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 

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