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Alzheimer's disease: caregiver tips
Safety in the home
Review the home environment for possible safety hazards. Ensure that a working smoke detector is installed and checked regularly. Place support bars in bathtubs or shower stalls. Lock away sharp objects and dangerous household chemicals.
Alcohol
Even trivial amounts of alcohol can aggravate the confusion of someone with AD. Suggest a low-alcohol or, better yet, non-alcoholic alternative. If necessary, hide or remove alcohol from the home.
Medications
Someone who is forgetful may be taking too little or too much of an important medication. Remove all out-of-date or unnecessary medications from the home. Ask your pharmacist for a special "dosette" or "bubble pack" to help organize medications. If necessary, seek permission to supervise all medications to ensure they are taken in the proper amounts.
Driving
Anyone who has AD will eventually become unsafe to drive. This affects their own safety as well as the safety of others. Their driving ability needs to be carefully monitored with the assistance of your doctor. Aside from accidents, obvious warning signs that a person's driving abilities are deteriorating include "near-misses," traffic violations, getting lost, and slow response times.
Delusions
Individuals with AD may become falsely convinced that their possessions have been stolen. These false beliefs, known as "delusions," may lead an affected individual to hide his or her possessions in an unusual location, which is then forgotten. When these items cannot be found, this may aggravate the belief of theft that then leads to further hiding of objects. Although medication targeted for delusions may be required, uncluttering the home is often a useful first intervention.
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