Does anyone have suggestions about which home products to get for home safety?

Livjulie17

I will be looking for medical bracelet, home camera, door chimes, stove knob covers, plug in devices, etc. I am the wife and caregiver and it is time to safeguard. Thanks... Feel a bit overwhelmed

Timmyd

A while back, DW had a tendency to randomly wander outside. This was the preferred door lock to mitigate this behavior:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7JQ86LR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

annie51

I got that same lock as @Timmyd because of DH’s wandering. I installed it high on the door and he never knew it was there. It worked great…except for the time I forgot to engage it when I went in to take a quick shower. Just when I turned off the shower I heard the front door open…had to dry off and dress as fast as I could, got in the car and found him up about a half mile away.

My DH did not wear a watch or carry his phone, so I put AirTags in his shoes (he was a wander risk). He wore the Skechers slip on sneakers so I tucked it between the tongue and the side of the shoe. Because he never needed to tie and untie the laces, the AirTag stayed put. They even survived the washing machine a couple times! If you don’t have an iPhone, you can use the Tile trackers.

persevere

Medical bracelet there’s a place on line that I got for my wife called Lauren’s Hope. They have women’s so I assume they have men’s. She gets a lot of compliments on it. I have door chimes through my ADT alarm. It’s a must have. You can probably get without an alarm system. I have a very simple motion detector I got off Amazon. I set the sensor under her side of the bed at night in case she gets up. No alarm pad! I also have a cheap baby monitor if she’s sleeping during the day or you can use your iPhone as a monitor with AirPods. She wanders in the house mainly. The door chimes take care of the few times she might open the door without me being right there. I’m not into locks. I think it would frustrate her and she’s not aggressive about getting out. The deadbolt works most times.

Maru

Amazon sells stove knob covers. (They didn't work on my stove). Some stoves and most microwaves have a self-locking system. Don't forget in all this to think about yourself. Do you need a "help" bracelet for yourself? DH doesn't wander (yet) so right now we just have door chimes on every door. The interior latch won't work for us yet. If I can undo it, so can DH.

SDianeL

Contact your local Sheriff's Office. Sheriff’s offices use tracking bracelet programs—such as SafetyNet and Project Lifesaver—to locate vulnerable individuals with conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s, autism, or Down syndrome who are prone to wandering. I would also do the Air Tags or Tile Trackers so you can track yourself. Get child proof cabinet locks, put a lock up high on all exit doors. People with dementia don't usually look up. Make sure you have a shower or bath seat and shower wand for easier bathing. A bed alarm to let you know if he gets up at night. You can search this forum and find specific items and brands. The search thingy is at the top right of the page.

cavenson

Our local fire department came to our home, did a fall risk assessment, and supplied needed items at no cost. We were offered this service after they had responded twice when I called their non-emergency number because DH had fallen and I couldn't get him up. After the assessment, they gave us a raised shower seat and grab bars. You may have a similar resource in your area.

Jazzma

Our local fire department has a C.A.R.E.S. program (I forget what it stands for) that is designed for non-emergency help. They also will take information specific to you phone/address (e.g., that your spouse has dementia, and what should be done with them if you have to leave the home). I used the locks shown above with good success, and kept them after my husband passed because they provide added security. Cameras in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room are very helpful. childproof locks on cabinets that have chemicals or dangerous items. Plugs for open electrical outlets. I kept knives, scissors, etc in the attached garage behind a locked door. Because of the arrangement of our house, I was able to use a fence to keep him from going upstairs and put a lock on the basement door, so he was confined to the main floor and we used the guest bedroom. It all worked pretty well. I also got a smart watch for myself, because he would not have been able to call 911 if I had an emergency, and made arrangements with a local memory care facility where he had stayed to take him short term if I had to leave because of an emergency. It's a lot to think about. Sending hugs and wishing you the best.

DebrahS1

So many good suggestions from everyone!

The only one I have to add is that I bought a motion sensor that works with my Alexa system in the house. In my case sometimes at night I needed to go sleep in the guest room to get any rest at all but was really concerned about my LO leaving her bedroom and coming out onto the upstairs landing with the stair down to the main floor right there - prime for a fall in the dark.

The solution that worked really well for a long time was this motion detector "Phillips Hue Motion Sensor" which I stuck to the door frame high enough that she would never look up to see it (and high enough so the dog didn't trigger it going in and out). Then I programmed it using the Hue App on my iphone to turn on smart lights in the guest room lamps on bright and to chime the Alexa speaker in that room when it detected her trying to leave the bedroom - both of which would wake me.

It certainly didn't prevent her from getting up in middle of the night - but if she just wandered around the bedroom and closet she could do that. If she tried to leave the bedroom the bright light and chime woke me up instantly and I could jump up and intercept her. She was totally mystified for a long time that I just would just "magically appear" when she needed to find me. :-)

Now we are past that as she cannot be left alone at all at night - she needs help to toilet every 2 or 3 hours so I stay in the bedroom with her no matter what - but I do miss my "get away nights" in the guest room as they were a life saver at the time and really aren't possible anymore.