We closed today on a new home that has an attached in-law suite. We are set to begin remodeling to better suit my dad in law, who has moderate AZ. He seems to have progressed in the last 2 months, but this may be due to his only receiving one Aricept per day instead of his usual two.

What would you recommend for helping make the home safer and more enjoyable for him, in general?

Here is what we already have in mind:

Safety features such as hand-bars around the toilet and shower. We are yanking out the tub and making a walk-in shower with a bench for him to sit on.

Alarm system on all doors and windows.

He has his own kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. His progression is, so far, okay for him t have these things, but we may have to limit his access in the future.

He is still driving, and quite safely I must say. I ride with him often to evaluate his skills and he is okay there. I still do not understand the number system, so cannot give a number.

His skills are still okay, but his memory function is in rapid decline and we may have to make dramatic changes soon.

He will also be in the rest of the house, of course, which unfortunately includes a swimming pool. I am not sure how to handle this item.

Any advice at all is appreciated and I thank you.

Lflood,

If his unit has a separate water heater, make sure to set the heat at a temperature where he cannot scald himself accidentally.

You also may need to install a lock on the thermostat so he cannot set the heat too high or too low or shut the heat or A/C off at inappropriate times. You may not need this now, but you need to think about it in the future.

Don't use throw rugs as they are a tripping hazard.

I'm sure others will have more suggestions.

Best wishes!

to Lflood:
Does the swimming pool have a fence?

This safety information is from the main web site: http://www.alz.org/safetycente...lp_safety_issues.asp

Iris L.

Driving is some thing you want to watch closely. You say ---

QUOTE--
"He is still driving, and quite safely I must say. I ride with him often to evaluate his skills and he is okay there. I still do not understand the number system, so cannot give a number."

My mother was one of the "safest" drivers you could ever meet at the age of 80 yrs. Behind the scenes she was getting lost and seemed do recover MOST instances. A few we were aware of and had to file a "missing person's report" and another she was 40 miles from home at 10pm.

What I'm getting to, they may seem safe when you're in vehicle but remember the environment -- rain, snow or unknown surroundings -- can confuse them and get them into unknown areas -- in end driving lost for hours.

Mom had no dents on car nor accidents, just with her mild dementia progressing couldn't be safe anymore. We took vehicle away and that was end of the story!!!

Be proactive on taking vehicle away if see unsafe driving, don't wait until they have a bad accident or kill themself and/or others.

Best to you and please come back to gain more insight and strength from others on this board!!

Hi, Lflood. There is a pretty good summary of home safety issues at:

http://alzheimers.boomja.com/S...heimer-s-111550.html

If you want piles and piles of detailed information and ideas, try the book "The Compete Guide to Alzheimer's Proofing Your Home" by Mark L. Warner, and/or Bigtree Murphy's site:

http://bigtreemurphy.com/SiteMap.htm