Nailbiting

[Carerallan]

My wife, diagnosed some 3 years ago with early on-set Alzheimer's, has been in nursing care home for past year. Recently she has taken to biting her lovely nails so far down that she has started on the flesh to point of drawing blood at times. One nurse suggested 'Stop'n'grow' only for another to reject on grounds that M would not associate taste with reason for use so therefore cruel. GP visited and has concurred that NOTHING can be done. M has now started to pick nose but, and I only assume, nail end has scratched inside again drawing blood. GP aware and states that cream can be prescribed if nostril becomes infected.

Is anybody aware of this development? Any remedy?

 

[Nebiroth]

If the pain or sore fingers and torn quicks isn't stopping your mum biting her nails I don't see how a nasty taste is going to

The other nurse is right - people with dementia can't 'learn' - mum's nail biting is probably subconscious anyway, a bit like thumbsucking and she would just forget the nasty taste right away and keep right on doing it.

The inside of the nose is very rich in tiny blood vessels and these break and bleed very easily. Nose-picking is a common cause of bleeds.

These things, whilst not pleasant, are unlikely to lead to anything serious. She might get a mild infection inside the nose but that is easily treated.

Nosebleeds are usually of no concern unless they are unexplained, involve a serious blood loss or are apparently from the area behind the nose itself. As none of these things apply I wouldn't worry aboout it.

 

[Canadian Joanne]

I agree that the nailbaiting is unconscious behaviour. I guess the best thing to do is to try and ensure that her nails don't have jagged edges.

This is probably just a phase and not much you can do about it. My mother went through a very long (nearly a year) phase of clearing her throat every minute or two and it nearly drove me mad. We had lots of throat swabs but no infection - just one of of those AD behaviours.

 

[JackMac]

It sounds like a repetitive behaviour that many get with this condition from what I have read. My mum constantly rubs her legs even when she is walking. If dad tells people about it they say "oh that's not a big problem" but they should try watching it 24 hours a day!
unfortunately there really does not seem to be anything that stops her doing it! If you have a read up on it though, it does say that it's one of the hardest things that carers deal with...repetitive behaviour.

jackmac

 

[Carerallan]

Thanks for the swift responses.

I am aware of some of the repetitive behaviour associated with AD but as this development is fairly new for us, I just wondered if there was a known remedy for, or if anyone had experience of, the nailbiting behaviour.

Thanks. Allan

 

[Michele]

Hi Allan,

I have just read your post with much interest.

My mum has never bitten her nails, until the last 3 to 4 months. Even when I visited her yesterday, her beautiful nails were all bitten down. I thought it was just my mum, but obviously not.

I too would be interested if anyone else has experienced this.

Love
Michele
xxx

 

[jlw]

I have just read this as nail biting has become a problem for my mum, she always bit her nails (before dementia) but then about a year ago started growing them super-long which caused problems in itself as they were often dirty and unhygienic and it was a struggle to trim them off. Now, she bites to the extreme, every finger is so sore, almost all the nail has gone, but she seems unaware of pain, we have tried the obvious 'Stop n Grow' but as an earlier blogger writes, this makes no difference. It is a repetitive problem now which she can't stop. Another thing is her sucking on her teeth constantly, her own by the way, not false. It's a new thing that she has started to do.

 

[nmintueo]

There don't seem to be that many mentions of nail-biting in the forum. Here's one:

Dad said he hated it in the home, but almost straight away he was calmer. He stopped biting his nails and picking at his fingers over night.

which might be seen as analogous to this:

a phase of scratching until a lot of her body was scabbed, or bleeding ... finally cleared up when she moved into care and started taking more regular showers, having her skin cared for with creams, and had more to do so she wasn't bored and scratching.

... although since in this case your wife is already in a care home, that doesn't really help here.

GP visited and has concurred that NOTHING can be done.

Oh, yeah? Well, how's he going to know if he doesn't try?

"Nail biting has been shown to respond well to certain types of medication."
http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Nail_biting

 

[lin1]

Oh, yeah? Well, how's he going to know if he doesn't try?

That my view too

They may well be right about the stop n grow , as something unpleasant could cause upset or distress
I havent looked at the link that nmintueo provided above , I will later.

Could it be boredom/needing to do something/work and not being able or allowed to
I am wondering if your wifes hands were kept busy (sorry I dont know your wifes ability's) things like

My mum would spend hrs folding and refolding something even apiece of kitchen roll, perhaps your wife could be given a job of folding up some towels
My mum adored her teddy she would cuddle and look after it for hours
just to give you a few ideas