Adapting your environment
Because activities of daily living — including eating,
bathing, grooming, dressing, and using the toilet — can become more difficult
for people with Alzheimer’s disease, it’s important to modify the environment to
make it as easy as possible for the person with Alzheimer’s disease to live and function.
General safety
- Have emergency numbers (police, fire, poison control, and a neighbor’s
phone number) readily available in case of emergency. Suggestion: write
these numbers on a sticker and put it on the receiver.
- Have at least one phone located where it is always accessible.
Suggestion: keep a cordless phone or cell phone in your pocket. This is
especially important if you fall and can’t get up to use the phone.
- Make sure smoke detectors work properly.
- Avoid the use of space heaters and electric blankets; these are fire hazards.
- Consider installing a medical alert or personal alarm system for
emergencies. Professional systems link directly to a representative 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. If a person has an immediate medical problem, he
or she simply pushes a button on a special device worn around the wrist or
neck, and a signal for help is immediately sent.
- Take a photo of your loved one that could be used if he or she were to wander.
Home safety
A careful evaluation of the home, especially the
physical layout and the services that will be available to the person for
support, is essential. Things that should be evaluated include safe use of the
stove or oven, and bathroom/bathtub or shower use. A full home safety evaluation
can be performed by therapists and social service workers who are professionally
trained to look for potential hazards.
- Bathroom — The bathroom can be a dangerous place for a person with
Alzheimer’s disease. As the person’s ability to function decreases, it may
become necessary to install grab bars in the shower or fold-down shower
seats. Also, be sure to use non-slip floor mats and slip-resistant appliqués
or tiles in the shower or tub.
- Furniture — Simplify furniture arrangements. Make it as easy as possible
for the person with Alzheimer’s disease to navigate a room and get from
point A to point B. Move or remove objects, such as a loose throw rug, that
could be a tripping hazard.
- Lighting — Be sure there is sufficient lighting. As people get older,
they require two to three times the amount of light they needed when they
were younger. Add the confusion associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and you
can understand how important it is to have enough light. However, too much
light, especially when it causes glare, can be distracting and irritating.