'Stairgate' to stop person going upstairs

[Marnie63]

Has anyone fitted one of these, and any recommendations on type/supplier? I don't really want to fit something like this, but can't think of any other way to stop my mum wandering upstairs. She has no need to go upstairs - all the rooms she needs, lounge, bedroom and bathroom, are downstairs. For months and months she didn't even seem to register that the stairs were there, but now she's obsessed with going up them at every opportunity. I've realised now with dementia that as each thing comes up and smacks you in the face with yet another challenge, you have to try to think of some kind of solution!

There's no issue about mum falling downstairs or toppling over the gate, I just need something physical in place to stop her climbing them. Apart from it being very wearing now to keep heading her off as soon as she tries, it's also dangerous as she's nearly 91 and a bit shaky on her feet. She's still mobile, but frail.

I might try a temporary barrier tomorrow to see how she reacts!

 

[Oh Knickers]

Hi,

From your posts, it sounds as though you have been through a bit recently.

Here is a link to an earlier post:
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?28393-Child-Stair-Gate

I'd go and have a chat with Mothercare. They can at least get guidance from the manufacturer. The stair gates seem fairly generic now.

What seems available now appears to be pressure stairgates rather than screw into the wall ones. It may be the case of being clever with how you place it at the bottom of the stairs. Consider putting it one or two stairs up so harder to balance. Also, raise the stairgate by 6 inches to make it higher. However, PWD can be very inventive!

Other suggestions are to have something that tells your mum not to go up the stairs and to go and sit down. A beam of light is broken which initiates the speaking. You will need to record it.
http://www.easylinkuk.co.uk/page87.html
Another poster spoke with the GP and Occupational Therapy for solutions.

Finally, it does sound as though it getting a bit much, totally understandably, for you at the moment. Is it, possibly, time to call in for extra help?

Best of luck.

 

[HillyBilly]

Yes - I had one for the bottom of the stairs, Easi Dan I think the make was x

 

[Lavender45]

Pet gates tend to be taller than child gates, might prevent any ideas of climbing over.

 

[Chemmy]

I have a pressure fit stairgate which deters the grandchildren, but I doubt if it would stop a determined adult, who might be potentially pulling at it for hours. I would think one fixed to the wall would be better and it would have to be set at the bottom, otherwise there's a risk of her toppling backwards off the stairs.

I wonder if a local joiner could come up with something robust enough? You'd get the height you needed and would have more choice on the opening/locking mechanism that way too.

 

[Margi29]

I know someone who had to have area of stairs ' boxed in ' then a door with a lock was put in place, it would at least maybe give you peace of mind a little and sanctuary when needed x

 

[Chemmy]

This issue has been discussed on a woodworking forum here

http://www.woodworkersinstitute.com/forum/stair-gate-for-elderly_topic12439.html

Looks like a neat solution

 

[Tin]

This issue has been discussed on a woodworking forum here

http://www.woodworkersinstitute.com/forum/stair-gate-for-elderly_topic12439.html

Looks like a neat solution

I am having one made similar to the picture on the above web site, its to keep mum out of the kitchen at night. The carpenter doing this is utilising all the off cut pieces of wood around my home - surprisingly quite a lot. We just have to work out/find a lock that does not require a key or combination - got so many of these around the house already. Carpenter is a teacher at local college and using this as a project for his students, so not expensive.

 

[Chemmy]

That sounds like a good option, Tin. A great student project too. It doesn't need to be complex, just fit for purpose.

 

[Marnie63]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I had no idea there was such a variety of stairgates available! I am definitely going to get one - there are quite a few tall ones, which will be ideal. I think I pander a bit too much to mum in letting her go wherever she wants in the house, but because of the safety issue with the stairs, I need to do something about this, sooner rather than later. At least then I'll also know that anything I keep or leave upstairs will be safe. I am always reminded of the 'stolen handbag' incident that happened about a year ago - I couldn't find my handbag one morning, decided it must have been stolen somehow, spent ages cancelling bank cards, etc., and then found mum clutching it in bed under her duvet!

I don't think mum has the awareness to meddle with any fittings, so once it's up, it should hopefully do the job.

Now I need to find some way of creating a 'virtual me', so that I can go out, but that she thinks I'm still in the house - and of course obeys all my requests - any idea on that one, anyone?!

I'm so bl**dy tired tonight. I'm going to put her to bed in a mo and find a good film to watch.

 

[Lavender45]

Just a quick tale to make you smile. Our current dog is a Jack Russell, his predecessor was a terrier crossed with who knows what. Not a big dog, maybe 18 inches max and smaller than that when we first adopted her.

Whilst she was a puppy we tried to keep her in the kitchen when we were out. Shutting the door didn't work, she managed to open it. Next we tried a child gate, she jumped it. Then we tried a dog gate as it was taller. She jumped it. Then we tried the jail.

The jail was the dog gate on the bottom and the child gate turned upside downon top creating a stable door effect. Thsnkfully thr suction on both was good. With both shut it looked like a jail door as you would see in a western. We thought we had it sussed. No we didn't. She managed to open the top gate, I don't know how and jumped it. She was a smallish puppy. We finished up tying each gate shut. It was the only way to contain her.

We had a workman in doing a job, cannot remember what. He couldn't believe the jail door we'd created for such as small dog in fact I'm not sure he believed it was for the dog at all!

 

[TiredHills]

We had our builder make one for the top of our stairs as I woke up one morning to find she had fallen right at the very top of the stairs on her way to the bathroom.
You just need to make sure that they are taller then the standard to make sure they don't climb, or topple over.


Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point

 

[Georgina63]

Thank you all for the suggestions.

Now I need to find some way of creating a 'virtual me', so that I can go out, but that she thinks I'm still in the house - and of course obeys all my requests - any idea on that one, anyone?!

I'm so bl**dy tired tonight. I'm going to put her to bed in a mo and find a good film to watch.

A virtual you, now that would be a good idea. You can get 'memo minders' which have a sensor which activates a recorded message - you could position them all around the house! Back to the real world...... Hope you found a good film to watch. Gx