy Efficient
When you can automate your thermostat in your business to optimize energy use, you will become more energy efficient.
4) Smart Businesses Are Run Better
How often do you or your employees ‘forget’ tasks?
Do they forget to lock doors, start the computer, turn down the temperature, forget to open shades, or forget to lower them when the sun shines…?
Businesses who automate run better. When your business runs better, it if more efficient, which means… you save money!
5) Smart Businesses Make For Better Run Businesses
In the end, it comes down to this;
taking advantage of available technology is smart business.
Whether you automate security, office temperature, daily tasks, or use technology for sales, marketing, and PR; NOT using the available technology will give your competition an advantage!
You aren’t in the business of giving others your business now, are you?
10 Reasons To Love Smarthomes
This post is the second in a year-long series of ’10 reasons to love…’ as Strand Security celebrates 10 years in business.
10 Reasons to Love the Grand Strand
What is a Smarthome?
A Smarthome is
a residence equipped with a number of devices that automate tasks normally handled by humans. Some are built into the structure itself and some added later, and homeowners operate them with voice commands or by artificial intelligence.
What Can a Smarthome Do?
A smarthome
uses internet-connected devices to enable the remote monitoring and management of appliances and systems, such as lighting and heating.
That is just the tip of the iceberg, though.
New uses, new brands, and more integrations are available every day!
Our homes are getting smarter.
10 Reasons To Love Smarthomes
While new Smarthomes are created every day, not everyone fully understands what a Smarthome can do and how it can affect daily life.
Therefore, we’ve come up with 10 reasons to love Smarthomes.
1) Smarthomes Are Brilliant
Of course, they are brilliant. Their name says it all.
This home can think and has a brain that functions to communicate with the homeowners. If that’s not brilliant, we don’t know what is!
2) Smarthomes Are Convenient
While we won’t go as far as calling people lazy, Smarthomes offer convenience to those who crave it. With just one button, one switch or one command, the homeowner can engage the home to auto-work for them.
3) We Love Smarthomes Due To Endless Integration Possibilities
Smarthome technology integrates with hundreds, if not thousands of brands. URC integrates with 100’s of brands, many brands that we offer and recommend to our customers here at Strand Security
4) We Love Smarthome Automation
Automation means that once you set something up once, that ‘action’ is remembered and can be triggered at any time by a commend. Automation means that when you get home, you can, for example, tell your home ‘I am home’ and that would trigger any automation you’ve programmed – drawing shades, changing the thermostat, locking the doors behind you etc.
5) Smarthomes Save Us Time
By virtue of automation and integration, we all save time; the Smarthome does the thinking as well as the execution.
6) Smarthomes Eliminate Redundancy
Never again draw the shades. Never again have to touch a light switch. Never again have to lock (or forget to lock) the door behind you. Set it up once and it’s done!
7) Smarthomes Help Those Who Are Less Able-bodied
If you or someone you love lives with a disability, or is elderly and not active, having a Smarthome can be a gamechanger to being independent! Especially if that person has limited physical ability.
8) Smarthomes Make Our Homes More Energy Efficient
By automating lights, thermostats, and window shades, your home becomes energy efficient. You will save money on your electric bill just by being smart!
9) Smarthomes Give Our Home a Personality
Your home might be quirky, or stern, or persistent. If you set your automation right, your home will have a personality!
10) Smarthomes Allow Us To Control Our Home With Just One Remote
The best part of having a Smarthome besides ‘peace of mind’ is the ability to control your home from one remote! No more TV controls, thermostats controls, light switches and keys… One remote can do EVERYTHING for you.
10 Reasons To Love the Grand Strand
We at Strand Security are celebrating 10 years on the Grand Strand!
So many wonderful things have happened to our Strand families, our business and within our community! We can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to share our wonderful community with you.
We arrived in 2010 to start a new life in South Carolina; to kick off this year-long celebration, let’s count the ways we love the Grand Strand.
1) Love The Grand Strand for Its Beaches!
With over 60 miles of beaches, the Grand Strand spans from the Winyah Bay in the south to Little River in the north; it is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States.
With over 60 miles of beaches, you will find a beach you love.
This area includes two State Parks; Huntington Beach State Park and Myrtle Beach State Park, as well as many smaller municipalities with beachfront access.
2) Love The Grand Strand for Its Golf Courses!
Did you know…
The Grand Strand is home to 90 (yes, ninety) golf courses?
That’s a huge number and a huge variety of places to play. There is a course for every golfer, whether you are a beginner or a life-longer player, or somewhere in between
While we are at it, we looked for the number of minigolf courses. While it was harder to find a number, it is at least 30 by this account.
Ready to tee up?!
3) Love The Grand Strand for Its Entertainment!
While the beach and golf are the two main attractions for tourists, there are many more ways to entertain the family when visiting, or living on the Grand Strand.
That includes
- Broadway at the Beach with a Ropes Course, Wonderworks (Science Museum) and Dave and Buster’s
- Barefoot Landing with The House of Blues and Lulu’s
- Hollywood Wax Museum
- 810 Bowling
- Ocean Boulevard
- The Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk
- Brookgreen Gardens
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans
and so much more! Did we mention the golf courses?
4) Love The Grand Strand for Its Nightlife!
When the sun goes down the fun begins.
Fireworks can be seen on many evenings at Broadway at the Beach and/or Barefoot Landing, attracting thousands of visitors to come to eat and play.
Don’t forget to check out Family Kingdom as the fun just begins when the sun disappears! Ride the old wooden coaster ‘The Swamp Fox’ or try your luck playing carnival games.
5) Love The Grand Strand for Its Autism Friendliness!
Did you know…
Surfside Beach is the world’s first certified autism-friendly destination
While it was always known as ‘the family beach’, Surfside Beach now has another beautiful title to uphold. Surfside Beach was listed as one of the Top 10 best family beaches!
6) Love The Grand Strand for Its Beauty!
- Gorgeous homes.
- Beautiful parks.
- Wonderful flowers and native trees.
- Friendly People.
- Sunshine on most days.
The Grand Strand is simply a beautiful place to visit and live.
7) Love The Grand Strand for Its Restaurants!
No matter your taste, there’s a place for you at one of the many tables on the Grand Strand.
While the Grand Strand offers large chain restaurant access like Margaritaville, TGI Fridays, 5 Guys and Friendly’s, there are plenty of spots that less overcrowded and less corporate.
No matter your taste, when living on the Grand Strand you will eat well.
8) Love The Grand Strand for Its Seafood!
Murrells Inlet is called the Seafood Capital of South Carolina!
It wasn’t always as family-friendly as it is today though. In the 1800s, pirates hid in the inlet creeks waiting to plunder unsuspecting English ships. You may have heard of one in particular called Blackbeard.
While you can go fishing, crabbing or even scuba diving, why not lay on the beach all day and come eat seafood at night in one of many restaurants on the Marsh Walk?
9) Love The Grand Strand for Its Southern Hospitality!
“Southern hospitality is a phrase used in American English to describe the stereotype of residents of the Southern United States as particularly warm, sweet, and welcoming to visitors to their homes, or to the South in general.”
And friendly we are!
If you’ve never experienced it, you’ve been missing out.
10) Love The Grand Strand for Its Low Cost of Living!
We simply can’t deny that living on the Grand Strand is… grand! While Strand Security and our family have been residents for 10 years, we’ve realized what a great deal we have here in the south!
Homes are affordable, as are groceries and other living expenses; the cost of living in South Carolina due to low taxes is a huge attraction for new residents. The lure of these beautiful yet affordable southern homes brings many northerners to our beloved Grand Strand.
What Do You Love About the Grand Strand?
Please tell us why you love the Grand Strand!
Keep an eye out for many more ’10 Reasons To Love…’ articles in 2020!
How To Protect Your Business Assets With a Commercial Security System
Does Your Business Own or Lease Expensive Equipment?
Dentists need chairs to treat their patients.
Average cost: $3000+
Their x-ray machines?
All the way up to $65,000
How about construction companies? They have hundreds of thousands worth of equipment on job sites!
Say what?
Whether your business needs commercial kitchen equipment, specialized vans or trucks, lifts, computers or tools, this equipment costs money. A lot of money.
Insurance Will Cover Replacement Cost In Case of Loss.
If you lease, rent or have bought expensive business equipment to run your business, we assume you have insurance to cover the cost of replacing these tools and machinery.
What business owners forget and frequently run into is that replacing those items in case of a fire, theft, or vandalism, slows down their productivity level and can harm their business in the short or long term, can even financially ruin it.
Insurance Won’t Cover Lost Time and Productivity.
Therefore, it is in everyone’s best interest to PREVENT accidents, thefts, burglaries, and vandalism.
A business that has to take time out to renovate, reconstruct, or reorder/repurchase equipment is a business that’s not productive, not running at their capacity.
How To Prevent Accidents and Incidents in the Workplace
It’s a multi-step process
- Training
- Technology
- Implementation
- Inspections
- Fix and Adjust Plan
- Retraining
The owner or CEO of the company has to understand that time lost is money lost. Money that can be used to prevent incidents with a risk-identifying plan.
In other words, in order to prevent incidents, you have to spend money – on training, inspections and technology.
How To Protect Your Business Assets With a Commercial Security System
How does a commercial security system help protect your business?
Let’s count the many ways!
- Security cameras can spot shoplifters, vandals, and loiterers inside or outside your property, prompting you to take immediate action.
- Vehicle trackers can help locate your stolen vehicle and products, as well as track the driver’s stats and driving record.
- A monitored alarm system alert authorities immediately in case of burglary, fire or vandalism.
- Panic buttons help employees stay safe; help is only one push of the button away
Spend Money To Save Money
While this might not be what you want to hear, a solid business plan should reveal to you that this is the ONLY way to go to protect your investment; of time, money and effort in starting and running a business.
Don’t be caught without insurance.
Don’t be caught without a commercial security system.
Protect what’s rightfully yours, so you can keep it and enjoy it.
Self-Defense Moves to Celebrate National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month 2020
What is National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month?
As January is the very first month of every new year; it a great time to focus on YOU.
Your body, your mind, your overall well being.
Included in that should be your personal safety, hence the National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month was created.
We are so fortunate at Strand Security to have our own self-defense division, Myrtle Beach Self-Defense. If you are in our geographical area, please make sure to connect with MBSD to join us for a class. If you are not in our area, do continue reading to learn more about the importance of self-defense and personal safety awareness!
Myrtle Beach Self-Defense
Several years ago, Heather Bryant of Strand Security started what is now Myrtle Beach Self Defense. Heather teaches self-defense to women and girls in the Myrtle Beach, Grand Strand and surrounding areas.
She’s brought her program to
- sorority members at Coast Carolina University
- Girl Scout troops on the Grand Strand
- business owners via the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
- entrepreneurs via the Women in Networking group
- Seniors
- Women and Teens at Fun Warehouse
and many more places.
Heather’s goal is to educate and empower women no matter what situation comes at them.
From Awareness to Knowledge to Confidence
The first step to personal safety is awareness.
Awareness that danger is everywhere, that you need to be prepared and that you can prevent or diffuse a dangerous situation – unless a weapon is introduced (that is when the rules change completely)
How do you get the awareness of personal self-defense?
- Read our self-defense tips
- Talk to survivors
- Speak with those who support victims of violence
Next is knowledge – you need to know HOW to defend yourself.
This knowledge comes through both theoretical information, as well as hands-on self-defense classwork.
Muscle memory might be what saves your life one day when you are confronted by an attacker! Practice self-defense moves, over and over and over until you can react in a split second!
Last but not least, while gaining awareness and knowledge, you gain confidence. Confident people are by default, not an easy or ‘preferred’ target!
Basic Self-Defense Moves and Tips
Use your senses to stay alert
- Don’t walk or run with headphones; you can’t hear any approach you
- Listen for clues that someone might be following you
- Use your voice to scare someone off; yelling ‘Fire’, screaming loudly and ‘Get away from me’ are all signs you are in trouble and can alert someone nearby to come to your aid.
- Look up from your phone; don’t walk to your car while typing
Listen to your inner voice to detect danger
- If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t right
- If you feel uncomfortable, get away – go towards people!
- When things seem ‘off’ don’t dismiss that feeling, act on it instead
Flight, then fight
- it’s best to try to diffuse a situation and then get away from your attacker
- fight when there is nowhere to go
- while it’s called self-defense, you can take the lead on attacking once someone has a grip on you
- use your elbows, knees, and fists to strike. Count to three. Three strikes then move to the next body part
- when fighting for your life, yell! Scream as loud as you can. Self-defense includes scaring off an attacker
- if someone holds a gun to your head and tells you to drive somewhere, buckle up and then drive right into a pole, a ditch, another car if needed, or a building. You’d be injured most likely, but your chances of survival are much higher.
Anything within your reach can be used as a weapon
- keys
- purse
- shoes / boots
- books
- hot coffee
- anything sharp or heavy (glasses, pen, rock)
- groceries
- pots and pans
- lamps
- wine / beer bottles
Muscle memory is your best weapon
Self-defense classes are so important for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons you should take not one, but several, self-defense classes is that you need your muscles to remember what to do when attacked. There will be no time to think. Only to act.
Myrtle Beach Self-Defense Offers Class for Women and Girls
Whether you are on the Grand Strand in the Myrtle Beach area, or live elsewhere, take self-defense classes and learn what to do in case of an attack!
Your life could depend on it!
Learn more by visiting our self-defense division.
How To Protect Your Employees With a Commercial Security System
Your Employees Are Your Business
The very last thing you want to hear is that there has been an ‘incident’ at your business.
Whether it is a phone call from your employee, or a call from the police, as soon as you hear this message, you know that you and your business are in trouble.
If you are the owner or CEO of a brick and mortar store, a restaurant, a gas station, a bank, a school, a church or a service provider with a fleet of trucks and a slew of employees, you never want harm to come to your employees, correct?
Regardless of the potential harm and suffering of your employees, accidents also harm your reputation and your pocketbook!
Identify Potential Danger and Risk in the Workplace – Step 1
The first step to giving your employees protection and safety is to properly identify potential problems. This is done by a thorough inspection of your property, as well as an inspection of your safety procedures, followed by an emergency planning and training session!
Here are a few areas to look at
(this may very well not be a complete list – we are not risk managers!)
- Lighting in parking lots
- Safety procedures for heavy equipment (signage and training)
- Locking mechanism to keep employees in and danger out
- Heavy lifting and storing and stacking products
- Loading, unloading, and driving procedures
- Fire safety
- and more!
Protect Your Employees With Safety Tools and Protocols – Step 2
The next thing on your list after identifying potential risks in the workplace is to give your employees access to tools and training to keep themselves and your customers safe!
That translates to tools and protocols like
- Locking up procedures
- Fire safety procedures and drills
- First Aid Kit and First Aid and CPR training for employees
- Cameras and additional lighting in parking lots and backrooms
- Emergency exit drills
- and more!
To make all this easier to implement, we suggest you rely on technology to help you do all this, as we do in our own business! Check out the third step!
Use Technology To Monitor, Alert, and Call For Assitance – Step 3
We recommend using technology to keep your employees safe from harm. We at Strand Security utilize and rely on these same products, brands, and the same security equipment to keep our own employees (and families) safe from harm!
Here is a list of safety and security products that can increase the overall safety of your employees while they are in your care!
The single best precaution to take is to get a
After that, these are our top choices for additional security!
If you employ even just one person, you owe it to them to keep them safe from harm!
In 2020, this hotel chain will offer panic buttons to all its employees, including housekeepers, desk staff and food workers! Way to go!
News Stories of Business Robberies
We want to leave you with a few links to news stories;
Stories, where a silent alarm helped call the police for help
A close-to-home story where an employee was rendered helpless, and was harmed because of a lack of precaution
Who Are You Going To Protect? Who Will You Call?
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