He is 89 with Alzheimer's . It's about 2 yrs since it started . My husband and I are his POA and caregivers. After a year of not working to take care of him , we couldn't afford it. I got a job and we got him on title 19 and now have help. The aides try to tell him to stop and so do we. Here's the problem , he unplugs the air conditioning while its on , multiple times a day if he gets cold . We set it on low , keep doors open and he has blankets . Its been dangerously humid in CT and we are trying to keep him safe, not cold . Instead of turning the air conditioner off he pulls the plug. Thus is very dangerous and at my leaset concern He will break the a/c's. * we don't have much money to get new ones* my biggest fear is a fire . He unplugs the cable box everynight so everymorning it has to reboot. As far as I know that's not dangerous , just aggrivating to all involved . We know of a house burning to the ground because of a short in an a/c. I've explained all I could and the best I could but he's stubborm, has ocd and alzheimer's , so it's like talking to a wall. Any suggestions ????? We are trying to keep him in his house . But this is dangerous . He can't be watched 24/7 to make sure he doesn't unplug stuff. We all live in the home, he could hurt us all.
I think that he's past the point of being able to be cared for at home. He needs 24 hour a day supervision, and only someone with enormous wealth can add or to do that. He will be safer and more stimulated in a facility. And you'll all be safe.
But they probably won't keep a full grown adult from pulling the whole thing apart.
There are outlet plug covers where you plug in the A/C and then put this cap which locks over it, Babies R Us sells it. Your Dad may or may not figure out how to release it.
Now decades ago I saw a small medal clip that slips over the plug and then you screw the clip onto the outlet face plate. Not sure if this will work as your Dad could rip the whole plug apart and damage the face plate. Check with your local hardware store.
If it weren't for the dementia issue, I wouldn't disagree with turning it off, properly though. Even young people are becoming more conscious of wasted phantom electricity from appliances left plugged in but not running.
My cousin would unplug the cable box from the tv and hide it, unplug the radio, and she lost the ability to understand how a thermostat works. I think in many cases, it's just them keeping in motion with no real motive for the actions. It's just something to do and the don't remember they did it. Because of that, no reasoning or convincing will help them stop.
The only options that I am aware of is constant supervision and redirecting when he goes towards the outlets or circuit box. I did install a clear protective box on the AC/Heat thermostat that could only be opened with a key.
You may be able to locate or fashion a protective plastic cover, like the ones that go over thermostats onto wall outlets, but I would check with an electrician first to see if it's legal. It could have safety issues.
See All Answers