Advice

What to do if a person with dementia keeps switching things off at home

It can cause disruption and worry if a relative or friend with dementia turns off electrical sockets or switches when these are already set.

The person might be worried about safety or energy bills, but problems may be caused if a broadband router, heating or other appliances are switched off unnecessarily.

We asked members of Dementia Support Forum and Dementia together magazine readers for their advice. 

Hiding sockets

Felinefan66 says, ‘My father wants to turn all lights off except the room he’s sitting in and he has an obsession with plugged-in appliances – especially those with lights such as the TV.

The TV and internet were resolved by moving the cupboard at such an angle that he can’t reach the sockets. 

‘For other equipment, we’ve put insulating tape over the plug to ‘hide’ the light. We bought him a touch bedside lamp, but he turns that off at the plug at night.

‘I think it’s fear of something catching fire. He lived by himself for 20 years and, of course, if anything like that happened when by himself, it would be disastrous.’ 

Light switches

Neveradullday! says, ‘Luckily my mother doesn’t have a clue how to work the central heating control on the wall. But during spring or autumn, if the radiators don’t feel hot, she will fiddle with the control on the radiator, usually changing it from 5 to 0. 

Trying to explain the futility of this is useless. It’s just a matter of remembering to check the radiators.

‘As for lights, she used to get up during the night and turn the upstairs lights on and off. A few months ago, I taped all the upstairs light switches in the off position using white insulation tape. 

‘When needed, I remove the tape on the landing light switch and then reapply. Thankfully, she hasn’t attempted to remove the tape.

‘She has two nightlights in her bedroom, and we have a plug-in lamp on all the time through the night on the landing.’ 

Radiator controls

Lida says, ‘My mother always used to turn the thermostatic control knobs on her radiators off. I was at my wit’s end when one day I thought maybe I could tape them so she couldn’t move them.

‘I set them at the level I thought best, then wound white insulation tape round them so she couldn’t see the numbers. To my relief, it worked.’
 

Smart thermostat

daisy93 says, ‘We used a smart thermostat, so I controlled the heating from my mobile phone. 

It was easy to set up and meant I could see how hot the house was and set timings or boost it if necessary.

‘For lights I got some sensor lights, then if lights had been turned off and it was dark when Mum walked past, the lights on the floor came on. They were magnetic. I think you can also get remote operating lights.’ 

Lockable socket covers

rlphillips630602 says, ‘My partner’s mother has dementia and is constantly turning things off. We used socket covers to prevent her, which are locked with a key. They are quite expensive, but worth it in my opinion. 

I’ve also combined these with smart sockets so they can be controlled remotely.

‘She would turn the thermostat when coming in or leaving the house. We got a smart thermostat and I bought a cheap dial analogue ones that’s just stuck on the wall and connected to nothing.

‘I’ve also wired in the fridge and washing machine with fixed fused supplies, so they don’t have a plug. 

And I bought a smart infrared heater – you can turn it on remotely and she can’t pack it away as it’s fixed to a wall. 

‘I find anything that requires a change of behaviour or learning something new inevitably doesn’t work, so it’s all about augmenting things in a way that don’t require that.’