It is my job to keep my DH safe. I know that. I just don't know how to always do that. I know everyone will say Medicate or place or something. But we all know that there is a time where they are cognitive enough that this is impossible. He is to here to place and gets angry if I question what he is doing. I removed the guns from our house 3 years ago and that went real well! Sarcasm. So i can imagine what would happen if I remove the items he is using now. Today I caught him using a table saw to cut branches into smaller pieces and yesterday a grinder to sharpen tools. He had not touched these things in years. I was not worried about them. It doesn't matter if I had thought to remove them years ago, it would still be a fight. I am tired need a break. His mom cannot help anymore. He gets angry if you micromanage him. She is 84 and I cannot take a chance on either one of their safety if he visits her. I know he would never go to day care. This is an awful disease. He is stage 6. I have to do almost everything for him. He can bathe and eat by himself. He could not fix anything to eat. Well, we all know things they cannot do so I won't go into it all. I know I am in control. But I really don't want the confrontation. I am really having a hard time. No time to myself. Ok through venting.
The reality is no one can keep them safe 100% of the time...not even the facilities that convince you they can. I know you'll have hell to pay but you either have to have the dangerous equipment removed or locked up where he cannot access it. If he's truly in stage 6 he does not have the reasoning to be using such dangerous equipment. Your choices unfortunately are limited...confrontation or possible life threatening injury; neither is good. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.
Hubby cut off 2 of his fingers with a plainer. I now do a lot of redirecting when it comes to power tool. Cordless drill is fine to screw something in. Hammer OK. Chain saw or ax to cut wood "no". I had the gun fight too. He shot a hole in the wall while he was unloading it when the cop was here to pick them up. "Thought" what if I try to have the key for the lock on the work shop door go missing. Every once in a while it will turn up when I need to get in there but then it disappears again. Might be something for you to try. Also I found that the respite was a god send for me, I didn't realize how tired I am till he was gone. We're going to try to do this every month or two. Is it something you could do?
I had an electrician out today, so I am thinking fuses etc. Could you trip the breaker for the outlet for the power tools? Or have an electrician come out and disable the outlet? This would require premeditated fibs and getting the electrician on board. We also have a huge woodworking club in town and if you do, you might ask some of the members if they have any suggestions for disabling the equipment (maybe there is an internal fuse). My thoughts are with you. I cannot imagine how exhausting this must be to deal with.
I know its difficult to make the move to take charge. confrontation goes with this disease it seems. there really isn't a lot we can do but make things happen one way or another. if my DH was using power tools I would lose them overnight. get them out of the house or locked in the trunk of car til you can dispose of them. say they got stolen. there is no way someone with limited functioning can be safe using any of these type of tools. its difficult to understand that their safety depends on our decisions not theirs. I would also premedicate the day I chose to move the tool weapons or whatever I had to but make the move easier on them. having them a bit more subdued and sleepy for a few days til it passes is better than the contrary. and we know asking them to cooperate to take meds or not do something just doesn't make sense at this point. hope you find a way to get things under control.
Table saw - disable by either cutting a wire somewhere on it, cut the plug off or cut power to the place these are. My husband gets upset when I don't want him using the circular saw, jigsaw, or other power tools he has. Fortunately he is not getting into the bays on the MH as much - seems to have lost interest for now in rearranging all his junk.
In keeping him safe and away his power tools I would recommend using lots of "FIBLETS". Can you have a neighbor or trusted relative "borrow" the tools? Be creative...do whatever is necessary to help create a safer environment.
LFL is right.....no one can keep them 100% safe...no facility or home. We do the best we can.
Like divvi said, do not take a chance! And like Charlotte said, cut the wires, disable the things. How horrible if something happened. Don't wait do it now!
I can't speak to guns as my husband was strongly anti-gun.
He did not have much in the way of tools, but I saw on the fuse box (maybe this is not the correct word) as labeled by the previous owner the # and placement of the outlets that were controlled by the garage which is where those tools would have had to be plugged in.
Sheesh. I disabled his car, his phone and any access he had to the internet- and all for good reason. Double sided dead bolts. Even cut off the outlets in his bathroom when he started to have "different" ideas of what clean shaved meant.
BTW, I am all for fiblets. If your husband would not investigate the fuse- and I thought of another term I have seen, power box himself maybe that would be a quick solution.
When my H had delusions that he was going somewhere to do whatever, I would tell him that the garage door was temporarily disabled due to a power failure. I lied all the time and feel not a bit of guilt for safety as well as conflict issues.
I have to chime in on this one too. My DH was trying to use a chainsaw to cut down tree limbs in 70 mile an hour winds, disconnected the fridge , computer, telephone and dishwasher on a regular basis, cut water pipes to bathtubs, reversed wires in electrical outlets and used a tablesaw shooting sparks in the middle of a garage packed with garbage. it was so scary. I had to lie, change locks, hide and dispose of all of tools. I also reported all of these things to his neurologist and he actually wrote a letter for me to get help getting him into day care. I told him day care was work and he is still believing it 2 years later. CREATIVITY is the key to most of we have to do to keep them safe. i know it is hard but you just have to do it. Hugs to you.