The Complete Guide to Alzheimer's-proofing Your Home

Front Cover
Purdue University Press, 2000 - Health & Fitness - 477 pages

Alzheimer's is a particularly difficult disease to deal with because of its many phases, and the hardships it imposes on patients and the patients' caregivers. Doctors can prescribe medication. Therapists can help caregivers handle the stress. However, neither doctors nor therapists have the knowledge to aid in the one area in which most chronically ill patients wish to stay - their home.

Written by a practicing architect and gerontologist, The Complete Guide to Alzheimer's-Proofing Your Home shows you how to create a home environment that will help you cope with the many difficulties associated with Alzheimer's. This unique book is divided into two sections to provide the most thorough coverage available. Section One deals with interior and exterior spaces individually, providing key information on how to ensure that the Alzheimer's patient will be safe and secure. Section Two gives a detailed list of potential problems related to Alzheimer's and practical information on how to cope with those problems in the home setting.

Topics covered include planning for a caregiver future, minimizing accidents and injuries, grab bar basics, access denial issues, doors to lock and not to lock, the Alzheimer's Association safe return program, activities of daily living, and communication difficulties. The book includes a home safety checklist, a glossary of terms, and an invaluable listing of products that you will need to use in Alzheimer's-proofing your home. This must-read compendium is a home guide, reference, and catalog. It will give you the knowledge and advice to make a better and more pleasant environment for your loved one and provide the quality of health care to keep your loved one in a place surrounded by family and familiarity.

 

Selected pages

Contents

Preparing Your Home
9
Strategies for Change
13
Identifying the Zones of Your Home
18
Planning Major Projects
24
Converting a Room
25
Your Homes Interior Spaces
26
The Kitchen
39
The Bedroom
46
Causes of Wandering
202
Wandering to Escape
204
Aimless Meandering
205
Types of Wandering
206
Outdoor Wandering
212
Nocturnal Wandering
220
Wandering Away from Home
224
Perimeters
225

Den Family Room and Living Room
51
The Dining Room
53
Offices Workshops Hobby Rooms
55
The Laundry Room
56
Attics Basements and Cellars
59
Stairs Steps and Railings
61
Doors and Windows
65
Floor Coverings
68
Drawers Cabinets and Closets
70
Your Homes Exterior and Yard
72
Yard Hazards
73
Outdoor Pleasures
74
Dangerous Plants
75
Miscellaneous Suggestions
79
Patios Decks Porches and Balconies
80
ThinkingRelated Issues
83
Loss of ShortTerm Memory
84
Absentmindedness
85
Difficulty Finding Things
88
Organization
92
Difficulties with MultiSequential Tasks
93
LongTerm Memory
94
Selfconfidence
95
Poor Judgment Indecisiveness
96
Create a Therapeutic Environment
97
Disorientation to Time and Place
99
Take Me Home I Want to Go Home
100
Misinterpretations Hallucinations and Delusions
102
Fears
109
Fear of Bathing
110
Fear of Abandonment
114
Fear of Strangers
115
Fear of Incarceration
116
Suspicions and Accusations
117
Isolation and Loneliness
118
Depression
119
Caregiver and Family Depression
124
Suicide
125
Behavioral Problems
129
Rummaging Hiding and Hoarding
130
Protect Your Valuables
133
Make It Easier to Find Lost Items
134
Create Places for Rummaging and Hiding Things
135
Eliminate Bad Places to Hide and Rummage
137
Agitation Combativeness Aggression and Resistance
141
Environmental Pollution
142
Loss of Freedom and Access Denial
143
Rational and Irrational Fears
144
Catastrophic Reactions
145
Sundowning
146
Diversions
148
Picking at Things
149
Shadowing
151
Repetitive Behavior
152
Eating Inappropriate Materials
153
Inappropriate Sexual Behavior
155
Spontaneous Vocalizations
156
Stalling
157
Activities of Daily Living
159
Toileting
161
Bathing and Showering
165
Loss of Control
166
Safety
167
Bathing Alternatives
169
Adjusting Water Temperature
170
Dressing
171
Dressers Drawers and Closets
173
Refusing to Get Undressed
174
Grooming
175
Mirrors
176
Lighting
177
Reminiscing
178
Communication Difficulties
180
Using the Telephone
181
Food Preparation
186
Eating and Dining
187
Create a Special Place at the Table
188
Accidents Happen
189
Housekeeping
190
Laundry
191
Medication Administration
193
Going to the Office
194
Windows and People Watching
195
Exercise
196
Wandering
199
Wandering Basics
200
Freedom to Wander
201
Stage One Perimeters
226
Stage Two Perimeters
228
Stage Three Perimeters
231
Devices and Equipment
233
Hard Alarms
234
Soft Alarms
235
Motion Detectors
236
Notification Systems
238
Monitoring Equipment
240
DistanceMonitoring Equipment
241
FallPrevention Devices
242
Be Prepared Just in Case
245
Access Denial
251
Locks
253
Cabinets and Drawers
256
Outdoor Gates
259
Sliding Glass Doors and Windows
260
Special Areas of Your Home
263
Appliances
264
The Stove
265
The Refrigerator
266
Alternative Methods
268
Remove the Danger
269
Camouflage
270
Hide the Locks
272
ChildProofing Devices
274
Multiple Barriers and Locks
275
Have a Backup Plan
276
Incontinence
279
Environmental Incontinence
280
The Bathroom
282
Accessibility
283
Ease of Use
285
Safety
289
Comfort
290
Privacy and Dignity
291
Lack of Balance and Incontinence
292
Making the Bathroom Easy to Find
293
Dealing with the Consequences
295
Making It Easier to Do Laundry
297
Mobility
301
Cues and Landmarks
302
Redundant Cuing
304
Minimizing Errors
305
Pathways
306
Instability and Falling
307
Bed Railings
310
Canes and Walkers
311
Transferring Lifting and Getting Up
313
From the Bed
316
Using the Toilet
319
Using the Bathtub or Shower
321
Lifts
331
Stairs and Stair Lifts
334
Wheelchairs
335
Accessibility
336
Ramps
343
Platform Lifts
346
Residential Elevators
348
Making the Bedroom Safe and Comfortable
349
Safety
355
Common Types and Sources of Injuries
360
Cuts
367
Poisoning
372
Choking
374
Electric Shock
375
Drowning
377
Trips and Falls
378
AlzheimersSpecific Dangers
382
Wandering Away from Home
383
Nocturnal Wandering
384
Diversions
385
Avoiding Unpleasant Reminders
386
Grab Bars and Railings
387
Grab Bars as Camouflage
388
Preventing Falls
389
Locations for Grab Bars
390
Types of Grab Bars
391
Shopping Tips
395
Installation
396
Products Manufacturers
401
Stages of Decline with Alzheimers Disease
441
Glossary
444
Suggested Reading
455
Index
461
Copyright

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About the author (2000)

Mark Warner is one of the nation's foremost authorities on modifying living environments to accommodate the needs of seniors suffering from age-related illnesses and conditions. Warner is a registered architect certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and a member of the American Institute of Architects, American Society on Aging, the Alzheimer's Association of America, and the Florida Council on Aging. He has dedicated himself to creating safer homes for seniors for over twenty-five years, focusing on creative strategies, solutions, and products that will convert treacherous homes into ones that are more user-friendly.

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