Can anyone help with the fiddling?

[Novice]

I wonder if anyone else has come across this behaviour or has any ideas how to manage it?
I know people with Alzheimer’s tend to fiddle, and bought Mum a fiddle muff in the hope it would help - she destroyed it! Her constant fiddling means her clothes are now devoid of buttons, and nighties etc have lost ribbons, decorations etc. She even managed to take the ‘spinner’ I bought her to pieces, and has ‘enjoyed’ unplaiting our table place mats. She has started deconstructing some of her bedclothes! I have learned to overcome most of these - buying plain clothes, although finding clothes with fool proof fastenings is a bit more difficult! removing place mats and changing bedclothes. This phase is beginning to end, but has been replaced by the ‘scratch’ phase. This results in pulled fibres on clothes, chairs - infact any soft fabric surface, and if she finds a loose piece of cotton it is pulled resulting in undone hems, holes etc etc. Fortunately this behaviour generally only happens at home; in company Mum presents as ’normal’. My brother and I have discussed using mittens but are not sure how long they will last! Has anyone else come across this type of behaviour or got any ideas how to manage it please?

 

[Plisnit]

Hi. I afraid I don't have a solution, but my mum does exactly the same. She has pulled apart soft toys, unpicked hems, shredded tissues, and she also rolls her trousers legs up and scratches her knees. I don't think she would keep gloves on, so I keep her finger nails as short as possible.

 

[Tin]

I have, my mum has destroyed a few things with buttons and zips and like yours if she sees a tread on anything she pulls and pulls at it. She once attacked curtains at the dining room window, there was a tiny thread hanging down.

It does seem to only happen with materials. I have bought a lot of mum's fiddling clothes from various charity shops even bedding and all my precious linens especially the ones with a lace fringe, are now under lock and key. I now have hard plastic table mats, but don't often use them, every time I set the table mum is behind me ready to collect them all up and squirrel them away somewhere.

Doubt mittens would be the answer, you would have to gaffer tape them around her wrists and that's a step too far. Is it possible you could get a pile of old clothes for her? Of course you would then have to guide her towards them.

 

[Malalie]

Could you give her things to sort out? Tins of buttons, beads etc? Or is it just 'fabricy' things that she likes? MIL (88 with AZ/VD) hasn't shown this sort of behavior., but her brother , who also suffered from the same thing, seemed to be happy just folding napkins into very small shapes.

I am sure that you will get more recommendations for helpful things from others who are trying to cope with the same sort of behaviour. I would just keep buying more aids (treat it as expenses for therapy) As she destroys them, replace them. I don't think that there is anything you can do to stop her desiring to fiddle.

Hopefully this phase will pass. Good luck and I hope all goes well.

 

[onlyme1]

hiya novice. my mum likes to 'fiddle .when I'm at the care home I'm usually doing crochet, weaving or something, and I always have lots of spare wool or yarn to unravel and get mum to wind it into a new ball for me. She's usually reluctant in case she 'breaks' it, but seemingly enjoys it, other ladies join in too, we chat about the colours and what they remind us of etc. I help in a charity shop so easily pick up random bits of yarn, etc. so far mum's not unravelled stuff though! x Lindy.

 

[mancmum]

Unravelling tangled up yarn kept my father busy for hours

so busy that when I have finished this jumper the remaining balls will deliberately be tangled up for him to sort out. and again. It feels awful to be deliberately creating work but he has said its like a different sort of jigsaw and he enjoys it.

I am using a cotton acrylic blend which is fairly thick in three different bright colours.

 

[Rosnpton]

At mums ch the knitting group have old hand knitted items donated form a charity shop. The staff partially unpick them,then give them to residents to unravel and recall the wool up. Even when I took in brand new Balls of wool, these were unwou d and recalled up to their own method.
Mum also likes to pick at furry type soft toys and give them bald spots.
Ros

 

[Novice]

Morning everyone. Sorry to have been quiet for a while. Caring 24/7 is time consuming. Fiddling has taken a whole new direction. Mum now tries to remove the pattern from printed materials eg printed floral skirt she thinks flowers are real? Same with the patterned carpet. Today she has ripped the paper off the toilet wall while seated, and there was not even a loose corner to start with! Anymore ideas gratefully accepted!!!!

 

[DianeAndRachel]

We fought for ages to get Alzheimers diagnosed. Mum has been fiddling with tissues for a long time and it's good to know that it's not just us. We bought a fiddle muff but think it might not be a good idea now! She has also almost ripped her nightshirt to pieces. It's good to know what we're not on our own and there are other people out there experiencing the same thing as it can get frustrating, tearful and anything else you wish to mention.

 

[Philbo]

My wife does fiddle with paper tissue etc but the more annoying thing (for me, anyway), is the constant moving things around. Lost count of the number of times I've had to search the house for the remote controls, my glasses case, tea towels etc

Her sister got her a fiddle muff, which was fine for a while however, she started unpicking the various items stitched to/in it. Then one evening, I noticed her chewing on something and when I finally managed to get her to spit it out, it was a huge button!

The muff got put away.

Now where the heck are my car keys?

 

[LynneMcV]

Morning everyone. Sorry to have been quiet for a while. Caring 24/7 is time consuming. Fiddling has taken a whole new direction. Mum now tries to remove the pattern from printed materials eg printed floral skirt she thinks flowers are real? Same with the patterned carpet. Today she has ripped the paper off the toilet wall while seated, and there was not even a loose corner to start with! Anymore ideas gratefully accepted!!!!

Unfortunately, this is another aspect of dementia, anything with patterns can cause confusion as the brain is no longer interpreting what it sees in the same way.

I can look at a pattern on a piece of fabric and automatically know it is a print but my husband will see it as separate from the fabric and something that can be picked up.

An example is at one of the groups we attend. Their tables are covered with wipe clean tablecloths featuring fruit. My husband invariably sits there each week attempting to pick the fruit up.

Flooring is the same - even mostly plain wooden effect flooring. He will see carpet patterns or wood effect knotholes as floating above their background and something to be picked up.

I find it best to keep everything plain and simple - no patterned flooring, curtains or wallpaper. I have also made sure that flooring is the same between the rooms he uses as a sudden change in floor type causes confusion by appearing as a hole or a sudden step up or down.