When making the home safe, locks can be a great way to ensure dangerous items are kept out of reach. But these same locks can also be a hazard in some cases.

Locks on doors that lead outside can be extremely helpful in preventing wandering or the person with dementia from getting lost. Applying locks to these doors is recommended. Locks on other doors - such as bathrooms and bedrooms - could have the opposite effect, locking someone inside a room. It's important to think about areas that you'd want to keep access limited to, but also avoid any scenario where the person with dementia could be trapped.

Look around the home and see which doors would benefit from having a lock or deadbolt applied, and which would be better off without them. Think about how they could both help and hurt you and others when being locked.