Ageing and solace are comfortable bedfellows. When the hustle and bustle of midlife passes by, a sort of solitude is idyllic for those of advanced years. Some would see it as a vulnerability and for those of an evil bent, see it as an opportunity.
For many elderly people who live in isolated pockets of our wonderful region, it is this solitude that sustains them. Their days pass with the sounds created by nature; their routine is dictated by their lonely state.
The pace of life is pedestrian and perfectly in tune with those who live there.
It is a beautiful living, and our thoughts only go to them when we hear of atrocities visited upon them from time to time, by heartless thugs who take advantage of this isolation; of this solitude and smash it to smithereens.
Modernity is often to blame for their adding to this vulnerability. Technology has passed them by; the banks and financial institutions who they sustained as loyal customers often disregard them, seeing them as a hindrance on the road to technological progress.
And with this, they are unwittingly encouraged to take risks with money that they would ordinarily not do. Closure of ATMs, post offices, bank branches has forced the shilling back under the mattress, and attracted the kind of attention they could do without.
With this and the advance of winter, the opportunity for crime increases. People are in for the night earlier; there is less danger of being stumbled upon; the dark back roads offer ample cover for entry and egress.
And it has started already.
This week in a neighbouring county, a woman in her 90s and her adult sons were held hostage and threatened while their business and home was ransacked. Gardai have launched an investigation into the aggravated burglary and assault but it was shocking.
A man in his 60s was attacked but did not need medical attention afterwards. It is reported a 94-year-old woman and her sons were held hostage in one room while the rest of the property was ransacked by a gang of men. The culprits made off with a small amount of cash and some jewellery.
The nature of the crime in neighbouring Roscommon three days ago shows that the bravado of those thugs has increased. Daylight, with several witnesses — and still they made their escape.
Communities where these things happen will rally around the victims, but life is never the same again. The breach of the sanctuary of the household by men intent on doing you harm with violent means changes forever your definition of the word Home.
The technology that has created this vulnerability should now be enhanced to help make them more safe. GDPR concerns have reduced the capacity of CCTV cameras to capture evidence or to deter, but community groups need to look at providing tracking devices and other methods of tracing what groups are behind these crimes.
With the dark nights just a few months away, we cannot leave our elderly and vulnerable at the mercy of thugs. We want their time in their homes to be those of contentment and not anxiety and stress constantly wondering who is going to come into the yard or knock on the door.
In lockdown, we looked after everyone. Nobody should feel alone in our communities.
