We had a dozen or so visitors at our last meeting to hear Doug Crockett of Intelligent Homes talk about enabling older people to remain in their homes longer by using technology to good advantage. Technology used to be the domain of geeks only, but now it’s up to everyone to choose their own level of exposure, especially relating to security and cyber-security. Most homes these days have an average of 17 Wi-Fi devices in them, although this is undoubtedly influenced strongly by our younger population. Doug went into the question of CCTVs in some detail, and the available range spans from cheap ones right through to very sophisticated versions. These devices run on Wi-Fi or on cable, and the latter are more reliable, especially if they have an uninterrupted power supply (UPS). Interestingly the days of monitored alarms and other devices are passing as new technology takes over from the old! It was also noted that ring cameras do not constitute CCTV – they are simply security cameras. Doug covered a range of other related topics including security screen doors (watch out for posing fly screens!), LED lights, deadlocks on doors and windows, steel shutters, safety switches (RCDs), and smoke alarms – which should be hard wired with back-up batteries changed annually. Cyber-security should be provided by a licensed supplier. All very interesting and helpful, thanks. One of our visitors was Churchlands MLA Christine Tonkin, and Christine undertook to circulate details to all present (via our Club) of the $400 Safety and Security Rebate available to Seniors Card holders. She also advertised her forthcoming consultation sessions regarding quality of life factors. Thank you Christine.