How to Make Your Home Safe For Dementia Care

For people with early to mid-stage dementia, living at home may be a viable option rather than receiving care in a facility. It's not hard to understand why a person may wish to remain in their own home, surrounded by beloved personal belongings and, perhaps, close neighbors and friends. According to Caring.com's recent survey, 73% of seniors with dementia receive care in their homes.

But how do you maintain home safety for dementia patients? Are there home safety devices for dementia patients that can help? If you are caring for a loved one experiencing Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, questions like these are likely to be at the front of your mind. 

If you have wondered what is the best idea to implement in the environment for a person with dementia, Caring.com has you covered. We did extensive research to determine best practices for making home a safer and more peaceful environment for your loved one. This guide features our best home safety tips and devices for dementia patients to help you provide compassionate care at home for as long as possible.

As you research how to make your loved one's house or apartment dementia-friendly, start by evaluating each room and making a list of all modifications and adjustments that might help. Take this list to your loved one's doctor to ensure that your plans align with your loved one's medical needs and preferences. 

Then, tackle the tasks needed to create a safe and comfortable haven for your senior. Although many of these suggestions cost little or no money, you may find outside financial support for costlier changes. 

Make decluttering a priority in the bedroom. Eliminate the likelihood of your loved one stumbling or tripping by removing any loose rugs or exposed wires. Be careful where you place space heaters and portable fans — keep them out of the way, with their cords tucked carefully behind them. 

• Monitoring Devices: If you live with your loved one, consider setting up a video monitor to quickly respond if they wake up in distress during the night or when napping. An inexpensive walkie-talkie setup could also alert you if they need help.
• Furniture Placement: Avoid extraneous pieces of furniture, keeping the room's layout as simple as possible. There should be a clear pathway to closets, bathrooms, and entryways. Positioning the bed against a wall or installing guardrails may help avoid falls. A chair may make it easier to dress and undress. If your loved one is confused by the presence of a mirror, consider removing it. 
• Lighting: Maintain consistent lighting levels throughout the house, ensuring rooms and hallways are evenly lit with no dark corners. Uneven lighting, harsh contrasts, and shadows can lead to confusion and agitation, so aim for a smooth, uniform brightness across all spaces. Lamps with easy-to-use controls designed for those with arthritis may be helpful. Be aware of cords for all lamps, ensuring that they are placed out of the way to avoid falls. If the cords cannot be relocated, mark them with cord protectors and bright tape.

Maintaining safety in the bathroom for a senior with dementia may take a little effort, but it's important to ensure that the room is adapted to meet the needs of an older person. Install a raised toilet seat and add grab bars next to it, as well as in the shower. If possible, purchase and install high-quality grab bars. Inexpensive bars with suction cups may not hold your senior's full weight and keep them from falling. Here are some other options to consider:

• Make Bathing Easier: If there isn't a built-in seat in the shower stall, add a plastic stool. A hand-held shower head can also make it easier for your loved one to bathe themselves while seated. 
• Keep Hot Water Moderate: Set your water heater to 120 degrees or below to avoid the possibility of scalding hot water in the shower or sink. 
• Lighting: Good overhead lighting in the bathroom is vital for everyone; adding a night light can make it easier for your senior to manage nighttime bathroom visits.
• Footing: There are many opportunities to slip in a bathroom. Add non-skid adhesive strips or mats to the shower and next to the tub. If there is no carpeting, place them by the sink and toilet.

The kitchen can be a dangerous place even for those not dealing with dementia challenges, and the presence of sharp objects and heated surfaces increase the risk of injuries. In earlier stages of dementia, your loved one may prefer to make their own meals — the following strategies can keep potential injuries to a minimum while maximizing their time in the kitchen.

• Stock the Fridge: Monitor the food in the fridge and cabinets while stocking easy-to-prepare finger foods for snacks and meals. Ensure that there is no spoiled food in the house and keep staples such as cereal, milk, and canned soup replenished.
• Add Safety Features: If you worry about stove injuries, add safety knobs and an automatic shut-off switch on the stove. Many modern refrigerators have an alarm that sounds when the door is left open. 
• Add Signs: Place signs near anything that heats up, including the toaster, oven, iron, and stove. Make sure the sign isn't so close that it could catch on fire. The sign could simply say, "Hot! Don't touch!" 
• Drain Safety: Consider disconnecting the garbage disposal and inserting a drain trap in the sink to catch items that may accidentally clog the pipes. 
• Remove Artificial Food: Items that are food-like but not edible, such as an artificial fruit arrangement or magnets shaped like food, may confuse a person with dementia. 

• Lighting: Provide comprehensive backyard and walkway lighting that removes shadows, which can be alarming to persons with dementia. Use motion-activated lighting near doorways. Avoid cheap solar-powered lighting, which can go dim after a day of no sunlight. 
• Fencing: A fenced-in yard is much safer for a senior experiencing dementia. Consider robust fencing options that include gates that can be locked. 
• Glass Door Safety: Glass doors can be mistaken for open doorways by those with impaired vision. Add decals or colorful tape across large glass panels to help them differentiate. 
• Control Clutter: Clutter outside can also lead to falls. If there are children in the household, monitor the backyard and other areas for bikes, balls, and toys. Put away all gardening tools immediately after use. Take a close look at gravel or stone paths and eliminate raised or depressed areas or stones that could cause a fall. Mark the edge of paths with glow-in-the-dark tape. 
• Deck Safety: Ensure that no boards are raised or uneven on wooden decks. Add non-skid rubber treads to stairways and entryways, and install sturdy handrails on both sides of stairs.
• Pool Safety: If you have a pool, it should be fenced in separately from the rest of the yard. Above-ground pools need a pull-up locking ladder, and alarms can alert you to anyone entering the pool. Consider adding an automatic pool cover that can withstand the weight of a person. 

In addition to the room-specific suggestions above, there are strategies that you can undertake throughout the house to make it a safer and more comfortable living space for your loved one. Regularly walk through the house, checking over improvements already made to ensure they are still working, and with an eye to discovering any new elements you can add to increase safety.

• Lighting: Adequate lighting throughout the house is vital. Overhead lights should be bright and help to dispel shadows; add lamps and incidental lighting in any areas that are in shadow. Motion-activated night lights are a good investment for hallways and any other area where your loved one might venture at night. 
• Paint Colors: People with dementia process simple, light colors better than they do busy wallpaper or darker paint colors. Lighter colors also help brighten up rooms. Keep window furnishings light, too, to increase sunlight during the day. 
• Electrical Safety: Child-proof plastic plug covers can increase safety in every room in the house. Add wall switches with toggles that illuminate when the lights are off or a dusk-to-dawn sensor.
• Mirrors: Some individuals with dementia struggle with mirrors, especially large ones. They may have difficulty differentiating what's real from the reflections, thus causing confusion. You may want to replace large wall mirrors with smaller, hand-held mirrors that don't reflect a large part of the room.
• Signage and Labels: In addition to the kitchen, signs around the rest of the house can also help. You might, for example, want to label the hot and cold water faucets in bathrooms. Signs indicating each room's purpose placed in the doorway at eye level can also be useful. Keep a list of emergency phone numbers and the home's address near all phones.
• Stairs and Hallways: Add reflective or glow-in-the-dark tape along the edges of stairs and hallways to increase visibility. Fix any loose stair treads or obstructions in walkways as soon as possible. 
• Install Smoke Detectors and Natural Gas Detectors: If these are not already in the home, they should be installed as soon as possible. Consider smoke alarms that link directly to the local fire station if your loved one does not hear them go off or is confused by the sound. 

Seniors with dementia, especially those in the earlier stages of the disease, may benefit from living in their own homes or independent living situations rather than assisted living or memory care facilities. Caregivers can handle tasks in every space, including the kitchen and backyard, to help improve their loved one's safety and comfort. Although some home modifications can be pricey, you can handle many small tasks with little or no cost and a small time commitment.

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