Bromley Council has teamed up with Age Concern, the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police to compile a new information pack designed to help older people feel safer in their own homes.
The ‘Safe as Houses’ packs include a ‘Nominated Neighbour’ card which enables older and more vulnerable people to tell unexpected callers to contact a nominated neighbour who lives nearby. Organisers say the card can be displayed through a window or letter box so that the older person need not open the door. If the call is genuine, the nominated neighbour will agree to return with the caller and stay until their business is completed.
The packs also include advice from Bromley Council on avoiding rogue traders and staying put in your own home, fire prevention pointers from London Fire Brigade and advice on domiciliary care, general maintenance and home repairs from Age Concern.
Safer Bromley Partnership Chairman, Cllr Colin Bloom said the pack: “demonstrates very well how members of the Safer Bromley Partnership come together to focus on the needs of a specific group of residents in the borough.”
“We want older people to feel safe in their own homes and having a supportive community can often help this to be the case. The new Nominated Neighbour initiative in particular promotes an easy-to-set-up way in which the local community can look out for others in their neighbourhood.”
