They broke a rear window at Donna G's house. At Stan B's home they rocked his garage door off the track to get in. Myrna D. had to replace expensive steel burglar bars where they broke into her home, and at Terry Y's they didn't waste any time. They simply splintered her door frame to get in. In addition to everything else that was going on, each of these elderly people had expensive repairs to make.

What did they all have in common? They each called for help using their emergency response system, and none of them were able to unlock their doors to let emergency responders inside. They all thought they had planned ahead by giving a neighbor their keys, but in each case the neighbors weren't available at the time. So emergency personnel did what we pay them to do - they broke in. In each case EMS tried to do as little damage as possible, but time being of the essence they had little time to waste. And, of course, they couldn't then wait around until someone arrived to board up a window or secure an unlocked door, which left the home unprotected for some time.

When a senior signs up for a personal emergency response system, the supplier always asks where emergency personnel can find a key. They keep this information on file and pass it along to 911 if there is an emergency. This theoretically prevents the need for EMS to break in if they are called.

Many people hide keys in fake rocks or under flower pots. Unfortunately, the bad guys are very familiar with these tricks. Others, as above, give keys to trusted neighbors. That works well if the neighbor is at home. If not, it's back to breaking in for EMS.

In addition to giving a trusted neighbor they key, and rather than hiding a key in an easy-to-find location, emergency personnel are very happy when there is a key lockbox outside the building. The monitoring service tells them where the box is located and gives them the combination. They can enter the house quickly and without doing any damage. They can re-lock the door when they leave, and the homeowner can change the combination (and let the service know) at any time after it's been used. It's the best solution for everyone.

Key lockboxes come in two basic designs: The kind that hangs on a doorknob, like many realtors use, and a box that can be firmly attached to an out-of-the-way place on the house, on a sturdy tree in the back yard, or on an outbuilding. The doorknob version sometimes gets in the way, so not as many people prefer these.

You can purchase a combination key lockbox at most "big box" hardware emporiums. I recommend that you get a sturdy one for your elder even if they aren't using a personal emergency response system. The next time you visit and discover that you've forgotten your key you'llbe glad you did. And the next time he locks himself out, so will both of you.

Here's a good one made by Master Lock that you can check out before you go shopping for whatever style and brand you prefer. Read the comments for more good information about what you want to look for, and what you might want to avoid.