Fire risk and safety for people living with dementia at home: a narrative review of international literature and case study of fire and rescue services in England

Most people living with dementia prefer to continue living at home. However, as dementia progresses, people may become more susceptible to risk including cooking accidents that can lead to fire. This is a common concern cited by people living with dementia, family carers, and healthcare professionals, but research in this area is lacking. Methods: To identify initiatives, interventions, and guidance around fire safety for people living with dementia at home, first we conducted a narrative review of international literature. Next, we used England as a case study by searching all English fire and rescue services websites. We also sent Freedom of Information requests to all services to explore what information is held about fire incidents involving people living with dementia in England. Findings: Eight peer-reviewed articles were eligible for inclusion. Existing literature suggests that assistive technologies such as stove shut-off devices can be difficult for people living with dementia to use and cause additional problems and risks. All English fire services offer ‘Home Fire Safety Visits’, designed to help those vulnerable to fire identify and reduce risk at home however, only four specify that people living with dementia are eligible. Eleven services and two UK dementia charities have produced fire safety guidance for people living with dementia in England. Dementia awareness training in one fire service increased support offered to people living with dementia including provision of assistive technologies. Fire services in England do not record dementia status routinely and methodological issues mean that available data is unlikely to be accurate. Conclusions: There is scope for developing standardised dementia fire safety guidance and awareness training. Further research is needed to explore what types of assistive technologies people affected by dementia want and would find acceptable. We conclude with suggestions for fire safety policy, practice, and future research for England and internationally.