Making the home safe
The dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Carbon Monoxide is often called ‘the silent killer’ because you can’t see, smell, taste, or hear it. That’s why having a Carbon Monoxide detector in your home is so important.
Carbon Monoxide can be created when an appliance is faulty and tries to burn fossil fuels without enough oxygen. This could be any appliance that burns oil, gas, petrol, wood, coal, or something else. The most common home appliances are:
- Gas stoves and ovens
- Gas boilers
- Gas and paraffin heaters
- Wood, gas, and coal fires
- Portable generators
Kitchen fire safety
It’s important to encourage people living with dementia to keep doing what they enjoy. While memory problems can make cooking more difficult, it should not be unsafe.
To make sure you can keep your kitchen safe, SGN are also able to install something called a ‘locking cooker valve’ in the homes of people living with dementia. This valve will shut off the fuel to your cooker, and therefore, we can be sure that the cooker can’t be turned on and left on by accident.
The carer can keep the key safe and only turn on the supply to the cooker when the appliance is needed.
SGN will try and fit the locking valve wherever is most convenient for you, whether it needs to be reached easily or tucked away from view. To apply for a locking cooker valve, either speak to your Adviser or visit the SGN’s website.
Priority Services Register (PSR)
Signing up for the Priority Services Register means you can get extra help in the case of outages, emergencies, and more.
The PSR may enable you to receive the following support:
- Advanced notice of outages where possible
- Priority support in the event of flooding, storms, etc.
- Emergency electricity if you need to power medical equipment
- Bottled water delivered to your door if your supply is interrupted
- Letters in large print, Braille, audio, or another language
- Ability to nominate another person to communicate on your behalf
Making the home more comfortable
Well-lit rooms
Make sure rooms are well-lit, with plenty of natural light or adequate light fixtures. The exception is the bedroom – it’s important to be able to block out street lights at night-time. For other rooms, you can buy “daylight lamps” which offer whiter, brighter light mimicking daylight.
Dementia clock
Consider buying a dementia clock. This is a simplified version of a clock that tells you whether it is “morning”, “afternoon” or “night”. Some clocks can also be configured with reminders to tell you when to have lunch or dinner.
Reminder notice board
You might benefit from making use of a whiteboard or noticeboard to keep reminders in one place. This might be used to remind the person you care for of their medication routine or meal plan for the week.
Phones
If the person you care for wants to be able to make regular calls, they might benefit from a phone with large numbers. Another option is to buy a phone which programmes each button to a different person. You can then print out a picture of person – whether it’s a relative or friend – and stick it on the button. That way, the person you care for only has to click on the face of the person they want to call.
Bathrooms
Make sure that the bathroom – especially the toilet – are easy to find. It can help to leave the bathroom door open when not in use and leave the bathroom light on. It can also help to make the toilet seat a contrasting colour.
Additionally, if you are worried about the person you care for leaving the bath running then forgetting about it, you can purchase flood prevention plugs for around £10. These will automatically open the plug when the water level gets too high.
Clutter
Reduce the amount of clutter around the house – this can be confusing or disorientating for someone with dementia. In particular, tape any loose cords or wires and move them out of the way to reduce the risk of falls. Mirrors and some artwork can also be confusing.
Switches, handles and drawers
Make sure that there is a strong contrast between your walls and doors with any light switches, door handles and cupboard handles. This will make them much easier to find.
Consider labelling the different cupboards and drawers of your house so that it is easy to find things.
Flooring
Tape down or remove any loose rugs and repair damaged flooring, to reduce the risk of slipping. Avoid dark rugs, as they can be mistaken for puddles of water or holes.
Use of equipment and adaptations
Grab rails and stairs
Grab rails provide extra stability when moving around, can be installed anywhere in the house. They can be particularly useful in the bathroom or along the stairs. To have grab rails fitted in your house it’s important to see an occupational therapist, who will be able to determine what type of grab rail is best for your situation and exactly where it should be installed.
As well as fitting a grab rail, you can buy special edging which provides a better grip when walking up and down the stairs. If you or the person you care for struggles to see the end of the stairs, “Steps 3-2-1” labels can indicate when you’ve reached the landing.
Equipment in the kitchen
Rather than chopping up ingredients with a knife, consider purchasing a food processor to make the job easier and safer. There are a wide variety of food processors available, many adapted for use if you struggle with using your hands.
When it comes to eating food, adapted cutlery may be easier to grip, and anti-slip mats can help with stability. For extra safety, you might want to consider buying socket covers, or reducing the temperature of your hot water.
Telecare and monitoring systems
You or the person you care for might feel more secure in the knowledge that if an emergency in the home were to happen such as a fall, support services are notified immediately. There are an increasing range of telecare and activity monitoring systems now on the market. Some provide an alarm to the person with dementia to ring if they have a fall, while others detect a fall automatically. These are often paid for on a monthly subscription basis.
Other housing options
If the person you care for has complex needs and requires round-the-clock support with personal care, you may want to consider other housing options. The decision to move house is a difficult one and there are many things to think about. Here are some guides on the subject:
Age UK – Housing options
NHS – Dementia and Care Homes
Resources and information on specific home adaptations and assistive technology is in our directory.
