101 Tips on Staying Safe at Home with Dementia. Avoid Falls, Floods, Injuries, Accidents, Doorstep Crime and More...

By Catherine Verner

If you or a member of your family has received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy Body dementia or another type of dementia, you know exactly how frightening this can be. Apart from affecting memory, judgement and keeping track of things, dementia can also turn your own home into a dangerous place to live.

However, did you know that there are simple modifications that can be done to make the home environment safer and help provide a better quality of life while living with dementia?

“101 Tips on Staying Safe at Home with Dementia” is a comprehensive go-to guide for enhancing personal safety and security and making the home safer to live in, if you or a family member has dementia. It also offers insight into creating a home environment that is dementia-aware, building on ability rather than limitation.

With clear information for all readers and straightforward descriptions that eliminate guesswork, this book offers a fast and easy way to help people with dementia to manage their daily lives better and stay safe at home, whether through simple DIY modifications, assistive technology or research-backed strategies.

There are many unanswered questions regarding safety within the living environment for most people with dementia. This book answers them.

Whether your goal is to protect a family member at home from accidents, make the home safe, or you simply need to find a way to use basic household appliances safely, this book is written to empower you with deep and insightful information.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll discover within the pages of this book:

•How to make the house as safe and secure as possible, both internally and externally
•How to create an environment that offers the opportunity to build on ability rather than on restriction
•Proven strategies to promote safer walking, and help prevent wandering off and getting lost
•How to use assistive technology to live safely and well at home
•How to put adequate measures in place to ensure your personal safety and help stop doorstep crime
•And much more...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Catherine Verner
• Release date: Sep 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463506233

Catherine Verner

Dementia caregiver for a family member at home for over a decade from pre-diagnosis to advanced stage dementia. MSc graduate in Dementia Studies. My extensive, day-to-day practical experience, coupled with formal studies has shaped my life undertaking to change the negative stigma surrounding dementia. As part of this, I am currently writing a series of books, aimed at providing information and support for people with dementia and their family carers. I see writing books as the best way to reach as broad an audience as possible and hope that my books will offer support and guidance to people with a diagnosis of dementia, carers and families by showing them that there is still a quality of life to be led and goals to achieve.

Book preview

101 Tips

on Staying Safe at Home with Dementia

Avoid falls, floods, injuries, accidents, doorstep crime and more…

By Catherine Verner

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2019 Catherine Verner

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This eBook contains materials protected under International and Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is highly prohibited. No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information and retrieval system without express written permission from the Author. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.

While all attempts have been made to verify the information provided in this eBook, the Author does not assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretations of the eBook’s subject matter. This eBook is for educational purposes only. Any results obtained by readers following the instructions in this eBook will vary based on skill level and individual perception of its contents, and thus no guarantees, monetarily or otherwise, can be made accurately. Therefore, no guarantees of any kind are made.

The views expressed are those of the author alone and should not be taken as expert instruction or commands. The reader is responsible for his/her actions. The Author assumes no responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of the purchaser or reader of this eBook. References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any websites, sources, product or suppliers.

Cover Design by Nancy Chrisovergi

Images by Shutterstock courtesy of Foysol Hasan

Editing by Emily Jane Editing

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: A Shift in Mindset

Tackling Potential Dangers Lurking at Home

Creating a Therapeutic Environment

Growing Old at Home

Maintaining Abilities and Staying Connected

Understanding Change from the Perspective of Someone with Dementia

Addressing the Needs of the Family as a Whole

Moving from Independence to Inter-dependence

Working as Part of a Team

Staying One Step Ahead

Chapter 2: Creating a Safe, Secure, and Supportive Living Space

Keeping It Simple

Making It Obvious

Lighting it Up

Keeping It Down

Fittings and Furnishings

Doors, Windows and Keys

Carpets, Rugs, Floorings, and Wallcoverings

Furniture and Furnishings

Areas in the House

Stairs and Hallways

Kitchen

Bathrooms/Shower Rooms

Bedroom

Outdoors and Garden Area

Chapter 3: Benefitting from Assistive Technology

Accessing Knowledge and Support

Participating in Enjoyable Activities

Overcoming Obstacles

Getting the Balance Right

Utilising Telecare

Getting Outdoors

Looking Ahead to Technology of the Future

Chapter 4: Staying Close to Home

Enjoying Safer Walking

Preventing Leaving Home Unexpectedly and Getting Lost

Being Prepared for an Emergency

Chapter 5: Stopping Doorstep Crime, Scams & Fraud

Bogus Callers

Rogue Traders

Postal and Email Fraud

Parcel Delivery Scams

Telephone Scams

Final Words

About the Author

Introduction

My mother was diagnosed with combined Alzheimer’s Disease/Vascular Dementia in 2011. At the time, she lived alone in a small, two-bedroomed bungalow. We considered various local care homes but it became clear that she wanted to stay in the house she had lived in for nearly 30 years. I felt that