Question

A nurse is teaching the caregiver of a client who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease about home safety. Which of the following statements by the caregiver indicates an understanding of the teaching?

1. I will give his most recent photo to the police

2. I will place a sliding bolt lock just above the doorknob

3. I will ensure the bedroom is dark while he is sleeping at night

4. I will notify law enforcement within 2 hours if he cannot be found

Answer 1

Option D - I will notify law enforcement within 2 hours if he cannot be found

Bedroom safety tips

In the bedroom:

• Install a monitoring device. A baby monitor will help you hear if your loved one needs help. This might be particularly helpful if your loved one has advanced dementia.
• Take caution when using heating devices. Don't use portable space heaters in your loved one's bedroom. If your loved one uses an electric blanket or heating pad, keep the controls out of his or her reach.
• Use night lights. Place night lights in your loved one's bedroom and the bathroom to help prevent your loved one from tripping if he or she gets up at night.

If your loved one tends to get up at night to drink, eat or use the bathroom, try to meet these needs before he or she goes to bed.

In the bathroom:

• Install a shower chair and grab bars. Place grab bars near the toilet, near the bathtub and in the shower. A hand-held shower head also might be useful.
• Address slippery surfaces. Place nonskid strips or a mat in the bathtub and shower. Unless the bathroom is carpeted, place nonskid strips on the floor near the bathtub, shower, toilet and sink, too.
• Use a faucet cover in the bathtub. A foam rubber faucet cover can help prevent serious injury if your loved one falls in the bathtub.
• Lock up potentially hazardous products or electrical appliances. Install childproof latches on cabinets and drawers to limit access to potentially dangerous items. Use child-restraint caps on medication containers.
• Reduce water temperature. Set the thermostat on your hot water heater to below 120 F (48.9 C).
• Remove door locks. Consider removing locks from the bathroom doors to prevent your loved one from accidentally locking himself or herself in.

Living room safety tips

In the main living areas:

• Avoid clutter. Recycle newspapers and magazines. Keep areas where people walk free of furniture and cords. Keep plastic bags out of reach. Limit decorative objects. Trim large plants, and remove plants that might be toxic if eaten.
• Mark glass doors, windows and furniture. Place a decal on glass at your loved one's eye level to help him or her see glass panes.
• Take caution when using fireplaces. Don't leave your loved one alone with an open fire in the fireplace.

Garage, shed and basement safety tips

In the garage, shed and basement:

• Lock up potentially dangerous items. Install childproof latches or locks on cabinets where you keep tools, tackle, machines, sporting equipment, paint, fertilizer, gas, cleaning supplies or other toxic materials. Remove all guns or weapons from your home.
• Lock all vehicles. Consider covering or removing vehicles and bikes that aren't frequently used if your loved one has advanced dementia.

Consider locking the doors to these areas as well.

Outdoor safety tips

To ensure safety outdoors:

• Check exits. If your loved one uses a walker or wheelchair, make sure he or she will be able to get in and out of your home — when necessary. Consider widening doorways or adding ramps.
• Keep steps safe. Mark the edges of steps with bright tape. Keep steps sturdy and textured to prevent falls in wet or icy weather.
• Restrict access to the pool. If you have a swimming pool or hot tub, surround it with a fence. Install a gate with a lock. Cover the pool or hot tub when it's not in use.
• Avoid clutter. Keep hoses, foliage and other debris off the walkways.
• Safely store fuel sources. Remove fuel sources for your grill or other equipment when not in use.

Other safety precautions

In addition, consider taking these safety precautions throughout your home:

• Prepare for emergencies. Display emergency numbers and your home address near all telephones.
• Treat slippery or uneven surfaces. Remove throw rugs. Place nonskid strips or wax on hardwood and tile floors.
• Adjust the home phone and voice mail settings. Lower the ringer volume of your home phone to prevent distraction and confusion. Set the answering machine or voice mail to turn on after the lowest number of rings. A person who has Alzheimer's might be unable to take messages or could become the victim of telephone exploitation.

• Keep stairs safe. Install light switches at the top and bottom of stairs. Make sure stairs have at least one handrail that extends beyond the first and last steps.

  Cover stairs in carpet or apply nonskid strips. If your loved one has balance problems, install safety gates in front of stairs.

• Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Place them in or near the kitchen and all sleeping areas. Check them regularly to make sure they work. If your loved one has vision or hearing problems, install a smoke alarm with a vibrating pad or flashing light.
• Check the locks. Make sure there are working locks on all windows and front and back doors. Keep a spare set of house keys outside of the house, in case your loved one locks you out. Install deadbolts high or low on outside doors to make it harder to get out.
• Address outlets and electrical cords. Place lamps close to electrical outlets. Cover unused electrical outlets with childproof plugs.
• Keep computer equipment out of the way. If you store valuable documents on your computer, protect the files with passwords and create backup files. Consider monitoring your loved one's computer use.

In patients with alzeimer have advanced dementia, so if he is went ouside he will loss his way to return to the house eventhough it is near to him.So, if found missing we should inform the police immediately