Crothers Security Ltd was founded By Kevin Crothers in 1981 in Dublin. From the very start, providing peace of mind was key to our company ethos. So was innovation, and Kevin was at the forefront in using innovative techniques to provide extra security to both home and businesses, developing several very successful patented security products
From the outset of the company, Kevin always took extra special care of his older customers, understanding that older people can feel particularly vulnerable in their homes. He often spent more time drinking tea with them and reassuring them than actually installing the lock or whatever.
As time moved on, so did technology and Crothers worked hard to always remain at the forefront of using this technology to provide a safe and secure environment.
We always understood that the systems we provided had to be user friendly and not cause more stress than they solve.
Around 5 years ago, Martin & Steven Crothers began to discuss how the technology we were using could be adapted to help older people not just to be secure in their own home but also to support them in staying in their own home, particularly if they were living alone.
We knew that sensor technology could be adapted to monitor movements in the home, that door contacts could be used to track comings and goings. We had experience of using CCTV to allow family members monitor callers to their vulnerable relative’s home .
We researched what was happening in other countries. We found out that T.E.C. (Technology Enabled Care) was being tried out with good success in America and some European countries with a particularly successful trial run by the NHS in Scotland.
We sourced equipment from a very reputable international T.E.C. manufacturing company who specialise in exactly what we were looking for.
But something wasn’t clicking for us. There was something that didn’t feel right to us about the approach we were taking.
We carried out some market research in Ireland and found that the family of older people who live alone were very receptive to the idea of being able to monitor the activity of their older parents or relatives, so we knew there was a demand.
This should have driven us forward, it all made sense.
But it didn’t feel right.
Then life got in the way, as it often does and our Dad, Kevin got ill and ended up in hospital for an extended period and sadly died in March 2021
All of a sudden, Our Mother, Greta was living alone, and when COVID hit, she was Isolated much more than might have been the case otherwise.
She was the ideal candidate for our new product. Myself & Steven, on a personal level wanted to fit it. Our Siblings, 3 of whom live abroad thought it was a great idea.
The thing is, our Mother is a fiercely independent woman. She is in her 80’s but still drives, cooks and cleans for herself has her own life and take no nonsense.
We took another look at our approach and realised something;
This was not about what the family wanted. It was and should be about what our Mother, the resident of her own home wanted.
There was no point in putting in technology which helps a person to maintain the independence of living alone in their own home, by installing a system they didn’t want or didn’t understand.
So, we had think about how the system would benefit her, rather than her family and how it could enhance her independence rather than impinge on it.
That long, hard think, led us to develop Eila Connect.
