As A Senior, Do You Feel More Vulnerable When Out All Alone Somewhere?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
I definitely take more care now that I'm older when I'm out alone. I lock my car doors in certain areas, and I'm more aware of my surroundings than I was when I was younger. I take less chances for sure, but I don't feel completely defenseless when I'm alone. I think if push came to shove, I'd still put up a decent fight if someone was trying to rob me or harm me.

How about you, do you feel more vulnerable when your out and about all on your own now that you're older?
 

Seabreeze.. I understand fully what you mean, but in my case, I live in a village of just under 1000 people.. I don't know everyone but being in a small village, everyone seems to be more friendly than in a city of millions..
Actually, I don't ever lock my truck... EVER !!!

As far as being careful, naturally we are always careful, but as far as being afraid, NEVER !!!!
As far as being older, we have about 35% seniors in our village.. I am not alone..
We also have about 4 elders that are over 100 years old.........
 
I will admit i am not as confident as i once was due to being disabled, if someone tried to take my handbag i wouldn't be able to chase after them, i too lock my doors now when driving as there are morons who will take your bag when you are stopped at traffic lights, i usually put the seat belt through the strap of the bag but if i forget i just lock the doors.
When i am shopping i always use a trolley as it supports me and i put my shopping in it, plus i have a small chain i bought off ebay that has a catch on both ends, i connect one to my handbag and the other i connect to the trolley, i would like to see them take my bag they would fall arse over turkey
 

To add further i need to pick up my Xrays but as i have to park in behind the building which looks like a lane i am putting it off, eventually i might find a park out front.
Here in Australia a lot of elderly men & women are being attacked, some have been raped which i find appalling i can't understand the mentality of the morons who commit these crimes, on hearing about these attacks i do feel more vunerable.
 
It was on the news here, that people are grabbing women's purses from the car when they are pumping gas. They actually watch for women who are alone; so it was a warning to be watchful.
I even feel more vulnerable at home; the door is locked after dark; hubby can't really figure that out, but I don't think you can be too careful sometimes.

Jillaroo, elderly women have been raped here, also. That is about the worst of the worst; sometimes it involves drugs, or robbery, and they just do whatever they can get away with.

Don't know if any of you have weapons, but it isn't a bad idea these days, imo. I don't like guns at all, but sometimes, better safe than sorry.

ETA: We won't get into that; it was discussed on another thread.
 
While I don't go around thinking theres a boogy man behind every tree, I do lock my car and house, and take precaution when in the city, but I too live in a small town where it is safer.
 
For y'all that aren't afraid at all or never lock your doors, just keep doing what you're doing - you'll help my brethren in the martial arts schools and self-defense seminars. :playful:

If anything, I'm now MORE deadly than when I was younger, because now I just don't GIVE a damn what I do to an attacker. I've survived jail, so what could the law do to me?

And, I've always been aware of my surroundings, to the point of "almost paranoia", and having grown up in New York I learned at an early age what those lock-thingies on the doors are for, in addition to the locks on the windows, the mailboxes, the bikes and in the vehicles.

Just remember: you're never in a small-enough village, a remote-enough location or a sufficiently-crowded area to be totally safe from crime.
 
Here's a case from September in Alabama, where a 91-year-old woman foiled another Wal-mart carjacking attempt by screaming for help.

She's lucky, IMO. 50/50 chance of the perps running away (like they did) or just shooting her to shut her up.

Moral of the story: stay away from Wal-Mart. :p
 
SifuPhil said:
For y'all that aren't afraid at all or never lock your doors, just keep doing what you're doing - you'll help my brethren in the martial arts schools and self-defense seminars. :playful:

If anything, I'm now MORE deadly than when I was younger, because now I just don't GIVE a damn what I do to an attacker. I've survived jail, so what could the law do to me?

And, I've always been aware of my surroundings, to the point of "almost paranoia", and having grown up in New York I learned at an early age what those lock-thingies on the doors are for, in addition to the locks on the windows, the mailboxes, the bikes and in the vehicles.

Just remember: you're never in a small-enough village, a remote-enough location or a sufficiently-crowded area to be totally safe from crime.
Click to expand...


I'm aware of my surroundings when going out by myself and take necessary precautions. I lock my doors at home, but on a cool breezy night, I leave my screen doors and windows open - - go figure!

They'll just have to get me because I refuse to live in a barricaded state of fear.
 
Anne said:
It was on the news here, that people are grabbing women's purses from the car when they are pumping gas. They actually watch for women who are alone; so it was a warning to be watchful.
Click to expand...

That has happened around here. They get out of their cars with the doors unlocked, purse sitting on the passenger seat and while they are preoccupied with pumping gas, someone opens the passenger door and grabs their purse.



 
I don't live in fear at all, just more careful. I grew up in a big city too, and learned early on to lock up my stuff if I didn't want it stolen. I don't carry a purse around on a daily basis, very rarely in fact. Just a thin folding wallet in my pocket, so they'll have to get in my pants to get my money, and you know we're gonna dance over that, lol.

Even when I was young, I was carrying a take home pizza out of a mall where I live now, and three rowdy teenage girls tried to surround me and take it from me. Well, after telling them what they could do to themselves :playful:, I kicked sideways at one girl's knee, didn't even make contact, but it got them to take off and I went home and enjoyed my pizza with hubby.

So I know, that they will definitely try to get over on an elderly person. I keep my doors locked when I'm home alone, except maybe to the backyard if the dog is going in and out during the day. We're ready with a loaded gun in the home for protection if needed, so far never had the need, hope it stays that way.
 
Hi Everyone. Nice thread SeaBreeze.:)

Being the times that we live in, I'm certainly more cautious. On the other hand, I don't live in a real dangerous area either. My cautiousness comes more from
my experiences in life. I am capable of defending myself if need be, but I don't let that fact go to my head. When that happens, and you let your guard down, that's what makes you vulnerable.
 
I was raped at my strongest--when I was 21. I went through drug rehab with group counseling after that, so I've met the targets and targeters. I can't say I've been naive ever since. (Small towns don't protect people from deviants. Deviants live somewhere, including in small towns. That drug rehab was in a small town in a quiet county with few people living in it.)

BUT, I have things going for me. I live in Philly, so don't go out at night, unless with my bigger and scarier looking hubby. (I'm 5'11", 218 pounds, and I'm still "the little woman" in our marriage. lol) We haven't gone out at night in years--not out of fear, but because we just don't go out much.

Most of the city is made up of all kinds of people. I stick out like a sore thumb in my part of the city, because it's a neighborhood of immigrants not known for towering height. I'm taller than most men around here. I weigh more than most people around here (or weigh the same amount. lol) I count on people not mistaking me for an easy target by the way I look and act. I'm an easy target. I'm disabled, but invisibly disabled. If need be, experience has already taught me where to aim. Being a woman hasn't taught me why I shouldn't do that. My goal is practicality--make him have an innsy, if need be, or give him what he wants, except me, if the circumstances dictate that.

Then again? Pocketbook? Sure, I have one and use it, if I'm with much-bigger hubby. If I'm walking to the store, I carry my debit card in the front pocket of my bibfronts (no one pick-pockets there lol), my keys in one pocket (that's where my discount cards are), and my cigs in the other pocket. My cigs are in a crocheted cigarette/lighter holder. If someone pick-pockets me, they'll get away with a partial pack of smokes and a Bic lighter. (I have been pick-pocketed, and that was what was stolen. Idiots seem to think that's my wallet. lol) If I plan to pick up a few things from the store, I also carry my backpack. If someone wants to rob me of my backpack, they get a pack of tissues and some cheaper lighters too. lol

We're fortunate in one respect--nothing worth robbing. Someone broke into our car the other night and stole all our "valuables." That might have been $2 in quarters, but, hey, we don't need quarters to park anymore. Parking meters are done by kiosks. (Debit card still in the front of my bibfronts. lol) They left the more valuable things in our car--our antacids and hand sanitizers. Honestly though? Why would anyone think a beat up 1995 Saturn is worth breaking into?

Health problems caused us to become poor. We already had to sell the good stuff, so home invasion might net thieves $20-$40, if they take the time to find and break open all my banks. (I collect piggy banks, even though a few of them aren't piggies. Some have change in them. Most don't. lol) Debit cards stop us from having anything but change around the house. If they go after us, well, again, I'm the "little woman." Neither one of us is strong anymore, but we can certainly push people around and sit on them. lol

I know my surroundings at all times (except when I'm watering my containers out front. I do count on a well placed scream mustering my neighbors to look out their windows and scare a creep away.) That doesn't mean I'll scurry across the street if someone walks towards me and puts up my alarms. I already know big doesn't mean scarier, so I tend to stand taller and look more confident. Since most people in my neighborhood are smaller than I am, I keep hoping that works, but don't count on it. I already know there isn't much I can do if a vile person wants to attack me. I also know they're in for a lot of effort. I don't give up. Never have. Never will.
 
For those who talk about carrying, would you and could you use it? I already learned I don't have it in me to kill another person. I have it in me to maim them and put them in a hospital for a few months. I don't carry, because I know I cannot kill. If you don't have it in you to quickly kill the person, get rid of the gun, or it may end up killing you.

I'm not against guns. (I grew up eating what Dad or my brothers caught with their rifles.) I don't think telling people to pack is a good idea. It's only a good idea if you can shoot a person--to kill--in the blink of an eye. Most can't.
 
Sorry to hear that you were raped, some guy tried to have his way with me when I was a teen, but we were both fully dressed, I fought him off and left before anything happened. I don't carry myself, but I am not against it if you're trained and know what you're doing. I don't think you should conceal carry unless you intend to have the gun on your person, not in your handbag, not in your car, etc. I have no trouble killing someone that is out to kill me or mine, such as a house intruder. I have carried in the wilderness, in case of an animal attack, two or four-legged. :p I think the way you carry yourself means a lot, some people look fearful and like easy victims.
 
I have security bars on my windows and screen doors at home, the good quality kind. We had them installed many years ago, as we often go away on camping vacations, and want to secure the house during our absence. So, I can sleep alone at home with the windows or front door open, with no worry about an intruder getting in...works for me! ;)
 
We lock the front and back door at night and we have small locks on the windows but I refuse to exist behind bars in my own home.

I live in a big city in a suburb that is as prone to crime as anywhere else in this country but I am unconcerned whether I am at home or out and about. In 70 years I've only personally encountered crime once and that was some pick pockets in Paris.

So the stats are not that worrying IMO.
 
I don't have video of it (unfortunately), but I once taught a very specialized class - Catholic nuns in wheelchairs. :angel:

I don't recall their exact afflictions, but they were all retirement age and older - one was close to 100. There were about 20 of them in my 3-month-long Taijiquan class and we started off with gentle stretching exercises and eventually progressed to actual self-defense movements. Now these sisters had the gamut of old-age diseases, but they were game and they learned that there are many alternative ways of achieving what they wanted. :D
 
My wife, all 5 foot 2 of her had her clutch purse knocked out of her hand by a six foot (R.SOLE) I think that was his name!!!!
He just smashed her wrist & her purse hit the ground & he ran off with it. Had to get new cards, everything. What a pain.
We were both wary & still are when any young men are standing behind us.
She always locks the car door when alone. She now has an aluminium card wallet which she keeps in her pocket. It protects
her card from being electronically copied, & with her money also inside the case both hands are free. open address below.


http://www.ebay.com.au/bhp/aluminium-credit-card-holder



,
 
Keeping up with the times and reading all this never ending assults,robberies on seniors, I finally gave in and arm myself whenever I have to venture outside alone.

Hopefully I will never have to use it.
 

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