Living with and managing brain changes can be challenging, but there are ways to cope. Your lifestyle, habits and choices can help you feel better, think more clearly and adapt.
As the condition progresses, safety needs can change. It’s important to regularly re-asses your environment and make adjustments as needed to keep everyone safe.
The Alzheimer’s Association notes the importance of considering various safety aspects when dealing with dementia. They stress the need to discuss and address these issues before they become urgent. Planning ahead can help prevent injuries and make both the person with dementia and any caregivers feel more at ease.
Safety at Home
Every home is different and may contain unique items or features that could become hazards as dementia progresses. Take time to assess your home and make it safer with these tips.
Regularly reviewing and updating these safety measures can help keep you and your loved ones safe as conditions change.
- Consider using appliances with automatic shut off features to prevent leaving a stove burner on.
- For gas stoves, consider shutting off the gas between uses.
- Remove the garbage disposal or disconnect when not in use.
- Remove decorative items that could be mistaken for food such as fake fruit or poisonous plants.
- Install grab bars or other safety devices to prevent falls.
- Lock up all medications, vitamins and supplements to prevent accidental overdose or misuse.
- Use pill organizers, medication dispensers or logs to keep track of medications.
- Remove firearms and weapons from the home or store them in a securely locked gun safe that has a new lock or combination.
- Dementia can make handling weapons unsafe, even for people who have safely handled weapons their whole lives and can create a dangerous situation for all involved.
- Be sure devices like smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers are working and have fresh batteries twice a year if needed.
- Remove tripping hazards like throw rugs, extension cords and clutter.
- Secure larger pieces of furniture to the wall to prevent tipping if grabbed for balance.
- Store cleaning supplies, automotive chemicals, laundry supplies, paint or other potentially hazardous materials out of reach to prevent accidental ingestion.
- Keep all areas well-lit and consider adding nightlights in hallways and between rooms.
- Check water temperature to prevent accidental burns.
People with dementia are often at risk for wandering, but the chance of this happening can change as the disease progresses. Creating a safety plan can help prevent wandering and assist in finding someone who has wandered too far.
- Stick to regular schedules and activities to help reduce anxiety and restlessness.
- Make sure basic needs like eating and going to the bathroom are met consistently to lessen the urge to wander.
- Disguise doors and install locks out of eye level.
- Make doorknobs harder to identify.
- Create visual barriers like a black line on the floor in front doors.
- Use safety gates, fences, hedges or motion detection bells.
- Modern technologies can be used to locate people when they wander. This can be done through a phone or a wearable device like a bracelet or jacket tag.
- Some organizations offer monitoring services, and many condition-specific groups provide discounts for these services.
- If technology isn’t an option, having the person with dementia wear an ID bracelet with their name, an emergency contact and phone number can help if they get lost.
- Local police can also assist in locating someone who has wandered too far.
Dementia can make driving unsafe in different ways. Common issues include slower reaction times, getting lost, confusing the brake and gas pedals, misunderstanding street signs, making mistakes at intersections and stoplights, not maintaining their lane and becoming angry or upset while driving.
Giving up the independence that comes with driving can be emotionally and practically challenging. Planning ahead can make this transition easier.
Alternate strategies could include:
- Finding friends and family who can drive the individuals to appointments or stores
- Driving services such as Uber, Lyft or taxis
- Older adult transportation services
- Delivery services for groceries
Riverside offers a driver assessment service to help determine when it’s time to stop driving.
While some people are open to the idea of stopping driving when asked by friends or family, many resist this change. If you need help navigating this situation, reach out to your memory care navigator, the Alzheimer’s Association or other organizations for support.
The Martha W. Goodson Center worked to develop a series of microlearning videos to support caregivers. A sample of some safety-oriented videos are below, but there are more than 100 supportive videos for caregivers to help you learn at your own pace when you have time.
Balancing Risk & Safety
To explore more videos, select the playlist that interests you.
- Caregiver Video Library: The Most Important Step – Self Care
- Caregiver Video Library: Managing Family Dynamics
- Caregiver Video Library: Is It Brain Change? Now What?
- Caregiver Video Library: I Did Not See That Coming!
- Caregiver Video Library: Major Decisions – Driving, Travelling and Considering Care Facilities
- Caregiver Video Library: Communication Skills
- Caregiver Video Library: Everyday Living – Managing the Homefront
- Caregiver Video Library: Changes in the Brain Affect Ability
- Caregiver Video Library: Caregiving Skills
- Caregiver Video Library: Changes are Happening
- Caregiver Video Library: Reflections – Interviews with Real Life Caregivers