Home Safety: Three Essential Tips / Alzheimer's and Other Dementias

You’re going to wish you’d known about padding hard corners earlier in your caregiving journey! We are Nancy Treaster and Sue Ryan. Through our experiences as caregivers for our family members and loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, we’ve learned ensuring home safety is both vitally important and ever-changing. In this post, we’re sharing three main tips for managing safety — both inside and outside the home. These help you keep your loved one safe while giving you peace of mind. Takeaways Practical Tips Tip 1: Create a File of Life One of the most effective ways to keep your loved one safe is by creating a document called File of Life . File of Life was created to give first responders valuable medical and personal information when the people they’re helping can’t. The valuable information this File of Life document contains about your care receiver includes: Tip 2: Care Receiver proof Your Home As your loved one becomes more curious and restless, it’s time to care receiver proof your home. This process is ongoing — observe and adjust as needed. It’s most likely still hard for us to know what they can and can’t remember. We’re so used to them being able to think rationally, it can be a hard transition to using the position they can’t. For those of you who have raised children, it’s the same kind of process — they’re curious, you don’t know what they’ll explore, and they don’t yet know what is safe or dangerous. Tip 3: Minimize Fall Risks Falling is unfortunately inevitable. Here are steps you can take to minimize risks and impact. Pad corners and edges of furniture Remove area rugs to prevent tripping Check floors for any loose or risen corners Use fall tracking devices (wristbands, shoe inserts, phone apps) Improve lighting to reduce shadows Make shower entry safer (if you have a combination tub/shower — replace it with a shower only and install one without a lip on the floor they could trip on) Grip socks and non-slip shoes Be prepared for falls with tools like a floor lift chair Install cameras so you can watch their movements For takeaways click here Additional Resources Mentioned File of Life: Create a document called File of Life . Child proof door knob cover or double deadbolt locks for external doors Child proof door knob covers here Double keyed deadbolt here Window sash here   Child proof cabinet locks here Child proof stove knob covers here Child proof refrigerator latch here Child proof switch plate for garbage disposal here Extra tall pet gate from (40” to 70”) - 57” here Child padding foam here Cameras or baby monitor for the bedroom and bathroom Baby monitors - some come with motion alarms here Motion alarm here Cameras - If your care receiver is still staying home alone, consider one with an intercom Ring indoor with two-way talk here Grip Socks here Floor lift chairs Indeelift here Generic floor lift chair here  Rate, subscribe and share your tips on social media! Please click here to review, follow or subscribe to our podcast.   If you don’t see your preferred platform, click on Podchaser and click at the bottom “Write my review” Connect with us and share your tips: Website: https:// www.thecaregiversjourney.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaregiversjourney/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCaregiversJourneys/ Email: sue@thecaregiversjourney.com , nancy@thecaregiversjourney.com Keywords Home safety, child proof, dementia proof, reduce falls, Alzheimers, dementia, caregiver, caregiving, Alzheimers care, dementia care, memory care, best dementia podcast, alzheirmers podcast, caregiver podcast, dementia caregiver podcast, dementia podcast, alzheimers podcast, caregiver podcast, senior caregiver podcast, dementia caregiver tips, frontotemporal dementia, dementia caregiver tips, how to deal with dementia as a caregiver, information on dementia for caregivers, how to be a caregiver for someone with dementia, family caregiver, Sue Ryan, Nancy Treaster, Su