Alzheimer's disease makes some massive changes in your elderly family member's life. To account for those, you might need to make some changes in her home to keep her safe.
Do a Safety Walkthrough
Take a walk through your senior's home and really examine how well each room and area meet her needs. There may be some obvious issues that leap out at you right away. Write down what you're noticing and then tackle the most urgent issues first.
Get Ready for Emergencies
Don't wait for an emergency to strike before you try to prep. Double check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Install working fire extinguishers. Keep a bag packed in case you need to get your senior somewhere else quickly. And make sure that you keep an emergency list of phone numbers somewhere visible.
Hide Some Locks
Something that you might not want to think about is that Alzheimer's disease can make previously safe locations more dangerous for your senior. This might mean that it's no longer safe for your senior to venture into the garage on her own or to be able to unlock the front door on her own. Hiding locks, sometimes in plain sight higher up on the door, can help your senior to stay within safer boundaries.
Lighting Matters More than You Think
To you, the hallways and rooms of your senior's home might be well-lit. But for her, they might be just a little too dim for her to make out what's the edge of a carpet and the edge of a step. She might have trouble determining that a darker shadow isn't a hole that she might fall into. These types of issues are common for someone with Alzheimer's disease, so having lots of lighting is definitely important.
This is about Support, not Restriction
While you're going through your senior's home and looking for potential issues, remember that this is about supporting her in what she's dealing with right now. It's easy for these types of safety considerations to become restrictive and that's not your actual goal. Think about what you can do to help support her independence and make living in her home safer and more comfortable for her.
Home care providers can help you and your elderly family member to ensure that you've got all the important safety concerns addressed. As her condition worsens, there may be additional steps that you need to take as well. It's better to have someone with experience helping you to watch for those times you need to make some changes.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE ARE CONSIDERING HIRING HOMECARE IN NEW EAST SIDE, IL, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE CHICAGO. CALL TODAY: 312.382.8888.
Do a Safety Walkthrough
Take a walk through your senior's home and really examine how well each room and area meet her needs. There may be some obvious issues that leap out at you right away. Write down what you're noticing and then tackle the most urgent issues first.
Get Ready for Emergencies
Don't wait for an emergency to strike before you try to prep. Double check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Install working fire extinguishers. Keep a bag packed in case you need to get your senior somewhere else quickly. And make sure that you keep an emergency list of phone numbers somewhere visible.
Hide Some LocksSomething that you might not want to think about is that Alzheimer's disease can make previously safe locations more dangerous for your senior. This might mean that it's no longer safe for your senior to venture into the garage on her own or to be able to unlock the front door on her own. Hiding locks, sometimes in plain sight higher up on the door, can help your senior to stay within safer boundaries.
Lighting Matters More than You Think
To you, the hallways and rooms of your senior's home might be well-lit. But for her, they might be just a little too dim for her to make out what's the edge of a carpet and the edge of a step. She might have trouble determining that a darker shadow isn't a hole that she might fall into. These types of issues are common for someone with Alzheimer's disease, so having lots of lighting is definitely important.
This is about Support, not Restriction
While you're going through your senior's home and looking for potential issues, remember that this is about supporting her in what she's dealing with right now. It's easy for these types of safety considerations to become restrictive and that's not your actual goal. Think about what you can do to help support her independence and make living in her home safer and more comfortable for her.
Home care providers can help you and your elderly family member to ensure that you've got all the important safety concerns addressed. As her condition worsens, there may be additional steps that you need to take as well. It's better to have someone with experience helping you to watch for those times you need to make some changes.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE ARE CONSIDERING HIRING HOMECARE IN NEW EAST SIDE, IL, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE CHICAGO. CALL TODAY: 312.382.8888.