As Memory Fades.....
The Caregivers Challenge Begins
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Worrying About Safety
People with memory loss lose their sense of "danger" quite early
in the disease. They become unsafe with power tools, lawnmowers, snowblowers,
cars, medications, propane tanks, and vulnerable to unscrupulous individuals
and scams very early in the disease.
While you can not protect the patient
from all possible harm, you can decrease the potential for harm by recognizing
and preventing the possibilities. Try to remove the car when the patient
begins to ask directions, follows too close, causes accidents by stopping
too soon, or misses common traffic signals.
Hire someone to mow the grass
and shovel or blow the snow. Contact your nearest Area Office on Aging
in the blue government pages of your phone book to locate chore services.
Chore services can help with these services. Turn the water heater to about
110 degrees. Remove power tools.
Recognize that telephone solicitors target
people with mild memory loss and plan to stop "junk" mail. This
may mean renting a post-office box without the patient's knowledge.
Supervise
or administer all medications early in the disease -- particularly insulin,
Coumadin (blood thinner), Cognex, and other potentially toxic medications.
Avoid having the patient change the propane tank -- especially if he/she
smokes.
No guns, ammunition, or hunting knives in the house, please. Pull
the knobs off of the stove when it is not in use. Put away knives, the
blender, mixer, toaster, food processor, and hot appliances when not in
use.
Store medications and liquor in either a locked cupboard or a place
where the patient will not find them. Have the patient smoke in a single
area, preferably the kitchen.
Avoid having cigarettes near upholstery.
If you see upholstery smoking, do not try to extinguish it. If possible,
move the piece outside. Call the fire department. If the piece of furniture
can not be moved, leave the house immediately.
"Safety-Proof"
the house as if you had a visiting toddler, evaluating every possible thing
that pose safety hazards. Recognize that the patient loses their sense
of danger very early in the disease. Simply telling them to be careful
will not be effective, as the patient is unable to use reasoning.
Supported by: Iowa Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation,
National Caregiving Training Project,
University of Iowa College of Nursing,
Gerontology Nursing Intervention Center
Research Development and intervention Core
Developed by: Geri R. Hall, Ph.D., ARNP, CNS
Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist
Mayo Clinic Scottsdale
13400 E. Shea Boulvard
Scottsdale, Arizona 85259
Phone: 602-301-8111
E-Mail: Hall.Geri@mayo.edu
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