Let’s talk locks.
Not to belabor the obvious, but locks are mainly access-control devices. Alzheimer’s sufferers have diminished cognition and memory. (See HERE for an overview of the condition.) This can affect a person’s judgment — among many other things.
So, whereas before his Alzheimer’s, my dad could safely operate power tools, use chemicals, and do many other things besides, with Alzheimer’s, he needed to be prevented from getting a hold of these things. They presented too great a danger.
I think that one of the keys in access control is redundancy. To put it another way, sometimes you can have various “layers” of security stacked onto one another. This comes into play in several ways. But, for one illustration, see the dual “Electric Outlet” and “Electric Plug” entries, below.
But without further ado, here are my recommendations for those items and locations that stand in greatest need of access control.
Coffee Pot
See ELECTRIC PLUG, below.
Door Lock (Guardian) [Personal Favorite]
One of my absolute favorite devices is a sort of door brace called the Door Guardian. The thing installs with two screws and pulls double duty as an Alzheimer’s proofing (or childproofing) lock as well as an effective door reinforcement. In other words, once installed, the Door Guardian prevents grandpa or mom from “eloping.” But it also gives you additional peace of mind as it helps to shore up doorways against forced entry. (Click to check the current price on Amazon: in black; in brass; in gray; in white.)
Drawers
Your strategy for securing drawers will have to depend, in part, on what the drawer contains. If the drawer contains odds and ends and you would just prefer that your afflicted loved one not be rummaging around in it, you might be able to get by with a simple plastic, adhesive-based child-lock mechanism. (See an example of this sort of thing HERE.)
Possibly a step up from this would be childproof-type locks that require crude “keys.” Many keys are basically magnets. (Such as THIS one.) This works well enough, but since it is designed as a child lock it may not hold up against a determined adult.
It is best to keep in mind that — with children or dementia sufferers — there is no substitution for supervision.
If a more reliable locking mechanism is needed, you may want to obtain a metal, keyed lock for your drawer. This sort of lock is not expensive, material-wise. (To check a representative price on Amazon, see HERE.) However, if you are not particularly skilled with tools, then you may want to elect to have this kind of lock installed by a handyman or carpenter.
Electric Outlet
Honestly, you can go two ways securing electrical sockets.
Way number one is to actually install some sort of locking cover over the outlet. Most of these are designed for outdoor use. That being the case, the housings are usually bulky, insulated, and unsightly (for indoor decor). However, if your love done is routinely defeating other security measures, something like this may be your best bet.
More preferably, however, you would simply block the outlet, in a similar way that you would when childproofing a house. You might do this by installing some sort of plastic “shield,” like the one offered by LectraLock. (Click HERE to check the current price on Amazon.) Alternatively, you might just obtain a huge bag of outlet covers and start stuffing them into accessible sockets. Nothing fancy. Honestly, this is precisely what we did in our house. (Click HERE to check the current price of a 40-pack.)
In our case, the outlet covers worked fine partly because I didn’t reply on them entirely.
Let me explain. I said that there were two ways to secure your corded appliances. Way one is to shield the socket. Way two is to cover the plug. See the next entry!
Electric Plug [MUST HAVE]
One of the most versatile of the items on this page, the electric-plug lock can be used to safeguard any corded electrical appliance — regardless of whether it has two prongs or three. I consider it a must-have item since, in a pinch, you can use it to secure several of the other objects on this list, even without device-specific locking mechanisms.
I always had a handful of these lying around, just in case one was need.
To use: To begin, you simply insert the electrical plug into the lock and turn the key to the lock position. You will find that the prongs of the plug remain firmly in the lock and that the plug can no longer be inserted into a socket. To unlock, you merely turn the key to the unlock position and remove the plug.
Click HERE to check the current price on Amazon.
Fan Controls
Fireplace
Believe it or not, there are many non-traditional places in the house that are able to be locked. And many of these ought to be locked when you have an Alzheimer’s-afflicted individual under your care. One of the areas that sticks out in my mind is the fireplace.
Now, it’s true that having access to the fireplace is not the same thing as having access to lighters, matches, etc. However, I know from experience with my dad that sometimes visual cues can set a dementia patient off down a rabbit trail that can end in disaster.
Seeing and having access to a fireplace can actually remind an Alzheimer’s sufferer of fires. Needless to say, this is probably not advisable.
One thing that you can actually do is (somewhat) “camouflage” the fireplace. There may be more elaborate methods for this, but one quick and easy fix is to get some magnet insulation to cover the fireplace doorway.
However, I would never put all my eggs in the camouflage basket. If your loved one manages to “see through” the ruse, or otherwise gain access to the fireplace, you should also have a backup plan. In line with the theme of this page, my recommendation is to lock the door. There are probably several options available, depending on the sort of enclosure you have for your fireplace. But one generic one that ought to work for many folks is just a childproof fireplace door lock. (See an example of the one that I have in mind, HERE.)
Gate
Guns
Knives
Knives could be safely stored in a locked drawer. (See “Drawers,” above.)
Another option for kitchen knives would be to acquire a “locking” knife-storage block. (HERE is what I have in mind.) This would be more likely to work if the Alzheimer’s sufferer has begun to lose reasoning abilities and some manual dexterity. However, it could also be an additional layer as part of a redundancy strategy. For example, you could secure cutlery in the block and the then store the block itself inside of a locking cupboard or pantry.
Ultimately, if you don’t see a way to implement a thorough knife-securing strategy (that has any probability of success), then it might be best to simply remove the knives from the house. I understand that this may hamper dinner preparation. Workarounds will depend on your situation. For instance, if a cook comes into the home to prepare food for the patient, then the cook might need to bring knives with him or her when arriving — and take then when departing. If there is a full-time, live-in caretaker, then the knives may need to be stored under lock and key in the caretaker’s (secured) living space.
Microwave
Outlet
Oven
Plug
Refrigerator
Thermostat
This is actually quite an important one to consider.
Within a few months of starting to live with my dad, Jim, I discovered that he fiddled with the thermostat. He would crank the heat up to 80 or 90 degrees when he would bathe, for instance. When it became too hot for him, he would turn the A/C on — in any season.
One trouble with all this fiddling is that it is likely to result in a significant increase to heating and cooling bills. Whether the electric bill or the gas bill (or both!), it is probably going to increase if an Alzheimer’s sufferer has unrestricted access to the control.
The more serious concern, however, is that your loved one can put his or her health and well being at risk if the house temperature falls above or below certain thresholds.
The best way to keep this under control is to restrict access to the thermostat.
There are a couple of ways to do this. In my case, I actually relocated the thermostat into the lower level of my dad’s house. (While taking care of him, I moved in to the lower level. Meanwhile, my dad occupied the main level. And I basically treated his level like a hospital or nursing-home.) I left a non-functional thermostat upstairs.
If your house layout allows for it, you could go this route as well. However, this may not always be feasible — or ideal. Usually the thermostat ought to be installed in an area where the thermometer will get an accurate and useful fix on the temperature, house-wide. Relocating the thermostat — besides the expense and headache of it — may compromise the thermostat’s ability to comfortably regulate house temperatures.
It’s probably better to go with one of the following two solutions instead.
The More Expensive Way: Tamper- Resistant Thermostats
Arguably the most elegant — and aesthetically pleasing — solution is to replace your current thermostat with one that is code “lockable.” These thermostats are often advertised as being “tamper resistant.” By my count, the negative for these sorts of devices is twofold. Number one, they have to be installed, which takes time and effort or money. Relatedly, number two, they tend to be a little more expensive than non-lockable thermostats. However, many major brands have offerings. So, you have several to choose from. (Click to check Amazon’s price for ControlTemp’s CT72 or Honeywell’s RTH8500D.) In researching these, I discovered that they are sometimes marketed to “landlords.” (E.g., the so-called “Garrison.” Check its price on Amazon, HERE.)
The Less Expensive Way: Plastic Thermostat Guards
The less expensive way, would be to install a plastic “guard” or “shield” around the thermostat. These are the clear, vented boxes that are usually placed around thermostats in public or semi-public places (like classrooms and meeting halls). At most, these will run you around $25. But I found one by Honeywell for about half that price. (Click HERE to check Amazon for availability and pricing.)