My mom is dealing with the ex-tremely difficult task of taking care of my dad who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease last winter. Dad’s condition is slowly deteriorating and I think he would be better served in a nursing home facility, but mom is determined to keep him at home as long as she can manage. My question is, can you give us some recommendations on how to better prepare the house to help make mom’s Job a little easier and, is there a right time to move dad into a nursing home? Also, can you give me some other resources that can help support and guide mom and me through this?

Alzheimer’s Advice Seeker

Dear Advice Seeker, Despite the widespread belief that most people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) reside in nursing homes, it’s actually the families that are the primary caregivers, most often wives and husbands.

Savvy Fact: According to the Al-zheimer’s Association, of the 4 million Americans who suffer from AD, about 70 percent live at home.

The Right Time There’s no definite rule regarding the "right time" to place a person with AD in a more protective environment or in a nursing home. A lot depends on the caregiver’s ability to manage the person’s care safely and/or whether the job has become too consuming or difficult to handle. I recommend consulting with your doctor or other local professionals to help you make a wise decision.

Home Modification Tips

Caregivers of people with AD often have to look at their homes through new eyes to identify and correct safety risks. Here are a few home modification tips that can prevent many stressful and dangerous situations.

• Install secure locks on all outside windows and doors, especially if the person is prone to wandering. Remove the locks on bathroom doors to prevent the person from accidentally locking himself or herself in.

• Use childproof latches on kitchen cabinets and any place where cleaning supplies or other chemicals are kept.

• Label medications and keep them locked up. Also make sure knives, lighters, matches, and guns are secured and out of reach.

• Keep the house free from clutter. Remove scatter rugs and anything else that might contribute to a fall. Make sure lighting is good both inside and out. Consider installing an automatic shutoff switch on the stove to prevent burns or fire.

• Remove plugin appliances from the kitchen and bathroom to avoid the risk of electric shock, and set water heater temperature no higher than 120 F to prevent burns.

• Install handrails to prevent falls.

• If your dad can no longer drive, control access to car keys and keep the car out of sight.

• Avoid rearranging the furniture.

Support

Your Area Aging Agency is a great source of information about local support services for caregivers. They can provide information on nursing homes, adult day care centers, as-sisted living facilities, attendant care, and caseworker services. They can also provide information on respite care, home health care, homemakers, chore services, and mealsonwheels. Contact the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 to find the agency in your area.

Savvy Resources

• Alzheimer’s Association: They support families and caregivers of patients with AD. Almost 300 chapters nationwide provide referrals to local resources and services, and spon-sor support groups and educational programs. Online and print versions of publications are also available. Call 8002723900 or visit wwwalz. org.

• Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center: This service of the National Institute on Aging is funded by the federal government. It offers information and publications on diagnosis, treatment, patient care, caregiver needs, longtern care, education and training, and re-search related to AD. Call 800-438-4380 or visit www. a1zheimers. org.

This information was obtained from The Alzheimer’s Association, The National Institute on Aging In-formation Center and The Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Nor-man, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org