Hi has anyone any advice mum has become obsessive with opening and locking her front and back door. We think that she is forgetting the sequencing of opening the door and then turning the handle so is getting more confused with the sequence over and over. So far we have colour coded the keys, written notes on the doors above the locks to say how to open the doors. But still getting very stressed with the keys. Today she has opened the front door, back door open and was at risk of someone walking in. Any help or how you have coped with similar issues I would be grateful
Keys
- Thread starter simba1
- Start date
We have had a lot of trouble with keys - my mother kept losing them & eventually we had a whole lot of spares made. We put the front door keys on a red ribbon so we could see them if they were lost. It worked for a while & then she left them in a pocket - as we eventually discovered - so we had to issue her with more. Whenever she loses them she makes up a story about someone stealing them - a lad who comes to the door and snatches them from her hand.
She has twice locked herself in & lost the keys then rung us for help. After a lot of deliberation I have now taken the turning key away & just left her with the yale key. I was worried that if she had a fire and had to leave in a hurry she could be trapped by the locked door.
But there is still trouble - one night I was rung up by the alarm people who said she'd pressed her button & was very disoriented. I rang her - no answer - so I went round and rang the bell - no answer. I then tried to open her door with my key but she had slipped the yale. Eventually after I called for her she came to the door but could not let me in - could not work out how to put the sneck down on the yale despite my instructions. I told her to let me in at the back where there are bolts & went to the back door - this was late at night & I had a coat on over my nightie. A wavering light appeared but she would not respond to my knocking on the kitchen window and asking to be let in. Eventually she went back to the front, opened the door, and came round the back.
I think this thing with keys is very common and when your Mum is in panic mode she is probably not going to be able to read & make sense of your notes. I can only suggest making the keys as distinctive as possible - as you have - and simplifying the process as much as possible consistent with safety (for example, would a bolt do the job on some doors?) - then practising with her, as no doubt you have.
Do you live near your Mum (as I do), and if not, could you give a neighbour a spare key and ask her to help?
Hopefully, if she is like my Mum, this key fixation will pass & she will focus on something else.
I hope someone can give you better advice about how to reassure her about the keys, and/or that the crisis passes.
Very best wishes. xx
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I agree with this. Can you put a sticker with a coloured key symbol above the lock that matches the key that goes with it? It may help, I hope you find something that does.
Best wishes
Sue
I have a balcony door and when I am bad I can't work out how to turn the key and push the handle in order to lock it properly and get upset if I can't do it, I'd really struggle if it were my main doors.
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