INDIANAPOLIS -- Members of a southwest side Indianapolis community are arming themselves with knowledge after an elderly man was beaten and robbed in his home.

Three armed robbers kicked in the front door of a home in the Sungate subdivision on Nov. 8, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

While the elderly victim recovers from his injuries at a hospital, his neighbors gathered on Saturday for a lesson in home security.

"(The house that was robbed) is at the end of the street, so we are very close to that, and we were very scared," one neighbor said.

A representative from ADT Security Services attended Saturday's meeting. He said criminals look for fast, easy opportunities, so anything that could add time or trouble for them, like a security system, may be enough to keep thieves away.

"The ones that had been on the fence previously about considering home security, with the recent turn in the economy and the desperate actions that people are doing, that seems to have pushed them from a 'want to,' to a 'have to,'" said Mike Pecar.

A sales associate with Lowe's also talked with homeowners about home-protection options, from a dummy camera that looks like the real thing, to motion-sensing lights and bars to secure doors.

"About spring, we started noticing a lot of single, elderly customers who have been targeted, or who have friends that were targeted," said sales specialist Carolyn Thielke.

She suggests women who live alone put a cheap pair of men's work boots on their porch or patio to give the illusion that someone else lives there.

Neighbors left the meeting ready to make some changes to their homes.

"I don't know that I necessarily feel safer. I do feel more empowered," said Jami Young. "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure me and my kids are safe."