On Your Own, Not Alone

You live by yourself and you would like to keep it that way. Plenty of people with early dementia do. The difference is the support you set up before you need it.

Can I keep living on my own?

Many people do, especially early on. Whether it works depends less on the diagnosis than on the support around you.

Living alone is often a choice people care about deeply: your own space, your own routines, your own front door. A diagnosis does not have to end it.

You are far from the only one. A 2012 Alzheimer's Association estimate found that about one in seven Americans with Alzheimer's or another dementia lived alone, roughly 800,000 people, and that up to half of them had no identifiable caregiver. Many of them are managing. The ones who struggle are usually the ones nobody is checking on.

What are the main risks of living alone?

A handful of specific things: medications, bills, falls, getting lost, scams, and nobody noticing when something goes wrong.

The same report noted that people with dementia living alone face higher risks of missed medications and appointments, falls, getting lost, and worsening of other conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. Money problems often show up early too.

That list is useful, because each item has a practical answer.

What should I set up now?

A daily check-in, help with medicines and money, a way to call for help, and a few people who know your situation.

• A daily check-in. The same time every day, a call or text with a family member, friend or neighbor. If they do not hear from you, they call. Some telephone reassurance programs run by local agencies will do this for free.
• A medication system. A weekly pill organizer at minimum. An automatic dispenser with alarms, or a pharmacy that packs medicines by date and time, does more. Ask your pharmacist.
• Autopay for essential bills and a trusted person with view-only access to your accounts.
• A way to call for help. A medical alert button or a smartwatch with fall detection, worn all the time, including in the shower.
• Keys with a neighbor, and the neighbor's number on your fridge.
• Medical information on your phone's lock screen, so a first responder can see your conditions, medicines and contacts.

Where do I find help at home?

Start with your local Area Agency on Aging. Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 to find yours.

Area Agencies on Aging, funded under the Older Americans Act, connect people to local services. Depending on where you live, that can include:

• Home-delivered meals, such as Meals on Wheels
• Transportation to appointments and shopping
• Help at home with housework or personal care
• Telephone check-in programs
• Benefits counseling, including help with Medicare and Medicaid
• Adult day programs

Some of these are free or low cost, some depend on income, and waiting lists vary. Asking early means you are on the list before you need it.

The Alzheimer's Association helpline, 800-272-3900, is answered around the clock and can also point you to local programs.

How do I keep my home safe?

Focus on the stove, falls, and getting help fast. Small changes do most of the work.

• The stove. An automatic shutoff device, or a habit of using the microwave or a kettle with auto-off instead.
• Falls. Clear walkways, secure rugs, add grab bars in the bathroom and night lights between the bedroom and bathroom.
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, tested, with batteries replaced on a schedule.
• A whiteboard or calendar by the door with the day, appointments and the daily check-in time.
• One place for keys, wallet and phone, by the door, every time.

When will it be time for more help?

Decide that now, while it is your decision, and write it down. It is much easier for everyone than arguing about it later.

Many people pick a few clear signs. For example:

• Missing medications more than once in a week
• A fall where you could not get up on your own
• Getting lost on a familiar route
• Bills going unpaid despite autopay and checks
• Leaving the stove on

You might decide that if two of these happen, you will try more help at home first: someone coming in a few hours a day, more frequent check-ins, or a move closer to family. Writing it down, and choosing who will make that call with you, keeps it your plan rather than someone else's emergency decision.