Hi all,
just an update to say we are still waiting for an OT to visit mom, should we perhaps ring them ourselves as the nursing home don't seem too bothered.
thanks
shandy
Pigeon 11, please don't be alarmed by that mention of gangrene. My husband has been a diabetic for over 35 years and has linked Peripheral Artery Disease so his risks are much greater than those of people who do not suffer from this. He has already had his leg amputated and has had gangrene in his remaining heel from a pressure sore, hence my concern but it does not need to be a concern for you so please do not worry about it.I hadn't realised there were things that could assist and about the risk of gangrene etc
Hi all,
My mother has had vascular dementia for 7 and a half years and is in last stages. Her hands have started to close and it's getting impossible to open them, I am quite concerned because the nursing home is not her cutting her nails regular enough and they are pressing on the palms of her hands, also they sweat and the hands get very smelly. I have tried to gently open her fingers from her palms but she looks as if it's painful so I have to stop.
I have tried rolls of sponge in her palms but she just keeps dropping them and it's really difficult to put them back. Has anyone experienced this and does anyone have any idea how we can help mum.
shandy x
hello @art
a warm welcome to posting on DTP
it's kind of you to think of posting the helpful photos
just be aware that this is a thread from 2013, so that particular member may not respond
If it helps, I'm grateful for you digging up this thread, because it's a problem I've been having with my mother, and although I'm aware such things happen, I hadn't dug around the forums to check other people's experiences.Thank you. I didn’t look at dates. How daft of me.
If it helps, I'm grateful for you digging up this thread, because it's a problem I've been having with my mother, and although I'm aware such things happen, I hadn't dug around the forums to check other people's experiences.
I find that sometimes with dementia a bit of ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is also power, so... swings and roundabouts! My Mum's left hand (she's right handed) has been in clench mode for the last year or so, and it's now spread to the whole arm. She can use it all if she wants to, and I encourage her to where possible. But whatever I do, she's got that arm and hand clenched up again before long.
She's started slumping forward a lot, as if she draws some kind of comfort from it, as well... it's like she's steadily withdrawing into some kind of dreadful, terminal foetal position. There's a kind of poetic quality to that, but it's not exactly one to encourage, as it's hardly going to improve her quality of life.
Anyway, hands. Fortunately Mum will usually have something clutched in her hand like a hanky... or yesterday's biscuit if I'm careless! We have some squashy stress-reliever type balls which I try to encourage her to grip, but they end up in her right hand rather than the left, where they're needed. Dementia tried to thwart us at every turn, but we stubbornly keep trying to find solutions to insoluble problems. Such is the human condition!
One thing I can definitely help with is the photo thing... at the bottom of this reply box, on the left there is blue 'Upload a File' text. Click on that and you can select a picture from your computer (or possibly phone, not sure... I'm on a laptop). I am including a photo of some crocuses (I'm sure) which appear to have got a bit confused in our garden.
Winter's clenched fist is unfolding even before it's got a good firm grip. I'm as clueless about the workings of nature these days as I am about my mother's dementia! I planted some bulbs the other week and accidentally damaged one of last year's bulbs which was sprouting well and only half an inch under the surface.
Can't beat the smell of Dettol, can you... reminds me of scabby knees and being reassured by Mum. My turn to do the reassuring now. I think she still responds to the smell as much as I do when a bit of sanitising is required.Maybe putting your mums hand in warm soapy water with a little Detol may encourage her to open it a little
I have just found this thread and it is very useful. My Mum with vascular dementia has recently started curling her hands into fists when just sitting. So far we have found holding her hands relaxes them out and she is still able to pick up cups and use cutlery. Concern is long nails which we cut as care staff don't seem to. Also staff don't seem to know anything about this behaviour with dementia.hello. Good morning. I have the same problem with my husband. He’s had Alz for 11 yrs. & lives at home. One hand ‘fists’ or whatever correct terminology is. Like you I tried everything. He also winces in pain when we try to straighten his fingers. I suppose when your hand is curled this way and for so long it’s bound to be painful to open it again. The OT from NHS gave him a ‘hand thingy’ it sort of works. I also made something out of clean T towels. If you like I could take photos and send them to you. I think it’s quite common for Alz patients to do this.
It’s all so hard isn’t it!! But however hard we find it I can’t imagine how awful it is for our loved ones. A nightmare for them. Let me know if you want those photos. I’ll take some today and post them here if this software is set up for it. Angela.