Alzheimer’s Home Safety – Inside the House

Return to the prior page:  Home Safety Overview

  • Display emergency numbers and your home address near all telephones.
  • Use a telephone answering machine when you cannot answer calls.  The person with AD often is unable to take messages or may be a target for telephone exploitation by solicitors.  When the answering machine is on, turn down the phone bell to avoid disruptive ringing.
  • Install smoke alarms near all bedrooms; check their functioning and batteries frequently.
  • Avoid the use of flammable and volatile compounds near gas water heaters.  Do not store these materials in an area where a gas pilot light is used.
  • Install secure locks on all outside doors and windows.
  • Hide a spare house key outside in case the person with AD locks you out of the house.
  • Avoid the use of extension cords if possible by placing lamps and appliances close to electrical outlets. Tack extension cords to the baseboards of a room to avoid tripping.
  • Cover unused outlets with childproof plugs.
  • Place red tape around floor vents, radiators, and other heating devices to deter the person with AD from standing on or touching a hot grid.

See a continuation of this checklist:  Alzheimer’s Home Safety  – Inside the House (continued)

 

Acorn wishes to acknowledge the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center that were the sources for this valuable content.