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Put a combination indoor door handle on the door so he can’t open it. You can also try the Alzheimer’s door hinges.
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Does he have a fall history? Movement, walking and steps are the best prevention for falling. Strong legs will help prevent falls.

Is there an arm railing on each side he can use? Make sure there is a solid arm railing. His PCP can order PT to the house who can review safe use of steps.

Make sure the steps are non slip. If they are painted put the rubber sticky strips on them so they are non skid.
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Either move him out of that house into AL or a similar situation with his approval or let him be! Locking him out of his own basement is not an answer.....if my kids tried to do that to me, I'd have the lock removed immediately!
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My MIL had those basement stairs that are open. Yep her washer and dryer were down their. TG they moved before she got too old to use those steps.

A woman I know had a neighbor who was in one of those old houses with those stairs down to the basement. She had early Dementia and was going down there all the time for something. She had been a neighbor since this woman was a child and grew up with her kids. This was a neighborhood where everyone took care of each other. So the woman told Mrs. R she was cleaning out her basement. The things she needed were brought upstairs and the rest thrown out. She then told Mrs R that there no longer was a reason to go down into the cellar so don't go down. Mrs R was a sweetie so sure she obeyed.

Option, put a lock on the door. I have seen those stackable washers put in closets. A couple of cabinets can be taken out and put under kitchen counters.
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Is he living in a house with a second floor? Are you restricting him to the main floor only? If there is a second floor do not use "baby gates as he would probably try to step over them.
What is in the basement that he seems to want to get to?

Honestly your dad WILL fall. It is not a matter of if or where but when.
What you need to do is make the entire house as safe for him and others as possible.
Make sure there are hand rails at each staircase. And the hand rails should be closed at the ends so that a sleeve can not catch the open end and cause a problem.
Remove throw rugs on the floor.
Remove or reroute any cords.
Make sure items are picked up off the floor and never place anything on the stairs.
Bathrooms should be as slip resistant as possible
These are just a few things you can do to help safety.

If the basement has a door, lock it so he can not get down the stairs.
If he needs to get down there someone should go with him. BUT if he begins to fall do not try to prevent it, you will only hurt yourself.

Resign yourself to the fact that at some point he will fall and work on prevention and what to do when he does. (does he have advanced directives indicating what he would want done in an emergency)
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What's in his basement that he needs to access? Has he fallen somewhere else already? Does he live in his own place? Alone? My Mom is 95 and lives semi-independently in the house next door to me. It is 1-level living but her washer/dryer is in the basement and there's no option to relocate it upstairs. I vacillate between doing laundry for her but then taking away one of her activities that gives her purpose. It's also good exercise for her.
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I had to let go of this argument with my mom. I have no control or power, no one in my family supports me in that, my 89 year old mom shouldnt be going up and down the stairs, so I just accept it and put it out a my head.

Her washer and dryer are in the basement, I would have gladly done her laundry, but she is obsessed with washing clothes. One person, she will have a load a day.

Her upstairs is filled with things the things she thinks needs, but she doesn't need them. Yesterday she said it's getting harder for her to go upstairs, I think the stair tread is higher than the basement. So I went up and got her Easter decorations, she insisted she needs, but I'm sure she will end up going up when no one is there.

It's hard, every situation is different, for me I had to to let it go and shrug it off, for my own health.

Hopefully you find a better solution .
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Can you put a lock on the basement door, or install a door if there isn’t one and then lock it?
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Sorry to hear this. Does he live alone? How cognitively “with it” would you say he is? Would he consider wearing a medical alert pendant?
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