Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease is a real act of love, but it also comes with its challenges—especially when it comes to safety when you choose to care for them in your own home.
As Alzheimer's progresses, cognitive and physical abilities decline, making it essential to create a secure and comfortable home environment that ensures your loved one is safe from falling or leaving the home alone and becoming disoriented and lost.
For individuals who still work and have other obligations, it is important to put a plan in place for when your loved one may be home alone. Here are some practical steps to help ensure their safety.
1. Modify the Home Environment
The home is filled with potential hazards for someone with Alzheimer’s that may not be immediately obvious. Dangers can be everywhere and being overly cautious to avoid accidents is crucial. Making simple modifications can help prevent accidents and wandering:
Create a living space on a main floor: Building a space on a main floor in the house that is all one level is important. This reduces any challenges and potential dangers of stairs and stairwells. A bedroom, small living space and bathroom are all that are required.
Remove tripping hazards: Clear all clutter and secure or remove area rugs and carpeting. Make sure floors are even and free from any obstacles that could result in a fall.
Secure breakables and shelves: It is easy for someone with Alzheimer’s to grab onto the closest thing to them when they lose balance. This can include shelves and units with breakables – glass, pottery, mirrors, collectibles – often bringing down the shelves and everything on them. Moreover, if they fall into the shelves they can not only break everything, but injure themselves.
Install grab bars and handrails: In the bathroom, shower, and hallways, grab bars provide necessary support. Even better is a walk-in-shower with a chair or bench to reduce slips and provide ease of entry.
2.Use locks and alarms: Adding door alarms can alert you if your loved one attempts to leave the house unexpectedly, however, a simple slide latch at the top of the door and frame can keep your loved one from actually opening the door, if they are able to. Make sure it is high enough that they cannot reach it.
Multiple door locks – door handle, dead bolts – can increase the difficulty of opening doors successfully. Use lock boxes on outside door handles so emergency services can access the home, if needed.
Keep pathways well-lit: Use nightlights in hallways, bedrooms, and bathrooms to prevent falls and reduce disorientation during nighttime bathroom visits.
3. Cabinet Safety Latches
Install childproof locks can help curb curiosity or searching that can lead to trouble. Put them on:
cabinets containing cleaning supplies, medications, and sharp objects.
refrigerators that aren’t there’s and liquor cabinets.
stoves, oven and microwave doors.
drawers where knives and other sharp utensils are kept
2. Set Up a Safe Space for Wandering
Wandering is a common behavior in people with Alzheimer’s. Creating a designated safe space for wandering within the home can help your loved one move around without risking harm.
Again, a living space on one floor and clear of stairways is important. Wide walkways with room to navigate walkers and wheelchairs will make it easier for them, and for you, to get around with ease. Clear any sharp objects or hazards from this space and make sure it is easy to supervise.
4. Secure Access to Dangerous Items
People with Alzheimer’s still want to do things for themselves, but it can lead them into tricky situations that can cause self-harm unintentionally. In addition to locking away cleaning products and sharp items, take extra care with:
Medications: Use a lockbox for prescriptions and over-the-counter medications whether for them or you or your family. This keeps your loved one from taking the wrong medication.
Fire hazards: Ensure stoves, lighters, candles and matches are out of reach or consider installing automatic shut-off devices for appliances like ovens and stoves.
Guns and other weapons: By law, these should be stored securely in a locked cabinet and placed out of reach of children or anyone who they cause a danger to or removed from the home altogether.
Knives and tool sets: A sharp object is a sharp object, and they come in many forms. You may have put your tools out, innocently, to fix something in the house, but many dangers lurk inside tool bags and drawers.
5. Promote Safety During Daily Activities
Regular daily activities, like bathing and cooking, can pose significant risks for a person with Alzheimer’s and they shouldn’t do them alone, or at all. Simplify these tasks while making sure your loved one stays safe:
Supervise bathing: Make the bathroom slip-proof by installing grab bars, using non-slip mats, and keeping the water temperature controlled. If they’re able to bathe themselves, embrace this independence for as long as possible, with supervision.
Actively bathe your loved one: At some point, it will become inevitable to bathe or actively help bathe your loved one. This can be a special bonding time, and it is a great act of love.
Adapt the kitchen: Minimize the risk of burns or fires by removing sharp objects, storing hot appliances like toasters out of sight, and using induction cooktops to prevent burns.
Clothing safety: Avoid clothing with long, loose fabrics that can catch on furniture or cause falls. Slip-resistant shoes or socks are also helpful.
Set a regular daily routine: A routine is important for people with Alzheimer’s. It becomes something they can trust and rely on and can help them be self-sufficient in little ways.
6. Use Technology for Monitoring
There are several technological tools available today that can give caregivers peace of mind:
Wearable GPS devices: If wandering is a concern, there are GPS trackers that can be worn as a bracelet or pendant, allowing you to locate your loved one if they wander off.
Video doorbells: These provide real-time alerts when someone approaches the door, allowing you to monitor exits remotely.
Home monitoring systems: Setting up motion detectors and cameras can allow you to check in on your loved one from another room or while you’re away from the house, and technology to track falls can ensure emergency services can arrive when you are not available.
Phone Apps: Certain phone apps, like this one, offer a number of features that can help monitor and track your loved one.
7. Create a Calm and Familiar Environment
A calm, predictable environment can ease anxiety and reduce the chances of accidents for individuals with Alzheimer’s.
Keep the layout of the home consistent, avoid loud noises, and maintain a routine.
Visual cues, like signs or labels on doors and drawers, can help your loved one navigate their surroundings more easily.
Music and familiar sounds can also create a calm environment that is also enjoyable.
8. Stay Informed and Prepared for Emergencies
Make sure you’re prepared for emergencies like falls, fires, or health crises:
Keep emergency numbers handy: Ensure that contact numbers for medical professionals, family members, and emergency services are easily accessible.
Post important information in a visible spot: This allows any caregivers or emergency services to find what they need to better care for your loved one.
Keep important documents at hand: Key documents, like health directives, need to be easily accessible. In an emergency, you, or anyone else, shouldn’t have to search the home to locate them. Make copies and keep them in another safe place.
First-aid training: Basic first-aid training can help you respond quickly to minor injuries or incidents. Keep a kit on hand to address superficial injuries.
Plan for escape routes: In case of a fire or emergency evacuation, map out escape routes and practice them with your loved one when they are able to understand.
Use an app to track emergencies: Phone apps, like this one, can offer caregivers the benefits of managing care, tracking care and immediate response to emergencies all in one.
8. Enjoy Time with Your Loved one
As Alzheimer’s progresses, your loved one’s needs will change, and safety requirements may evolve. Keep an open line of communication with doctors, caregivers, and family members to stay informed. Regularly assess the home environment and make changes as necessary to adapt to new challenges.
Most importantly, enjoy time with your loved one. Caregiving is not just about the day-to-day needs, but also spending quality time with them. Conversation and socialization are important to help keep the disease from progressing as quickly, and these are the times you will always remember.
Conclusion
Keeping a loved one with Alzheimer’s safe at home requires patience, understanding, and proactive measures. Being overly cautious is never a bad thing. By making thoughtful adjustments to the home environment, staying vigilant and using technology, you can create a secure and comforting space for them to live in while maintaining their dignity and independence for as long as possible.
If you ever feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to reach out to Alzheimer’s support groups or hire professional in-home care to provide extra assistance, if you’re able. Together, we can provide the best care for those facing this challenging disease.
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