Providing a safe home environment for a loved one suffering with Alzheimer's is a top priority. And the caregivers at Freedom Home Care understand how important it is for a patient with Alzheimer’s or dementia to be safe and comfortable in their own homes. Therefore, over the course of the next few days, we here at FHC will dedicate our blog posts to providing helpful tips and methods to ensure the utmost level of in-home safety.
According to the editors at AgingCare.com, “in the long run, adapting the home environment is much easier than trying to adapt behaviors that may be exhibited by a loved one in various stages of the condition. Making necessary changes within the home environment may not only decrease physical hazards, but also reduce the amount of stress that is placed upon both the caregiver and the care receiver. Minimizing risks and making a home safe for those suffering a steady decline in both cognitive and physical disabilities is also a major step toward ensuring security and protection of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's as well as providing saf

e environment for all those involved in care. Anticipating such risks and hazards goes a long way toward helping caregivers prevent potential injuries and accidents.”
Placing your loved one in the care of another is a stressful decision to make, but knowing that the home environment is safe can offer an unmatched level of reassurance. For today’s blog, we’ll focus on the kitchen. Because of appliances and equipment like ovens, stoves, microwaves and knives, the kitchen can often times be the area of one’s home that contributes to the most injuries. A patient can be burned or cut if these items aren’t taken into consideration when making an assessment of a home’s level of safety.
Here are four tips for establishing and maintaining a safe kitchen:
1. Ask caregivers to cook foods in advance and then unplug or disable appliances to prevent injuries.
2. Remove stepstools or small ladders from the kitchen to prevent the potential for falling.
3. For individuals with vision difficulties, introduce brightly colored or marked plates, cups and utensils to alleviate the embarrassment and difficulty in choosing the right items for eating.
4. Consider installing child locks on the cabinet doors and drawers that store sharp objects and knives.
For tomorrow’s blog, we’ll take a look at the bathroom and bedroom and how those two areas of the home can be enhanced for greater safety. Stay tuned.