This guide will advise you on essential safety change to make for Alzheimer’s patients in the home. It covers all the important things you probably haven’t thought about.
Safety is important for everyone, but the need for a safety plan for individuals living with Alzheimer’s as with the disease progression. Alzheimer’s patients become less able to manage around the house. Alzheimer’s results in several changes in the brain and body that may affect safety. The change depends on the stages of the disease and not everyone experiences the same symptoms. These can include changes in judgment, being confused or fearful, trouble with balance, memory deficits, experiencing changes in vision, and hearing, change in sensitivity to temperatures.
Taking safety measures following medications can help prevent injuries and help a person with maintaining his/her independence longer. Buy best medicine for Alzheimer’s online at the best price.
Make safety a priority at home
Home safety plays a crucial role in the lives of seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The brain disorder turns simple household work into serious safety hazards. This is the reason why it is necessary to make a dementia proof environment in your home. Check the list of these safety measures that help you make the house safe for older adults with dementia.
- Keep potentially dangerous tools out of your reach – Tools like utensils and machines can become dangerous when dementia symptoms become clearer. Objects that need to keep out of the reach include knives, grinder, guns, and ammunition and other kitchen appliances. One should monitor and look for the ability to use these items and take the necessary precautions to ensure safety. Kitchen appliances with an automatic shut off feature can be a good option if your loved one has forgotten to use the familiar tools but still able to use standard kitchen appliances.
- Remove potential toxins – People with dementia may become confused and mistaken a harmful substance for a safe one. Therefore, it is important to keep all household toxins including gasoline, household cleaner, and other toxic substances to avoid accidental exposure or ingestion to harmful substances.
- Address lighting issues – Poor balance accompanied by a vision problem and reduced strength can make love one with Alzheimer’s disease more likely to fall. Make you’re all the walkways throughout your home are well lit up to minimize the risk. Switch on the nightlights as these are helpful in eliminating the darkness in hallways and bathrooms.
- Minimize the risk of slips and falls – Along with the excess to adequate lighting throughout the house, you should also remove any tripping hazards that exist. Remove any rugs that may cause you to trip or fall. Make sure that all walking path throughout the home are well lit and help reduce the risk to fall. Things that restricts the walking path at home such as floor lamps, stacks of books, magazine racks, or other items. Install handrails on stairways and in the bathroom to make it easier for the Alzheimer’s patients to use the toilet and bathroom safely. Use nonslip grips for the bathtubs to reduce the risk of slips and fall.
- Arrange furniture in a way so that there is a clear walking path – Arrange furniture in a way that there is a clear walking path throughout all the rooms. Also, avoid rearranging furniture which can confusion and difficult to judge. The furniture especially bed and chair should be at an appropriate height so that your loved one can easily shift from one place to another.
Outside the home is another area of concern for Alzheimer’s patients. Make sure your loved one walk the areas that are well lit and make sure the pools and hot tubs around the area are closed off and secured. The precautions should be taken in combination with medicine prescribed by the health care specialist to restore lost brain function. One can get the best medicine for Alzheimer’s disease online.
Prioritize the Checklist
These safety tips included in this guide may seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to do everything at once. Prioritize them according to the patient’s behavior.
It is always difficult to keep an eye on your older adult. This list is especially for such people to keep them safe even though Alzheimer’s or dementia and help in good judgment and understanding of how to use household objects.
Also Read: 5 Myths about Alzheimer’s disease Debunked
