Safety is an important concern when caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease at home. Good safety comes from identifying possible hazards and appropriately adapting your home. You will be a lot more successful if you focus on taking preventative action rather than trying to retrain the person with Alzheimer's.

Because the person with Alzheimer's doesn't understand the consequences of ingesting or eating foreign substances, poisoning or choking can be a real threat. It's not unusual for a person with Alzheimer's to forget to take medication, or to take it more than once. Supervision is required. Control the intake of alcohol – it can have a variety of negative effects on a person with Alzheimer's. Alcohol is generally not recommended for persons with AD, and should not be taken with certain medications. If the person is accustomed to drinking as part of their social routine, consider substituting non-alcoholic beer or wine. Contact your physician for additional advice.

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Follow this simple, room-by-room checklist to make your home safe for the person with Alzheimer's:

Throughout the home

• Limit access to danger points such as stairwells, kitchens and outside doors. Consider installing childproof gates. To find appropriate products, enter keyword: "Safety Products" (Elderly)" into your search engine.
• Disguise locks to the outdoors or install deadbolts and keep a set of keys hidden close to the door. See our article on Wandering to get more information about how to prevent someone from getting lost.
• Tape down throw rugs and carpeting to help prevent slips and falls.
• Apply colored decals to large windows and sliding glass doors.
• Remove toxic plants such as poinsettias and mistletoe.
• Add extra lighting in entries, outside landings, areas between rooms, stairways and bathrooms to lesson disorientation.
• Reduce glare to lessen agitation by removing or covering mirrors and glass-top furniture. Cover windows with blinds, shades or sheer draperies.
• Keep walking areas clear by removing objects, such as magazine racks, coffee tables, floor lamps and electrical cords to create safe wandering areas and reduce the possibility of injury.
• Rid your house of guns.

Kitchen

• Put locks on cabinets that contain hazardous materials such as cleaning supplies, and knives. Childproof locks can be purchased at most hardware stores.
• Consider putting away small appliances such as toasters, blenders, and coffee makers if it is practical, because the person with Alzheimer's may no longer be able to operate them safely, or limit access to the kitchen.
• Unplug larger appliances such as the microwave when not in use.
• Turn off electricity to the garbage disposal.
• Remove knobs from the stove and consider installing a hidden gas valve or circuit breaker so the person with Alzheimer's can't turn on the stove. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
• Clean out the refrigerator regularly as the person with Alzheimer's may not be able to distinguish between spoiled and edible food.
• Remove "foreign substances that may look edible" as people with Alzheimer's have been known to eat items such as small rocks, dirt, plants, flowers and bulbs.
• Test the temperature of food before serving it, to prevent inadvertent burns.

Bathroom

• To check out bathroom safety products, type keyword: "Bathroom" into your search engine.
• Remove locks from bathroom doors so the person with Alzheimer's can't lock herself in.
• Remove dangerous items from the medicine cabinet and either discard or keep them in a locked place.
• Set your home water heater to 130 degrees to avoid scalding, and consider purchasing an anti-scald device to put on your shower or bathtub. These can be purchased in a hardware store.
• Install devices such as grab bars, bath seats and commode chairs to prevent falls.
• Add textured decals on slippery surfaces, apply adhesives to keep throw rugs and carpeting in place, or remove them completely.
• Supervise the use of electric devices such as hairdryers, electric and hand razors and curling irons and put them away when they are not in use to avoid chances for electric shock.

Bedroom

• Install nightlights between the bedroom and the bathroom.
• Avoid using electric blankets.
• Monitor the use of heating pads.
• Garage/Basement
• Put away hand and power tools such as drills, axes, saws and picks.
• Limit access to large equipment such as lawnmowers, weed whackers and snow blowers.
• Lock up poisonous products such as paints and fertilizers.
• Create access to the outdoors
• If possible enclose an area outside where the person with Alzheimer's can go on their own without wandering. Encourage the person to enjoy supervised outdoor activities such as gardening or walking.

Be Prepared

• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers and addresses for the local police and fire departments, hospital, and poison control help lines posted in full view.
• Check fire extinguishers and smoke alarms twice a year. Doing it on the days we turn the clocks forward and back makes it easier to remember.
• It is important to be realistic about what you can do. You will never be able to prevent every problem. Rely on your common sense while paying close attention to objects and activities that could be dangerous.
• For additional information about home safety products, enter in keyword: "Home Safety (Elderly)" into your search engine, or go to the Alzheimer's Store website

Source: National Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc.

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