By Dr. Uchechi Wosu Isirimah – Owner | April 02, 2019
When family caregivers are looking after elderly relatives with Alzheimer’s disease, there’s no doubt that they face numerous challenges. Your aging loved one is dealing with an aggressive disease that destroys brain cells, and in turn, affects their judgment, personality,
Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease have a very high risk of getting injured in their residence, so you need to make sure home is safe for your aging loved one. There are several things you can do to greatly reduce the risk of keeping your aging loved one with Alzheimer’s disease safe at home.
What are the Dangers at Home for Seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s disease affects an elderly person’s mind so much that it cannot be relied upon to provide good judgment, natural warning signs or cohesive thought. Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease often make mistakes with schedules timelines and memory, and frequently demonstrate paranoia and personality changes. As memories of the past collide with the present and timelines don’t hold steady, many seniors put themselves at risk even at home.
Some examples of home safety issues for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease include fire hazards with stovetops and ovens, cutting themselves with kitchen utensils, slip and fall accidents, medication mismanagement, ingesting dangerous substances on accident, dropping breakable objects, wandering, and other miscellaneous household issues. Family caregivers must be quite vigilant when they are senior-proofing their home.
Keeping Seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease Safe
The most important thing about keeping elderly adults with Alzheimer’s disease safe is that they should never be alone. Constant care is a must, so if family caregivers cannot provide that, they need to use other resources. Many arrange with other family members to take turns, but hiring senior care providers is the best way to ensure companionship and supervision for the aging adult. Above all, there shouldn’t be a time when the elderly adult is all alone.
Home safety modifications should include installing locks or alarms on outside doors, disable dangerous appliances like stoves, lock up things like kitchen knives and medication, and put the water heater temperature on a lower setting. Family caregivers and senior care providers should also work on strategies to keep the aging adult calm, focused on things they can do, like sweeping the floor or folding laundry.
Keeping elderly relatives with Alzheimer’s disease safe and comfortable at home requires a lot of effort, and family caregivers cannot do it alone. By mixing household safety modifications with the support of family members and senior care providers, however, aging adults with this devastating disease have the best chance of avoiding injury and staying safe at home.
As a physician who lives and serves in Northern Virginia, I have come to know several people who at some time in their life needed home care services. In my office I hear stories of good and bad experiences and I desired to offer something better – a company that would serve as a blessing to the clients we serve by providing them with reliable, quality, and compassionate care. Having served as a primary care physician, I understand the needs of patients and their family who often times do not have the assistance they desperately need. So I have created a company that delivers on providing peace of mind, recovery time, a lending hand, a stress free environment, and a constant companion.
As a native of the Washington, DC, I have truly enjoyed working in this area and volunteering my time in a variety of social and civic organizations in DC, MD and VA. I feel is it important to give back to your community and be of service to others.
I also believe in the importance of living healthy and having emotional stability and peace of mind. As a local physician and health coach I will add a sense of confidence, trust, and expertise unlike any other home care agency.
I work hard everyday at Brighthope Homecare to do what I do best – care for those in need and make a positive impact in the lives of our clients!
If you want to learn more about how we could be of help to you or your loved one, schedule a meeting, request our portfolio, know our pricing, learn how to become a client, let us know of any suggestions or simply say Hi, please feel free to contact us!
9435 Lorton Market Street,Suite 138,
Lorton, VA 22079
Tel: 703-595-2878 Fax: 571-405-5440
Please submit questions, enquiries, or if you want to learn how to become a client, quickly contact us below.
2017-18 © All Right Reserved. BrightHope Home Care