Residence Security and Alzheimer’s Illness

As a caregiver, you are able to do many issues to make the particular person’s residence a safer place. Suppose prevention—assist keep away from accidents by controlling attainable issues.

Whereas some Alzheimer’s behaviors may be managed medically, many, similar to wandering and agitation, can’t. It’s more practical to vary the particular person’s environment—for instance, to take away harmful gadgets—than to attempt to change behaviors. Altering the house atmosphere can provide the particular person extra freedom to maneuver round independently and safely.

Create an Alzheimer’s-Protected Residence

Add the next gadgets to the particular person’s residence if they aren’t already in place:

• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in or close to the kitchen and in all bedrooms
• Emergency cellphone numbers (ambulance, poison management, docs, hospital, and so forth.) and the particular person’s handle close to all telephones
• Security knobs and an computerized shut-off change on the range
• Childproof plugs for unused electrical retailers and childproof latches on cupboard doorways

You should buy residence security merchandise at shops carrying {hardware}, electronics, medical provides, and kids’s gadgets.

Lock up or take away these probably harmful gadgets from the house:

• Prescription and over-the-counter medicines
• Alcohol
• Cleansing and family merchandise, similar to paint thinner and matches
• Toxic crops—contact the Nationwide Poison Management Heart at 1-800-222-1222 or www.poison.org to seek out out which houseplants are toxic
• Weapons and different weapons, scissors, knives, energy instruments, and equipment
• Gasoline cans and different harmful gadgets within the storage

Transferring Across the Home

Strive these tricks to stop falls and accidents:

• Simplify the house. An excessive amount of furnishings could make it exhausting to maneuver round freely.
• Do away with muddle, similar to piles of newspapers and magazines.
• Have a sturdy handrail on stairways.
• Put carpet on stairs, or mark the perimeters of steps with brightly coloured tape so the particular person can see them extra simply.
• Put a gate throughout the steps if the particular person has stability issues.
• Take away small throw rugs. Use rugs with nonskid backing as a substitute.
• Be certain cords to electrical retailers are out of the best way or tacked to baseboards.
• Clear up spills immediately.

Be certain the particular person with Alzheimer’s has good flooring traction for strolling. To make flooring much less slippery, go away flooring unpolished or set up nonskid strips. Footwear and slippers with good traction additionally assist the particular person transfer round safely.

Decrease Hazard

Folks with Alzheimer’s illness could not see, scent, contact, hear, and/or style issues as they used to. You are able to do issues round the home to make life safer and simpler for the particular person.

Seeing

Though there could also be nothing bodily unsuitable with their eyes, folks with Alzheimer’s could not be capable of interpret precisely what they see. Their sense of notion and depth could also be altered, too. These adjustments could cause security considerations.

• Make flooring and partitions totally different colours. This creates distinction and makes it simpler for the particular person to see.
• Take away curtains and rugs with busy patterns which will confuse the particular person.
• Mark the perimeters of steps with brightly coloured tape so folks can see the steps as they go up or down stairs.
• Use brightly coloured indicators or easy photos to label the toilet, bed room, and kitchen.
• Watch out about small pets. The particular person with Alzheimer’s could not see the pet and journey over it.
• Restrict the scale and variety of mirrors in your house, and take into consideration the place to place them. Mirror photographs could confuse the particular person with Alzheimer’s illness.
• Use dishes and placemats in contrasting colours for simpler identification.

Touching

Folks with Alzheimer’s could expertise lack of sensation or could not be capable of interpret emotions of warmth, chilly, or discomfort.

• Reset your water heater to 120°F to stop burns.
• Label hot-water taps crimson and cold-water taps blue or write the phrases “sizzling” and “chilly” close to them.
• Put indicators close to the oven, toaster, iron, and different issues that get sizzling. The signal might say, “Cease!” or “Do not Contact—Very Scorching!” Make certain the signal isn’t so shut that it might catch on fireplace. The particular person with Alzheimer’s shouldn’t use home equipment with out supervision. Unplug home equipment when not in use.
• Pad any sharp corners in your furnishings, or substitute or take away furnishings with sharp corners.
• Check the water to verify it’s a snug temperature earlier than the particular person will get into the bathtub or bathe.

Smelling

A lack of or lower in scent is frequent in folks with Alzheimer’s illness.

• Use good smoke detectors. Folks with Alzheimer’s could not be capable of scent smoke.
• Test meals in your fridge typically. Throw out any which have gone unhealthy.

Tasting

Folks with Alzheimer’s could not style in addition to earlier than. In addition they could place harmful or inappropriate issues of their mouths.

• Maintain meals like salt, sugar, and spices away from the particular person in the event you see her or him utilizing an excessive amount of.
• Put away or lock up issues like toothpaste, lotions, shampoos, rubbing alcohol, cleaning soap, fragrance, or laundry detergent pods. They might look and scent like meals to an individual with Alzheimer’s illness.
• Maintain the poison management quantity (1-800-222-1222) by the cellphone.
• Study what to do if the particular person chokes on one thing. Test together with your native hospital or Purple Cross chapter about well being or security courses.

Listening to

Folks with Alzheimer’s illness could have regular listening to, however they could lose their means to interpret what they hear precisely. This loss could end in confusion or overstimulation.

• Do not play the TV, radio, or music too loudly, and do not play them on the identical time. Loud music or too many various sounds could also be an excessive amount of for the particular person with Alzheimer’s to deal with.
• Restrict the quantity of people that go to at anybody time. If there’s a occasion, settle the particular person with Alzheimer’s in an space with fewer folks.
• Shut the home windows if it’s extremely noisy outdoors.
• If the particular person wears a listening to assist, verify the batteries and settings typically.

It will not be essential to make all these adjustments; nevertheless, you could wish to re-evaluate the protection of the particular person’s residence as conduct and talents change. For extra on residence security and Alzheimer’s, learn Residence Security Guidelines for Alzheimer’s Illness.

Is It Protected to Depart the Particular person with Alzheimer’s Alone?

This problem wants cautious analysis and is definitely a security concern. The next factors could provide help to determine.

Does the particular person with Alzheimer’s:

• Turn into confused or unpredictable underneath stress?
• Acknowledge a harmful state of affairs, for instance, fireplace?
• Know the way to use the phone in an emergency?
• Know the way to get assist?
• Keep content material throughout the residence?
• Wander and develop into disoriented?
• Present indicators of agitation, despair, or withdrawal when left alone for any time period?
• Try and pursue former pursuits or hobbies which may now warrant supervision, similar to cooking, equipment restore, or woodworking?

You might wish to search enter and recommendation from a healthcare skilled to help you in these issues. As Alzheimer’s illness progresses, these questions will want ongoing analysis.

For extra residence security suggestions, go to the Residence Security Guidelines for Alzheimer’s Illness.

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For Extra Data About Residence Security and Alzheimer’s

This content material is supplied by the NIH Nationwide Institute on Growing older (NIA). NIA scientists and different consultants evaluate this content material to make sure it’s correct and updated.

Content material reviewed:
Could 18, 2017