Home Safety Tips for Caregivers of People with Alzheimer’s Disease
From the National Institute on Aging
Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a challenge that calls upon the patience, creativity, knowledge, and skills of each caregiver. One goal is to improve home safety by identifying potential problems in the home and offering possible solutions to help prevent accidents.
Prevention begins with a safety check of every room in your home. Use the following room-by-room checklist to alert you to potential hazards and to record any changes you need to make. You can buy products or gadgets necessary for home safety at stores carrying hardware, electronics, medical supplies, and children's items.
Throughout the Home
· Display emergency numbers and your home address near all telephones.
· Use an answering machine when you cannot answer phone calls, and set it to turn on after the fewest number of rings possible. A person with AD often may be unable to take messages or could become a victim of telephone exploitation.
· Install smoke alarms near all bedrooms and carbon monoxide detectors in appropriate places; check their functioning and batteries frequently.
· Install secure locks on all outside doors and windows.
· Hide a spare house key outside in case the person with AD locks you out of the house.
· Avoid the use of extension cords if possible by placing lamps and appliances close to electrical outlets.
· Tack extension cords to the baseboards of a room to avoid tripping.
· Cover unused outlets with childproof plugs.
· Place red tape around floor vents, radiators, and other heating devices to deter the person with AD from standing on or touching a hot grid.
· Check all rooms for adequate lighting.
· Place light switches at the top and the bottom of stairs.
· Stairways should have at least one handrail that extends beyond the first and last steps. If possible, stairways should be carpeted or have safety grip strips.
· Keep all medications (prescription and over-the-counter) locked. Each bottle of prescription medicine should be clearly labeled with the patient's name, name of the drug, drug strength, dosage frequency, and expiration date. Child-resistant caps are available if needed.
· Keep all alcohol in a locked cabinet or out of reach of the person with AD. Drinking alcohol can increase confusion.
· If smoking is permitted, monitor the person with AD while he or she is smoking. Remove matches, lighters, ashtrays, cigarettes, and other means of smoking from view. This reduces potential fire hazards, and with these reminders out of sight, the person may forget the desire to smoke.
· Avoid clutter, which can create confusion and danger. Throw out/recycle newspapers and magazines regularly. Keep all walk areas free of furniture.
· Keep plastic bags out of reach. A person with AD may choke or suffocate.
· Remove all guns or other weapons from the home, or safety proof them by installing safety locks or by removing ammunition and firing pins.
· Remove all poisonous plants from the home. Check with local nurseries or poison control centers for a list of poisonous plants.
· Make sure all computer equipment and accessories, including electrical cords, are kept out of the way. If valuable documents or materials are stored on a home computer, protect the files with passwords.
· Keep fish tanks out of reach. The combination of glass, water, electrical pumps, and potentially poisonous aquatic life could be harmful to a curious person with AD.
· Place decals at eye level on sliding glass doors, picture windows, or furniture with large glass panels to identify the glass pane.
· Do not leave the person with AD alone with an open fire in the fireplace. Consider alternative heating sources. Remove matches and cigarette lighters.
Kitchen
· Install childproof door latches on storage cabinets and drawers designated for breakable or dangerous items. Lock away all household cleaning products, matches, knives, scissors, blades, small appliances, and anything valuable.
· Remove knobs from the stove, or install an automatic shut-off switch.
· Do not use or store flammable liquids in the kitchen. Lock them in the garage or in an outside storage unit.
· Remove or secure the family "junk drawer." A person with AD may eat small items such as matches, hardware, erasers, plastics, etc.
· Consider dismantling the garbage disposal. People with AD may place objects or their own hands in the disposal.
Bedroom
· Anticipate the reasons a person with AD might get out of bed, such as hunger, thirst, going to the bathroom, restlessness, and pain, and try to meet these needs by offering food and fluids, and scheduling ample toileting.
· Use a nightlight.
· Use an intercom device (often used for infants) to alert you to any noises indicating falls or a need for help. This also is an effective device for bathrooms.
· Remove portable space heaters. If you use portable fans, be sure that objects cannot be placed in the blades.
· Be cautious when using electric mattress pads, electric blankets, electric sheets, and heating pads, all of which can cause burns. Keep controls out of reach.
· When the person with AD is at risk of falling out of bed, place mats next to the bed, as long as this does not create a greater risk of accident.
· Use transfer or mobility aids.
· If you are considering using a hospital-type bed with rails and/or wheels, understand that many people can sleep safely without bed rails, and reassess the need for using bed rails on a regular basis:
Use beds that can be raised and lowered close to the floor to accommodate both the person with AD and your needs.
Keep the bed in the lowest position with wheels locked.
Use a proper size mattress or mattress with raised foam edges to prevent the person from being trapped between the mattress and rail.
Reduce the gaps between the mattress and side rails.
Bathroom
· Do not leave a severely impaired person with AD alone in the bathroom.
· Remove the lock from the bathroom door to prevent the person with AD from getting locked inside.
· Place nonskid adhesive strips, decals, or mats in the tub and shower. If the bathroom is uncarpeted, consider placing these strips next to the tub, toilet, and sink.
· Use washable wall-to-wall bathroom carpeting to prevent slipping on wet tile floors.
· Use an extended toilet seat with handrails, or install grab bars beside the toilet.
· Install grab bars in the tub/shower. A grab bar in contrasting color to the wall is easier to see.
· Use a foam rubber faucet cover (often used for small children) in the tub to prevent serious injury, should the person with AD fall.
· Use plastic shower stools and a handheld showerhead to make bathing easier.
· In the shower, tub, and sink, use a single faucet that mixes hot and cold water to avoid burns. Adjust the water heater to 120 degrees to avoid scalding tap water.
· Store medications (prescription and non-prescription) in a locked cabinet. Check medication dates and throw away outdated medications.
· Remove cleaning products from under the sink, or lock them away.
· Remove small electrical appliances from the bathroom. Cover electrical outlets. If men use electric razors, have them use a mirror outside the bathroom to avoid water contact.
Laundry Room
· Keep the door to the laundry room locked if possible.
· Lock all laundry products in a cabinet.
· Remove large knobs from the washer and dryer if the person with AD tampers with machinery.
Garage/Shed/Basement
· Lock access to all garages, sheds, and basements if possible.
· Keep all potentially dangerous items, such as tools, tackle, machines, and sporting equipment either locked away in cabinets or in appropriate boxes/cases.
· Secure and lock all motor vehicles and keep them out of sight if possible. Consider covering those vehicles, including bikes, which are not frequently used. This may reduce an AD person's thoughts of leaving.
· Keep all toxic materials, such as paint, fertilizers, gasoline, or cleaning supplies out of view. Put them either in a high, dry place, or lock them in a cabinet.
Outside the House
· Keep steps sturdy and textured to prevent falls in wet or icy weather.
· Mark the edges of steps with bright or reflective tape.
· Consider a ramp with handrails into the home rather than steps.
· Eliminate uneven surfaces or walkways, hoses, or other objects that may cause a person to trip.
· Restrict access to a swimming pool by fencing it off with a locked gate, covering it, and keeping it closely supervised when in use.
· In the patio area, remove the fuel source and fire starters from any grills when not in use, and supervise use when the person with AD is present.
· Make sure outside lighting is adequate. Light sensors that turn on lights automatically as you approach the house are available and may be useful. They also may be used in other parts of the home.
· Prune bushes and foliage well away from walkways and doorways.
· Consider a NO SOLICITING sign for the front gate or door.
A safe home can be a less stressful home for the person with AD, the caregiver, and family members. You don't have to make these changes alone. You may want to enlist the help of a friend, professional, or community service such as the Alzheimer's Association.
Article Source:
http://www.poststat.net/rightathome/pub.59/issue.554/article.2356/
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