Toilet rolls

[vdg]

It's good to read this thread! My Mum has a thing about tissues to and goes through boxes of them.I am thinking about taking out shares in Kleenex! if she can't get tissues she uses the paper napkins they have at meal times. As these are always brightly coloured she has an amazingly bright mish mash of paper in her pockets and up her sleeves which she spends hours folding and straightening then folding again
We rather suspect this is how her hearing aids departed the first time- wrapped up in a tissues that got chucked out.Since then we have asked the staff to check her bin before emptying!

Before reading this thread I had no idea how common it is for dementia sufferers to like papery tissues etc.My Mum especiallylikes it if I buy the ultra soft ones ,she strokes them a lot.

 

[susiesue]

My husband had a paper fettish He loved magazines, newspapers etc etc I can remember one occasion when we had to visit the GP and as w stood up to leave he helped himself to all the GPs files on the shelf

He would go for a walk around the block and if it happened to be recycling day and the boxes were out full of paper he would bring it all home

He would collect so much that he needed a huge carrier bag to carry it all in and insisted on taking this bag with him wherever he went - he got quite nasty if you tried to leave it behind.....

He also used to stuff reams of toilet paper down the toilet - unfortunately he never used it to wipe his bottom

Memories!!!!!!

 

[nocturne]

My Mum can spend half an hour constantly folding and refolding a paper handkerchief. I think it gives her satisfaction to have her hands occupied. I, too, have had the toilet paper parcels. Always a little worrying as to what they might contain! Usually nothing at all.

John, I can understand your concern over your wife's confusion over you and her first husband. My Mum constantly refers to HER father (who died when she was just 18) but I have realised she always means MY father. Someone asked her what her father's name was and she gave her husband's name. I can only assume she does not recognise herself as old enough to have a husband so presumes that the man in her life who she cared deeply for, must be her father. Strangely enough she can accept me as her daughter. Time has no relevance.
Jan

 

[florence43]

Hi!

My mum went through a long stage of tissue / toilet roll hoarding (amongst MANY other things like elastic bands, clear plastic bags and carrier bags inside carrier bags inside carrier bags!), and we found lots of things inside them. The most common was sandwich crusts... but the worst was pretty nasty! But like you, we accepted them and never mentioned the volume she was getting through, nor raised it as a problem. They obviously made sense in her mind and gave comfort in some way, so we were very discreet in the disposal of them.

Pens were probably the most collected item, but combs and torn-off stamps were always in good supply too! The pens would be stashed inside glasses cases, clear plastic bags, and old handbags. There must have been hundreds, and the silly thing was that we could never find a pen when we needed one! I was always buying more pens for the house, and by next visit...ALL gone!

There's a rational that makes some sense in wanting these items, I imagine. The most important thing was that mum was never made to feel wrong or silly. It was her way and it seemed to make her happy.

She could have collected anything she liked, as far as we were concerned, as long as there was a smile on her face!

 

[sunny]

This is quite a usual occurrence and my Mum who had vascular dementia always fiddled with tissues. Always had a stock by for her to fiddle with. Tissues in every pocket of clothing imaginable but just mind when the clothing goes into the washing machine. Soggy tissues in the machine is a nightmare, gets everywhere!

 

[piedwarbler]

My mum collected kitchen roll and always used bags of it. I must take her a roll, I think she really gets comfort from it.

 

[michelle227]

My dad collects toilet paper kitchen roll and napkins. My neice who is his career when I am at work often notices bundles of paper in his pockets. I often joke about the fact that I notice when she changes her kitchen roll as dad has returned home with a new style. Laughter is the best policy although not always easy. It sems to be a huge comfort to him to be able to have his treasure trove of paper. We have given dad a shoe box which he fills with his treasures and he loves it. He takes his things out and then stores them back in his box.

Michelle

 

[Lynne]

Hi John

I've just been reading your thread about your wife's loo roll "habit" & thought I'd pop in with another vote for its popularity (yes, my Mum did too) and also another comment.

I noticed in one response you said

funny thing is it always around teatime when she starts getting restless, i wish you all the best too JOHN

and wondered if you are familiar with the term Sundowning, which is also a very common experience. I'm attaching a couple of links to other threads mentioning sundowning (increasingly restless behaviour towards the end of the day) which might interest you.

http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?t=30327
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?t=30822
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?t=30197

I hope you continue to come to TP and join in with what help and comfort we can all offer each other; there's no doubt that there's an obscure kind of comfort from knowing that you're not the only one coping with 'odd' or distressing behaviours and situations, even though you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy!

Best wishes

 

[johnpatcarl]

i've just been reading your thread about your wife's loo roll "habit" & thought i'd pop in with another vote for its popularity (yes, my mum did too) and also another comment.

I noticed in one response you said and wondered if you are familiar with the term sundowning, which is also a very common experience. I'm attaching a couple of links to other threads mentioning sundowning (increasingly restless behaviour towards the end of the day) which might interest you.

http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?t=30327
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?t=30822
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?t=30197

i hope you continue to come to tp and join in with what help and comfort we can all offer each other; there's no doubt that there's an obscure kind of comfort from knowing that you're not the only one coping with 'odd' or distressing behaviours and situations, even though you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy!

Best wishes

hi lyne thanks for the info will read best wishes take care john

 

[johnpatcarl]

Toilet rolls took a new twist this week when i found margaret had stuffed toilet paper in her shoes i do not know how long she has been doing it i hope it has only just started it must have been crippling her so i thought i would post this in case someonelse is going through the same problem take care john