Kitchen Safety Tips for People Living with Dementia

Dementia brings its own set of challenges, both for the person with dementia and their caregivers. As I crawled through this journey with my Mama, I learned that it was unpredictable—changing every month, week, day, and soon every hour. You'll find that a lot in my posts.

To help keep Mama's independence and ensure her safety from thousands of miles away, I implemented many changes.

Creating a safe environment is crucial for those with dementia. Thinking one step ahead is vital. In this post, I’ll share my tips on how I ensured Mama was safe whilst maintaining her independence. Adjust these suggestions to suit your loved one's needs.

Consistency was key for us.

Simplify and declutter: You will see this at the beginning of every single one of my posts. Reducing confusion and hazards are a must! That means only leaving what is needed. Example for us as kettle, micowave and toaster on the counter. Dementia clock was there too, of course. And a fruit bowl.

Install Safety Devices: All homes should be equipped with smoke alarms however I installed smart alarms and smart thermostat. Super easy to use and always on. Have a couple of people be alerted (nearby) if anything should happen.

Simple appliances: Not too many buttons and bells and whistles.

Plates, Cups, Glasses, Utensils: Remove breakable items: Knives, glass, corkscrews. Walk around your kitchen, clean out the drawers and just leave the necessary items. See my post on Dementia Plates/Glasses/Cups.

Motion Lighting: Love motion lights. Used them as Mama used to walk around in the dark. These were fantastic as Mama declined, she no longer knew where the light switch was.

Stovetop:

Automatic Gas Shut-off: I installed this quite early on as I foresaw the inevitable. Is it safe to let a person with dementia cook? It depends on each individual's cognitive ability.

Implement safety tips, but remain vigilant. Just pay attention to your loved one and what they do on a daily basis. It's hard. You try and convince yourself that they are okay and have bad days, but it's the bad days that you have to pay attention to.

Fridge/Freezer: So this is based on me not being there.

Keep it simple. Milk goes in same place. You buy a bottle of milk? Maybe replace with a carton. Same goes for any drinks. Anything in jars, put in an unbreakable container and label or you can put them in an unbreakable jar and re-wash and use. See where I'm going with this? Broken glass is a no-no for PWD's. Switch to unbreakable.

Non-slip mats: That was a NO for us. Mama shuffled (due to dementia) and I couldn't risk them being a tripping hazard.

Finally:

Monitor Consistently: Frequent check-ins and adjustments to their environment can help accommodate the continuing needs of a person with dementia.

The blog shares my experiences. The Caregiving Guide shows you exactly what I put in place to keep my mum safe and help me care from another country. Find out more here