Living with an Alzhieimer’s patient can be very challening. Each person suffering from AD can react to the disease differently. Helping these patients takes a lot of patience and knowlege. You might have to develop skills and be creative in your approach of caring for them.

It is estimated that over 4.5 million American adults may have this impairment. You must learn to recognize the early symptoms and start preparing for being a care giver that could last for a long time.

AD is a progressive disease that affects the brain cells that produces Dementia, memory loss. AD normally affects older people but it could start at a low age of 50. You cannot predict how fast the disease will progress because it varies with each patient. Some early signs can be having a hard time finding the right word to say, finishing thoughts, following directions, and loss of reasoning. If a person has a loss between night and day an gets dressed to go out thinking that the day is just starting is another good sign of early AD.

It is hard to predict what an AD person may do. Think prevention and try to adapt the person’s surroundings to decrease hazards. Here is some ideas you may want to consider:
* Display all emergency numbers, your home address, names, several places in the home and by
each phone.
* Leave a spare key with a neighbor in case the person locks you out.
* Try not to use extension cords. Place lights and appliances near an outlet. If you have to, secure it
to the baseboard.
* Cover unused wall outlets with “child-proof” plugs.
* Stairways should have at least one handrail and it should extend beyond the first step. Carpeted
stairs or stairs with safety grips are best.
* Keep ALL medications and prescription drugs (over the counter drugs) under lock and key. Be sure all are clearly marked with the name, doseage, strength, and expeiation date. It is also good to have the pharmacy name, local emergency services phone number in the locked cabinet.
* Keep all alcohol locked up as well. Alcohol increases confusion in AD patients.
* Keep sharp objects and clutter out of the way. Be sure all passageways are clear.
* Remove firearms and other weapons from the home, or render them safe by locking them up and
places trigger safety locks. It’s best to keep the amunition in another location again locked up.
* Power tools and machinery can be dangerous. Survey your worksop, basement or garage for
possible danger with these items.
* Be aware of all poisonous materials. Even some plants can be harmful. Check with your local poison
control center if you have any questiopns about a certain plant or substance.
* Be sure all the important information stored on your computer is safe. Install passwords or save it
a CD, or flash drive for safe keeping. here ars several different programs you can install to help
protect your stored files. Your local elctronic store can help you develop a program for your needs.
* Remove scatter rugs or any flooring that in not secured to the floor.

It’s amazing how we can all fall into a sense of complacency about our security. It always happens to the “other guy” until some major event or happening comes close to us. Point in fact; We are relocating to another state and my wife asked me about some of the simple things we take for granted now: ambulance service, police or sheriff’s protection, all the utility shut-off locations, fire protection, hospitals & medical facilities, etc.

It made me realize I had to make out an entirely new plan of action for all of these and write them down. In case of an emergancy we could act in an orderly manner…..sometimes….seconds count. I recommend everyone up-date their emergency plans periodically and go over them with all the family members. Have a exit plan to leave the house for all locations and have a specific place to meet away from the home. You will know all the family members have cleared the home. Too often,people have gone back into the house looking for a family member or pet and have lost their lives unnecessarily.

Now the tip of the day: We had an electrical circuit malfunctioning in our newly purchased home. The home was built back in the eighties. Back then, installing wall outlets by pushing the wires into the back of the outlet was permissable. One of the outlets like this in our home had a poor connection using this method of installation which could have started a fire by arking inside the outlet. Hiring an electrician to re-wire your outlets using the wire screws to attach the wires to the outlet will make your home safer. According to safety laws, this method of wiring is the only way allowed when installing wall outlets today. THINK ABOUT IT.