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Creating a Safe Home Environment |
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Written by Christine Lever
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Wednesday, 13 December 2006 |
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Page 4 of 12
Preventing Poisoning
Harmful substances left around the house and ingested in moments of confusion, may potentially lead to poisoning of the kind which is hard to discover or diagnose. Keeping a close eye on all potential poisons will almost certainly reduce risk but will also help doctors quickly treat your loved one if anything should happen.
Also bear in mind that all medicines are a potential source of poisoning. If ingested in considerable quantities even seemingly harmless vitamins lead to medical complications, especially for someone in frail health.
If you have poisonous plants or prickly cactus, consider giving them away. Many people with AD sometimes try to eat inappropriate things. You might also want to put away any valuable ornaments or keepsakes.
It goes without saying that all toxic or chemical substances, either solid or liquid, should be kept someplace safe, preferably under lock and out of sight to prevent confusion. This is particularly true of cleaning supplies which are usually kept in easily accessible places.
Denture cleaners are harmful if swallowed and, since they are usually placed in glasses of water, can be easily confused for an innocent drink. For this reason it's advisable to keep the denture-cleaning water safely away.
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