Dementia/Alzheimer's Fire Safety: Caregiver's Guide to Fire Prevention

Caring for a parent with dementia comes with many worries, with one of the biggest being fire safety. Memory loss, confusion, and impaired judgment can make everyday activities like cooking or smoking dangerous.

Why Dementia Increases Fire Risk

Dementia is not a term used to define a collection of symptoms. For example, Alzheimer's, a specific disease, is also considered a form of dementia.

As such, dementia has a wide array of symptoms. Some of these may be present in your loved ones, some may not. Symptoms can include:

• Memory loss
• Confusion
• Impaired judgement
• Trouble planning
• Personality changes
• Getting lost easily
• Being suspicious
• Hallucinations
• And much more
  

Per The Mayo Clinic

As aging continues, these symptoms can progressively get worse. The person with dementia may start out only needing small amounts of support. But, over time, they may need more attention and care from you.

Unfortunately, all of these symptoms mean an increased fire risk.

Common Fire Hazards for People with Alzheimer’s

The #1 cause of home fires in the US is forgotten cooking. Memory loss and trouble planning, can both lead to this.

Confusion, impaired judgement, and getting easily lost are risk factors in an emergency. They may not realize they need to escape a burning home. They may try to pour water on a grease fire. They may even get lost trying to escape.

Personality changes or reversions to old habits such as cooking or ironing can lead to home fires. They might get suspicious or even hallucinate things that lead them to act irrationally. This may lead to a fire or impair decisions in an emergency.

Additional areas of concern are:

• Smoking - They may fall asleep while smoking or leave cigarettes burning
• Space heaters - A heater too close to a blanket or furniture can start a fire
• Candles - An open flame in a house is a risk, especially if it’s left burning
  
  

It is incredibly challenging for family members to know how to help in these situations. Dementia is the worst and anybody striving to help their loved ones gains our utmost respect.

We recognize that highlighting the concerns you already had is not very helpful. Here are the first 10 things we would do to prevent fires for dementia/Alzheimer’s.

10 Dementia Fire Safety Tips for Caregivers

1) Check smoke alarms every 6 months.

Even if the battery says it lasts for 10 years, this needs to happen. You may have a faulty battery, or the device could’ve reached the end of its product life.

2) Create an emergency response plan.

It’s no good for only you to know the plan. Make sure your parents know their escape routes. Place the escape plan in prominent places throughout the house so they can’t get lost or confused. Give your parents a hard copy list of phone numbers to call in case of an emergency.

3) Teach them when and how to use fire extinguishers.

If they are capable, keep traditional fire extinguishers readily available. Fire blankets are a great option for smaller fires, and they are much easier for seniors to use.

4) Remove all candles from the home.

The risk for an open flame is simply too high. Remove all candles and opt for other home scent options. Wax warmers are still a no from us, they are too easy to forget as well.

5) Don’t let them leave the room while they’re cooking.

Again, forgotten cooking is the #1 cause of home fires. An easy trick to help them remember is to have them put a wooden spoon in their pocket while they cook. Alternatively, place obvious signs in the kitchen to help them remember to not leave.

6) Keep their home clean and organized.

Clutter is a fire risk. We understand not everyone can be there to clean all the time. It is helpful to create accessible areas for them to keep their home organized. Consider baskets for blankets, shoe racks, labeled bins for kitchen items, towels, clothes, etc…

7) Communicate safety plans openly.

Keep siblings and neighbors in the loop with the precautions you make. The last thing you want is for a neighbor/sibling to remove a fire safety measure by accident. Neighbors are often willing to help if you just ask them, plus they are always nearby in case of an emergency.

8) Don’t let them smoke indoors. 

Smoking indoors increases the risk of death from a home fire significantly. Never let your loved ones smoke inside their home.

9) Opt for smarter heat sources.

Disable radiators or heating stoves. Choose smarter heating options for their home such as thermostat control. If they are still cold, choose a smart space heater that turns off if tipped, or left running for too long.

10) Consider their daily habits.

If they enjoy cooking, you may need to take extra precautions there. If they garden, don’t let them burn weeds in the yard. What appliances are they using? Are those appliances safe? You know them best so consider their circumstances and take action from there.

How to Fire-Proof a Home for Someone with Alzheimer’s

Let’s go room by room and talk about more specific ways to fire proof their home. And again, you know your parents best, so follow tip 10 and ‘Consider their daily habits’ when fire-proofing.

Kitchen Safety

Starting with the most common cause of fires, the kitchen. Observe which appliances they most often use and go from there.

Stove Fire Prevention Tips

• Help them identify which stove element is on, we like to use brightly colored stickers (we'll send you some for free by filling out the form on our site)
• Don’t place or store anything within 3 feet of the stove, especially not on top of the stove
• Stove timers are fine, but an automatic stove shutoff is better for fool-proof protection
• Consider natural gas detectors if they have a gas stove (ps this works better if the detector can trigger the auto stove shutoff device as well)
• Have a working smoke detector in the adjacent room or hallway, it doesn’t have to be in the kitchen. If you do have one in the kitchen, opt for a photoelectric detector. We have found ionization detectors in the kitchen often sound false alarms.
• Teach them that the stove is the #1 place for home fires to start. 
  
  

Oven

• Again, the best solution for oven safety is an auto stove shutoff device (they work perfectly for combo oven/stove ranges)
• Never store anything in the oven
  
  

Microwave

• Never microwave metal
• Consider a small appliance auto shutoff device
• Choose a microwave that they cannot easily select longer than 3-5 minutes
• Place obvious signs with instructions (ex. Popcorn - 3mins, Leftovers - 2mins, etc…)
  
  

Air Fryer

• Choose an air fryer with obvious settings (Frozen food, meat, etc…)
• Small appliance shutoffs prevent air fryers from cooking for extended periods of time
• As with all appliances, teach them how to use it or give them instructions for their favorite foods/meals
  

Bedroom Fire Safety

A cluttered bedroom can become an obstacle for easy escape in an emergency. The bedroom is one of, if not the most important room to keep tidy for fire safety.

Teach them one primary escape route for emergency situations. Place signage for how to leave quickly through the door. If absolutely necessary, give them something to break a window for an alternate escape route. We will explain this more in a later section.

The US Fire Administration recommends having a “smoke alarm in every bedroom [and] outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of a home”.

Living Room Fire Risks

The living room isn’t the place where most fires start. But, with them typically being the biggest room with the most things in them, can still pose a large risk.

If the person with Dementia is used to a fireplace, specifically wood burning or gas, consider disabling it. The risk for them forgetting its on and placing something too close is high. We recommend an electric fireplace or a smart space heater.

As with every room, make sure it is kept clean. Place baskets to store blankets. Keep shoes and clothes off the floor with shoe racks and an obvious coat rack/closet. Labelling these things will help them know where to store their belongings (and find them afterwards).

Don’t use extension cords when possible. Never plug one extension cord into another, this is a big risk for electric fires. 

This isn’t necessarily in the living room, but help them keep the dryer lint filter clean. Keep the dryer vent well maintained as well. Dryer fires aren’t nearly as common as people think, but the risk is definitely higher for individuals with dementia.

Outdoor Fire Prevention

This one is more on a case by case basis. If they smoke, place obvious ashtrays outside. If they garden, help them burn their weeds away from the home. If they enjoy grilling, perhaps bring the grill to your home and let them grill only when supervised.

Creating a Fire Escape Plan for Someone with Dementia

Teaching new things to someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s is tricky. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t create a fire escape plan with them. The key is to keep things simple, repetitive, and easy to follow under stress. In an emergency instinct matters more than memory.

Here’s a step-by-step approach caregivers can use to create an emergency plan:

1. Keep the Plan Extremely Simple

Avoid complex instructions or multiple options. The goal is not to teach a perfect plan, it’s to create a default action your loved one can follow automatically.

• Focus on one primary exit (not several)
• Use short, clear phrases like: “When you hear the alarm, go outside.”
• Avoid anything that requires decision-making in the moment
  

2. Choose the Easiest, Safest Exit

Walk through the home and identify the most accessible way out.

• Prioritize ground-floor exits, now is the time to move their room to the main level.
• Make sure doors are easy to open (no tricky locks or clutter)
• Ensure pathways are well-lit and free of obstacles
  

If your loved one has mobility challenges, this step is even more critical.

3. Create Visual Cues

People with dementia often respond better to visual reminders than verbal instructions.

• Place a bright sign on the exit door (“EXIT” or “OUTSIDE”)
• Use arrows, colored tape, or a simple map to guide the path
• Keep the route consistent, rearranging furniture can be confusing.
  

These cues can help trigger the right action even when confusion sets in.

4. Establish a Clear Meeting Spot

Choose a safe, obvious place outside the home where everyone goes after exiting.

• Example: “Meet at the mailbox” or “stand by the tree”
• Keep it visible from the house
• This location can be a meeting place for everything to build a habit
  

This prevents wandering and helps you quickly confirm they are safe.

5. Practice Regularly (But Keep It Low-Stress)

Repetition is essential—but drills should feel calm, not alarming.

• Walk through the plan together once every few weeks
• Practice during the day and occasionally at night
• Use a gentle tone, not urgency or fear
  

The goal is to build a habit. Instinct is better than relying on sound judgement.

6. Plan for Nighttime Confusion

Fires often happen at night and dementia symptoms can be worse after dark.

• Keep a lamp or nightlight on in key areas
• Make sure glasses, hearing aids, or mobility aids are within reach
  

7. Add Extra Layers of Protection

Even with a plan, your loved one may not respond as expected. Build in backups.

• Consider monitored alarm systems that alert caregivers
• Inform neighbors or nearby family members of the situation
  

Technology To Prevent Fires for Seniors

We live in an age where there are solutions for just about every problem you can face. Dementia home fire safety is one of those problems with solutions.

Smart Stove Shutoff

These are devices that monitor things like cook time and can automatically shut the stove off to prevent fires. Forgetting the stove is on is a major concern for Alzheimer’s. These devices can prevent more home fires than any other product.

Monitored Smoke Detectors

Creating a smart home ecosystem where you can monitor the sensors in your parents home is an option. You can sync your smoke detectors to your smart home hub and can monitor their alarms from anywhere.

P.S The Auto Stove Shutoff Device from FireAvert is both a smart stove shutoff and a smoke alarm monitoring system. With PRO Monitoring you can shut the stove off from anywhere (electric stoves only to prevent gas leaks from gas stoves). 

You will get alerts if the smoke alarm sounds, or if the stove has been on for too long. If their stove is shut off to prevent a fire, you can also reset it from anywhere so you don’t have to drive over every time. Plus, there’s no need to set up a smart home system.

Small Appliance Shutoffs

There are smart plugs that can detect how long an appliance has been consuming power for. There are also smart timers you can use to only allow power through for a specific amount of time.

Again, small self plug here, FireAvert has a small appliance shutoff designed for standard outlets. It also has access to the PRO Monitoring platform, keeping you connected to their safety, while giving them the independence they want.

Smart Heaters

If you are buying a space heater for your parent with dementia, make a careful choice. Choose a smart heater that shuts off automatically if an item is too close, it’s been running for too long, or it tips over.

When is it No Longer Safe for Someone with Dementia to Live Alone?

This is one of the hardest decisions you as a caregiver may have to make. We all want for our loved ones to live safely, but also freely.

It is a balancing act between giving them independence, and keeping them protected. When it comes to fire prevention for people with dementia, there are steps you can take. Following the insight from this article may help your loved one stay at home for longer.

We can’t predict how quickly their symptoms will progress. The question becomes:

‘If I can help them live independently for 6 more months is it worth it?’

If the answer is yes, then following these steps may help them live independently (and safer).

Final Thoughts: Keeping Aging Parents Safe at Home

Safety is obviously the number one priority for anyone caring for someone with dementia. If the decision has to be moving to a care center, then so be it.

However, by applying these tips you may be able to keep mom or dad safe at home for years longer. Nobody wants to take away their dignity. We hope the things we’ve taught today can help them feel safe, while living independently the way they want.

A FireAvert customer shared this story with us:

"I had seen it on Shark Tank and immediately went searching for it.

I bought it for my father, who’s 81 because he’s not always hearing as well as he used to, and I’m afraid that him being by himself, that tea kettle won’t be loud enough where he won’t hear it.”

-Cheryl Leopold

We hope we have helped make your caregiver journey a little lighter. If you are interested in purchasing a FireAvert for your loved ones, click here