Obsessing over the little things...

[DAL]

Hello,

My Dad (recently diagnosed with mixed dementia) has become obsessed with little things, for example, at the cinema yesterday he was so distracted by my drink carton he kept picking it up and shaking it during the film and asking me if it was mine...

He does this a lot with things at home too, especially if something is misplaced and he can't recall where he put it, he spends hours if I let him looking for pegs or scraps of paper..

Just wanted to ask, is this a regular and known thing or is he just uniquely quirky?

Dawn


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[love.dad.but..]

Common I'm afraid, my Dad obsessed over many things - counting money, folding bits of paper, tidying his pens, bits of fluff on his trousers etc...the phase lasted a long time but has lessened as his dementia progresses and is replaced by other phases of behaviour.

 

[HillyBilly]

Well done on getting your Dad to the cinema at all!

 

[irismary]

Yes common theme it seems. My husband has a pile of magazines and papers on the table that he "plays" with, picks up the tiniest speck of paper or fluff and gives it to me, messes with keys, coasters, coins, etc. I think perhaps in his case its to keep busy or a distraction.

 

[Slugsta]

My Mum will pick the tiniest bit of fluff or hair off her clothes - much of the time whatever it is being so tiny that I can't even see it!

She also spends ages in the Ladies when we are out because she clears up other people's rubbish

 

[Aisling]

Hello,

My Dad (recently diagnosed with mixed dementia) has become obsessed with little things, for example, at the cinema yesterday he was so distracted by my drink carton he kept picking it up and shaking it during the film and asking me if it was mine...

He does this a lot with things at home too, especially if something is misplaced and he can't recall where he put it, he spends hours if I let him looking for pegs or scraps of paper..

Just wanted to ask, is this a regular and known thing or is he just uniquely quirky?

Dawn




Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point

Am sorry Dawn, but in my experience this is part of the awful disease.

Aisling xx

 

[lemonjuice]

Yes fairly common and it can drive you crazy.

 

[Kjn]

My dad picks at tiny things too, picks bit of dried food off his trousers spilt from lunch
Used to tear up newspapers, you name it he did it.

 

[DAL]

Thanks for the replies. It does drive me crazy, the most annoying thing is every night he asks 'is anyone else coming in' before locking up when we live with no one else! Also he seems more sensitive to sounds, if I make a noise such as hanging a towel on the towel rail or putting the shower head back in its clip he shouts 'are you ok? Have you hurt yourself?' I know it's considerate really but if drives me nuts


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[Kjn]

We understand X

 

[Red66]

Yep, my dad picked at bits on his clothes that were that small I couldn't see. This then developed into pulling at his trousers up his legs so he looked like he had hotpants on. Yet, as I just posted on another thread, he felt the cold and would complain he was cold all the time, his legs to touch would be freezing so we would drag the trouser leg back down to his ankle, normal place obviously and then he would pull it up his legs again. Didn't get that at all!! And referring to sounds he would say Sssshhhh alot. Didn't like noise of any kind. Whether it be banging or laughter!!

 

[Reallife]

Re sounds, Dad hears every tiny noise and is always asking "what's that?"
It doesn't seem to upset him and he is always content with the explanation.

 

[canary]

The worrying about small noises sounds like sensory overload to me - OH cant cope with noise either.

Would a fiddle-rug help with the picking at clothes do you think? it would give him something for his hands to do and keep him warm at the same time.

 

[Missie 1956]

Mum picks up a small telephone directory with photos in it that sits on the table. She flicks through it, puts it down. Picks it up again and flicks through again. This is repeated several times. Then left for a while and it starts all over again. Feel so much for all on here as dementia takes over our loved ones

 

[jaymor]

My husband obsessed over elastic bands. He prepared his own sandwiches every day and his box went into the same M&S carrier bag which he pulled tight around the bag and put an elastic band around it. Then the rest of the bag was wrapped around the box and more bands were added.

He used notepads to help him carry on working and as he filled one pad he put a band round it. Each pad added had another band put round it. So obsessed by bands he even picked up the ones the postmen dropped everywhere.

Once in his nursing home he collected paper napkins, infact he turned into a right magpie and when his pockets were full he put the excess down his trousers. The kitchen was his favourite hunting ground. Tea bags, biscuits, spoons, fruit, dishcloths and tea towels.

One Carer at his funeral told a story how she followed him down the corridor and as he walked things fell out of his trouser legs including a fire exit sign.

 

[carrieboo]

My mum also constantly picks up bits of invisible fluff from the carpet, didn't realise this was an AD 'thing'

She goes through various obsessions, the present one is the central heating system, she thinks the boiler is 'making funny noises' (it isn't, been checked by a plumber), and constantly fiddles with the thermostat and timer, leading to numerous 'I've got no heating/hot water/boiler's broken down/I told you it was making funny noises' phone calls

She also keeps 'hearing' things coming through the letter box when there's nothing there. Generally she can't hear anything because she has the telly so LOUD.