A Question for Families of Dementia Patients
@gnatsmom (2575)
December 29, 2017 10:13pm CST
Is anyone a caregiver or family member of someone suffering from dementia?
We had to put my mom in assisted living in August of this year because she suffers from this disease. She made great progress at first. Now she is become more obstinate. She refuses to take a bath and verbally attacks her nurses when they try to convince her to do so. She is currently angry with me and my brother because we want her to take a shower. It has been five days, and she still refuses.
Why does this become such and issue for them? What are some ideas to convince her she should shower?
5 people like this
6 responses
@thislittlepennyearns (68246)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
30 Dec 17
Try sponge baths, and see if she will do that.
3 people like this
@gnatsmom (2575)
•
30 Dec 17
My best friend used to work in a nursing home and my daughter in law is a CNA for home health care. They both say this is very common for dementia patients. My mom is now getting verbally abusive with the nurses and they can't physically force her and they have tried offering at different times a day, having someone she wants come in to help, and she still refuses.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (117268)
• El Paso, Texas
30 Dec 17
Dementia is awful @gnatsmom I had a heck of a time getting mom to let me help her with her showers but somehow I managed to convince her to take showers.
Mom used to complain that she was too cold after her bath so I would make the bathroom really hot for her and then she would consent to a bath or shower.
The attitude is also normal, dementia victims tend to get abusive to others around them at some point but then it becomes necessary to consult a doctor to see if they can help with that.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
30 Dec 17
a lot of elderly start refusing to bathe even without dementia.
i think part of it is it's either too tiring or they're afraid of falling.
i had one grandma with dementia and one with altzheimer's-after a while the nurses had to force them to be bathed and neither liked it.when you have a brain disorder like that,they do often become combative.my dad's mom sucker punched me,and for 72 she had a damn good right hook.
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
31 Dec 17
@gnatsmom they are.that reservedness is usually quite gone.
1 person likes this
@gnatsmom (2575)
•
30 Dec 17
She said she is doing that, but she stinks so bad. And she is starting to act schizophrenic again. That is how she does when the UTI's start back up.
@Tampa_girl7 (54730)
• United States
30 Dec 17
My mama has Alzheimer's and my daddy has vascular dementia. So far we haven't had this problem. Maybe there is a way to make bath time fun for her. Good luck.
2 people like this
@peachpurple (13961)
• Malaysia
30 Dec 17
She needs someone whom she can trust, my mom had stroke, had mild dementia, refused to visit the toilet until I convince her
1 person likes this
