Hi Everyone,
I am new to this forum and was hoping to get some advice and tips and talk to people who are going though/have gone through the same thing. We think that my Mum has the onset of Dementia. She had to go to the GP over a fall she had and I thought that was my opportunity to get her assessed about her memory, she had been so adamant that she was not going before because 'there is nothing wrong with me'. She has been to the doctors who gave her a memory test and wanted her to attend a memory clinic which she refused to go and we have heard nothing from the GP since and she will not go back.
My current worry is her personal hygiene, we have brought her incontinence pants when she had her fall as she did wet the bed, however this has stopped but the smell of urine is becoming unbearable, she refuses to get a shower, the excuses are that she hasn't got time, she will get one before bed, she doesn't want to get her hair wet (I have brought her a shower cap) etc and it never happens. she says she is wearing the pants but I honestly don't know if she is, I have tried broaching the subject but I haven't actually said anything about the odour, I really don't know how to broach it. I do little things like buy a deodorant and spray it on me, then on her saying how lovely the smell is..........I just feel helpless, she kicks off and gets stressed out when I mention certain things and I don't want to upset her so I just leave it. I do not live there but do go down most days after work, she has stopped cooking and shopping (she only very rarely goes out with my Dad in the car to shop) but then she gets tired because of this pain she has which is from a fall she had 4 months ago, she is in pain and refuses to go to the doctors/hospital. It's so hard to try and help when she is so stubborn. I think she is frightened in case they admit her to hospital. At the moment it is the hygiene issue. I would be grateful for any advice and I do apologise for this lengthy first post. x
I am new to this forum and was hoping to get some advice and tips and talk to people who are going though/have gone through the same thing. We think that my Mum has the onset of Dementia. She had to go to the GP over a fall she had and I thought that was my opportunity to get her assessed about her memory, she had been so adamant that she was not going before because 'there is nothing wrong with me'. She has been to the doctors who gave her a memory test and wanted her to attend a memory clinic which she refused to go and we have heard nothing from the GP since and she will not go back.
My current worry is her personal hygiene, we have brought her incontinence pants when she had her fall as she did wet the bed, however this has stopped but the smell of urine is becoming unbearable, she refuses to get a shower, the excuses are that she hasn't got time, she will get one before bed, she doesn't want to get her hair wet (I have brought her a shower cap) etc and it never happens. she says she is wearing the pants but I honestly don't know if she is, I have tried broaching the subject but I haven't actually said anything about the odour, I really don't know how to broach it. I do little things like buy a deodorant and spray it on me, then on her saying how lovely the smell is..........I just feel helpless, she kicks off and gets stressed out when I mention certain things and I don't want to upset her so I just leave it. I do not live there but do go down most days after work, she has stopped cooking and shopping (she only very rarely goes out with my Dad in the car to shop) but then she gets tired because of this pain she has which is from a fall she had 4 months ago, she is in pain and refuses to go to the doctors/hospital. It's so hard to try and help when she is so stubborn. I think she is frightened in case they admit her to hospital. At the moment it is the hygiene issue. I would be grateful for any advice and I do apologise for this lengthy first post. x