Lost Keys

Bluebird

Where does everyone store their extra keys? I’m trying to figure out a place where my husband can’t access it. My husband lost a key to our back room. In looking for the lost key he went through the box where we keep our spare keys. He didn’t know what the keys were for, even though they were marked, so he threw most of them away, including the key fob for our new car. Luckily I noticed the keys in the trash and removed them. I also found keys hidden in odd places around the house. I plan to have extra keys made, that I’ll keep at our daughters house, but I’m trying to figure out a good spot to store a second set of spare keys.

I guess I learned 2 things from this. Always double check the trash before throwing it out and have a second set of spare keys stored where your PWD can’t access it.

Sunfish47

My DH began having cognition/alz issues in 2021 and since then regularly loses his keys, wallets, phones, glasses etc. So I know what you’re going thru.

The last straw for me was in 2023 when he hid my keys and purse so no one (the folks he thinks come into our house to steal stuff) would take them while I was napping one afternoon. Took me one hour to find my purse and 3 hours to find my keys. Since then, I always have my keys on my person (I only wear clothing with pockets) and I hide my purse in drawer of my file cabinet that he never goes near. So far this has been working for me.

harshedbuzz

My mom kept important things in a small safe.

For keys, a lock box makes sense. Mom currently has one (like Realtors use) on her front door so emergency services can unlock it quickly rather than break down a door.

Hers is something like this one.

Amazon.com: Master Lock Key Lock Box, Outdoor Lock Box for House Keys, Key Safe with Combination Lock, 5 Key Capacity, 5400EC

HB

sandwichone123

Early on I bought a small safe for valuables including extra keys, irreplaceable military papers, jewelry (including his ring after I retrieved it from the drain), POA, etc. I put it up on the shelf in the closet in a room he rarely went into and I don't think he ever became aware of it.

Miles2Go

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/73663/lost-keys

I use a tracking device. Apple tag is great and I can find it from my phone easily. It works great when he starts yelling that someone stole his keys. Then, of course, when I find them he yells at me and asks why I put them there because he knows he would never put the, in that place. So I distract with ice cream.

Bluebird

Thank you everyone. I think I’m going to use a small safe. I’m going to keep one spare set of keys where we’ve always kept them and a second set in a small safe hidden in a closet in a room he doesn’t usually go into. I may also put important papers in it as sandwichone123 suggested.

MN Chickadee

A safe with a key pad will allow you to access it without having to find the key to the safe lol. Then you can keep spare car keys, important documents, SS cards etc. We also had replaced the handle on a closet with a locking one for things we didn't want mom getting into like medicines, razors, spare toiletries etc. with the key hidden away. Some people have to hide knives and unsafe kitchen items as well. Apple Air Tags on everything important. This allows you to track where it is in the house. Can even put one on your loved one's shoe or wallet or jacket if wandering is a concern. We had a couple years where everything went missing, my mom with Alz was always squirreling stuff away. The keys, the can opener, her most expensive jewelry, dishes, her glasses. Everything would disappear. We had to go through the garbage every time we took it out looking for anything that didn't belong. She started taking apart the family photo albums, throwing pictures away. Some people with dementia really take to rummaging, pillaging, and hiding things around the house. I would recommend removing things that are very sentimental, expensive or irreplaceable and lock them up or send them to a family member for a while. She moved to memory care 7 years ago, died 3 years ago and we are still finding things she hid. Some is likely gone forever, we missed it in the garbage. If I were doing it over I would treat it like you would babyproofing a house.

dancsfo

@Bluebird has a good point of "keep one spare set of keys where we’ve always kept them". Otherwise, you can get repeated questions from PWD on "where are the keys?" or "someone stole the keys".

However, it won't prevent the spare set from being hidden again, and forgotten where was hidden, which can lead to "where are the keys?" or "someone stole the keys"

My PWD did not like seeing a safe that can't be opened, so it's good to put it away, out of sight.