Will the elderly accept a better security system that allows their children to monitor them?

As someone who works in a public relations capacity for security firms, I have seen how security cameras and devices can be used in operational capacities. For example, security cameras used to protect construction sites from the theft of copper and other valuable materials can also be used for operational management and safety compliance.

Now, with the help of several of my security integrator clients, I have seen how security cameras can now be used for helping elderly people and their families deal with falls. I have an 82-year-old father-in-law who lives in Miami, Florida. While visiting him, he fell on the way to this office.

And, then I have my dad, 76, who is taking care of my mother, who is suffering through the first phase of Alzheimers. While my pa still walks and rides a bike, he's getting a little feeble. And, the weather in Decatur, Ill., is not that great in the winter.

John Barney, the vice president and owner of TriStarCommercial in Austin, tells me that there are new tools for home security systems that provide sensors. For example, if one of my parents doesn't go into the kitchen every 8 to 12 hours, it could send an alert to my cell phone.

I like that option, but I believe that a home security system with a camera placed in the kitchen is a better option. I can remotely check on my 82-year-old father-in-law or my parents in Illinois from my laptop computer.

While the concept seems pretty straight forward, getting acceptance from them is another story. They don't want to give up their independence and the thought that I could monitor them is not that appealing.

So, I am working with some mainstream reporters on the value of having elderly folks or their children install a security system, especially for folks who are downsizing from a large home to a garden home or a condo. It's my hope to work with reporters to help them understand that when someone moves into a smaller home for their Golden Years that they add a new video system instead of the traditional keypad security system.

Adding a professionally installed system will cost $500 or more, depending on the cameras and the system installed. However, the cost of such a system can become amortized into a new home loan. My friends who are professional realtors advise that it's easy to add such a device into a loan package.

Having a professional security system will provide peace of mind to people like me who have elderly parents. Will I convince either one of them to add such a system? I like the Detroit Lions' chances against the Titans in today's Thanksgiving game better than the possibility of them wanting to add such a system.