Happy Thanksgiving! Be SAFE!
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow and give thanks to all of the caregivers in your life for National Caregivers Month. I’ll leave you this week with some information about safety in the home – an important topic any time of the year.
Did you know that as many as 70 percent of people living in the United States with Alzheimer’s today are doing so in their own homes? Safety at home begins with adapting the environment to support the changing abilities of the person with Alzheimer’s. Be sure to re-evaluate home safety measures regularly as the disease progresses.
A person with dementia may be at risk in certain areas of the home or outdoors. Pay special attention to garages, work rooms, basements and outside areas. Inside the home, there are simple things you can do to modify your kitchen, living room, bathrooms and bedrooms to make it safer for the person with Alzheimer’s:
- Invest in installed, working fire extinguishers and smoke detectors.
- Lock or disguise hazardous areas using child-proof locks and doorknob covers and limit access to places with knives, appliances and poisonous chemicals.
- Minimize clutter and limit access to stairs to reduce risk of falls.
You can read more about home safety other safety issues at our safety center located at www.alz.org/safety.
Don’t forget to share your experiences here, on our Facebook page or at www.alz.org/nadam. We want to hear from you!
