a checklist for keeping household safe and predictable

dancsfo

I find a checklist handy for safety and also for avoiding surprises that may confuse a PWD.

While each person differs and some things may matter less as one progresses and gets confused more, here are a few examples that may make things easier. Maybe you can adapt it to how you set up a household.

1) I check plugs and sockets frequently. Why? PWD likes to unplug some things, including electric toothbrush charger, etc. Plugs are sometimes pulled by the cord, and not the plug, which can cause frayed cords and a potential an electrical hazard. On the other hand, a PWD may be very obsessed with some other device being properly charged. I think it's fine to let a PWD check its charge all the time (even though it is not necessary)

2) some appliances or device settings are set incorrectly (accidental button pushes), so check them once in a while to avoid frustration. Examples are phone answering machines, TV input, etc. A PWD may not ask for help and may get frustrated when things don't work as they usually do. Eventually, you may just need to remove these devices if they cause more problems, but until then, make them easier to use.

3) return things where they are remembered. Even small things, like putting a TV remote in the same familiar place seems to help or always remember to return items in the cupboard back to the same place. Once I left a new, unfamiliar streaming device remote in on a table, and a PWD got confused as to what it was. Now, I hide it when it is not in use and am the person who uses it.

There are probably countless small things that you already do, but putting it in a list probably will help your own routine since it may be easy to forget, and may also help some other caregiver who you share responsibilities with.

The thing I realized is that in order to keep a PWD calm, it's good to keep things very predictable, familiar and to avoid surprises and the unknown. Whether that's achievable depends on your situation, as some changes are unavoidable.

M1

Helpful dancsfo. Other things i did (at the suggestion of this forum) were to turn the ringers on the phones off, lock up important documents like wills to avoid accidental changes, cancel most junkmail, and ensure that i got the mail before she did. We also removed all guns and ammunition (live on a farm) and locked up all duplicate keys to all vehicles.

Good thread to start.

harshedbuzz

@dancsfo

Useful information. I think this is akin to childproofing a home. What you need to do it going to depend on the temperament and interests of your LO.

Since dad tended towards aggression and anger, guns were the first thing I "disappeared", I also removed any household items that could be weaponized-- cast iron pans, knives, tools, and things that could be thrown.

I had a lot of issues with cords and wires. Left to his own devises, he'd disconnect them because he didn't want to see them or because "everything is wireless now". He once crossed polarity trying to jump start a battery and then put a fork in the toaster-pre-dx I was teaching him to make his own breakfast. What was I thinking?

For things plugged in, I used boxed outlet covers intended to protects kids. For currently unused outlets, I used clear plastic plugs to block them. The TV was harder because they had a relatively complex TV, cable and DVR set up with 3 different remotes. When dad got frustrated, he'd reconnect the wires which was always a puzzle to fix. Mom is tech adverse and got many calls to fix things. It was awful. When we moved them to her current home, we ditched the DVR and hid the TV's remote leaving him just The Flipper. I also installed parental control not long after when dad spent of $600 on pay-per-view sports packages. Eventually we took away the active remote and replaced it with one that wasn't active because it would disappear.

HB

dancsfo

@M1 @harshedbuzz Thanks for your suggestions. Those are exactly good things to do. Many things are done just once, like moving guns, but having a checklist for doing daily (before going to sleep) is handy. I think eventually, it becomes second nature, but you never know when you're in a hurry or get distracted.

Iris L.

Put away bleach and all chemicals that could be confused with a beverage.

JJ401

The answering machine - one of our current favorites. If there is a message he turns it off trying to play it.

HollyBerry

For those transition times when the PWD still wants to help out around the house --- have ONE kind of dishwasher detergent, ONE spray bottle of all purpose cleaner, one type of laundry detergent. Keep refill containers out of sight. I had the audacity to buy liquid laundry detergent and little dishwasher pucks instead of the powder she was expecting and that created a crisis (and a sudsy mess).

Put labels on anything and everything but don't expect they'll be used - the process of using available information to solve a problem or answer a question seems to fade fast. And hide the sharpies, because when they don't see your label or think they need to add their own, they will grab the permanent marker first.

Go through the house and find all the vitamins, old prescription meds, first aid stuff, etc and gather it together. Toss the stuff that would cause a problem if it was accidentally or on purpose consumed in quantity. Opaque plastic totes on top shelves can hold the things you hope they won't discover.

Write up some house sitter instructions and save them in an accessible place in case you need to bring someone in to pinch-hit on short notice.

Consider what someone would do if locked out of your house when the PWD is inside. Don't expect that the locked-out person will have a cell phone with them. Tell a few people how to "break into" your house in an emergency.

dancsfo

Thanks @HollyBerry Those are good suggestions, I encountered a few of those same problems recently with duplicate things like detergent refills.

I put labels on drawers today (after PWD agreeing last week that it will be useful since it was hard to remember where things went) but PWD got mad during one of those occasional violent outbursts and removed the labels later that day. Oh well. PWD by now seems to have forgotten about the labels and cause (if any!) for outburst. That's just as well. Can you imagine if a PWD remembers any rational or irrational reason for being upset, for days on end? Oops! I think that happens to some people!

There's one more thing that I don't savor, but may be necessary: Check the garbage before tossing them out.

The other day, I saw a bundle wrapped in newspaper in the waste basket that was unusual looking. It was a keepsake porcelain figurine that PWD didn't like anymore (but someone else might, says me!) Also, I saw a lockbox tossed away in recycling bag (small box with a combination lock I used to keep duplicate keys and other small things). Fortunately, it was emptied first and I found the keys in a closet (did I forget to lock the box properly? Who knows?)

If you had removed important papers and such from access, there's little danger of those being tossed away, but it's hard to prevent anything else from being tossed away. In the grand scheme of things, most of those things can be replaced, but it's a pain to deal with, or may have some sentimental value. The tough thing is that I need to peek inside the garbage out of sight, usually when I take them out to the large garbage bin outside but it can be gross.