Describing Dementia Safety Risks on the Attendance Allowance Form: Falls, Wandering, and Kitchen Dangers

The supervision test for Attendance Allowance asks whether the person needs continual supervision throughout the day to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others. For someone with dementia, the dangers are constant and varied — but carers often downplay them on the form because they have become so routine that they no longer feel exceptional. Decision-makers can only assess risks you describe, so naming them specifically matters.

Falls and Spatial Disorientation

Dementia affects spatial awareness, depth perception, and balance. The person may:

• Misjudge steps and stairs, especially on unfamiliar flooring or in poor light
• Trip over furniture they have walked past safely for decades because they no longer process where it is
• Attempt to stand up from a chair without using their arms and fall backwards
• Lose balance while turning or changing direction

On the form, describe specific incidents. "She fell on the stairs on [date] because she misjudged the bottom step" is stronger than "she has balance problems." State how often falls or near-misses happen (daily, several times a week) and what you do to prevent them — guiding her arm on the stairs, walking behind her, removing loose rugs.

If occupational therapy has installed grab rails, a stair gate, or a personal alarm, mention this. It proves the risk is recognised by professionals.

Getting Lost

People with moderate-to-advanced dementia can become lost in their own home, and the risk multiplies outdoors:

• Walking out of the house without purpose and being unable to find the way back
• Going to the shops and forgetting where they are, why they went, or how to return
• Leaving the house in nightwear, without a coat, or at inappropriate hours
• Becoming distressed and disoriented in familiar surroundings

If the person has been found wandering by neighbours, police, or strangers, say so. If you have fitted key safes, door alarms, or GPS trackers to manage the risk, describe why. Every precaution you have taken is evidence of substantial danger.

For the form, state what you do to prevent this: "I lock the front door and keep the key out of reach. He has tried to leave the house unsupervised approximately three times a week. On [date], a neighbour brought him back from two streets away in his slippers."

Kitchen and Cooking Hazards

Kitchens concentrate multiple dangers for someone with dementia:

• Turning on the gas hob without lighting it
• Leaving the cooker on and walking away
• Attempting to boil a kettle and pouring boiling water onto the worktop or themselves
• Eating food that is spoiled because they cannot judge freshness
• Trying to use sharp knives without the coordination to do so safely
• Consuming cleaning products or other toxic substances stored near food

These hazards may support the supervision test if continual supervision throughout the day is needed to avoid substantial danger. Describe what has happened and what you do to prevent it: "I have removed the knobs from the cooker because she turned on the gas three times in one week without lighting it. I prepare all her meals because she cannot safely use the kitchen."

Forgetting to Eat and Drink

This one sits between the attention and supervision tests. Prompting to eat meals placed in front of them may be attention in connection with a bodily function when it is needed frequently throughout the day. If they would go all day without eating or drinking unless someone intervenes, describe both the care need and any substantial danger.

Describe the pattern: "Without prompting he will not eat. On days when I am late arriving, I find yesterday's meal untouched. He has lost [amount] of weight in the last [time period]." If they cannot judge food temperature and have burned their mouth, or if they attempt to eat non-food items, add those details.

Dehydration is equally important. "She will not drink unless a glass is placed in her hand and she is reminded to sip. I have to prompt her approximately six times a day."

Medication Risks

A person with dementia who has unsupervised access to medication may:

• Take the wrong dose (double-dosing or skipping doses)
• Take medication at the wrong time
• Mix up medications if they take several
• Not take medication at all and deny having missed it

If someone else now manages all medication — preparing blister packs, handing over tablets, supervising swallowing — describe this in full. It counts as attention in connection with bodily functions.

Writing About Risks Without Exaggerating

You are not trying to make the person sound worse than they are. You are describing what actually happens and what would happen without supervision. Stick to facts:

• Specific incidents with approximate dates
• How often risks arise (daily, several times a week, on bad days)
• What precautions are in place and why
• What the consequence would be if no one was watching

For a complete framework covering every section of the AA1 and Scottish PADP application — including structured ways to record and present safety risks — our dementia claim guide walks through the full process.

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