4 years on

EdgsonW

Registered User
Jan 14, 2018
127
0
Bath
My Beloved has had my care for 4 plus years and over that time I have asked folk on Talkback for advise as things change. Firstly it was Sundowning but now as her movements decrease I have trouble to get her to position herself over the toilet and the bed. She seems to see something that frightens her as we approach these items and suddenly freezes which makes it very difficult it position her. When on the toilet her nose starts to run and I have had to rely on changing the pads more often. She sleeps without moving for 14 hours without moving which is amazing to me.
How to guide her to the bed is again a battle, even trying to back her up doesn't work and she sometimes ends up with her feet out of the bed.
Finally has anyone noticed that tissues are sometimes chewed and eaten? Maybe Kleenex are flavouring them with something.
EdgsonW
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,443
0
Kent
Hello @EdgsonW

As the illness progresses coordination suffers. I also remember trying to help my husband into bed. In order to ensure his feet were covered, he was often lying in a diagonal position and I had to balance myself on the edge.

Be careful of your back. I found lifting unrealistically heavy legs onto the bed caused damage to my already fragile back.

Thankfully I haven`t experienced the tissue situation. I wonder if a clean cotton handkerchief would be less worrying. At least it can`t be swallowed and can be easily changed and laundered.
 

Toony Oony

Registered User
Jun 21, 2016
576
0
Hello @EdgsonW - firstly, I will own up that it was your user picture of those beautiful cats that drew me to your post!

The reason for my reply is that my Mum has been constantly obsessed with tissues. She wipes with them, folds them, hides them ....... so much so that I stopped taking her boxes of tissues in as she would also 'decorate' her Care Home room with them.
Mum now requires all aspects of care, is in a wheelchair and can barely communicate or understand.
Last week I cut up a cup cake for her to eat and gave her a white paper napkin (one of those nice thick ones) - I turned my back for a minute to bring our drinks over and found Mum was biting lumps out of the napkin and attempting to eat it. I had no end of a job getting all the bits out of her mouth (and I'm sure she swallowed some). I figured that she perceived the white napkin to be a sandwich, and its proximity to a plate that she had been eating from, reinforced this idea in her mind.
Never a problem at mealtimes as coloured cloth napkins are used.
So, I would say that @Grannie G's suggestion is a good idea.
 

Buteo

Registered User
Mar 20, 2019
83
0
My wife had a thing about toilet tissue and tissues. We were getting through a roll a day and a box of tissues in a couple of days. She didn't eat them but did stuff them down her knickers and leave crumpled tissue round the house, in drawers and nooks and crannies. I hid them and it solved the problem.
 

EdgsonW

Registered User
Jan 14, 2018
127
0
Bath
Hello @EdgsonW

As the illness progresses coordination suffers. I also remember trying to help my husband into bed. In order to ensure his feet were covered, he was often lying in a diagonal position and I had to balance myself on the edge.

Be careful of your back. I found lifting unrealistically heavy legs onto the bed caused damage to my already fragile back.

Thankfully I haven`t experienced the tissue situation. I wonder if a clean cotton handkerchief would be less worrying. At least it can`t be swallowed and can be easily changed and laundered.

Thanks. Yes my back is quite achy now so I soak under the shower but am having to think of a wheelchair as I'm scared of her falling when in the shower.
And I will try cotton coloured handkerchiefs if they are still sold. My Dad always had lots of those around when he was 90.
 

EdgsonW

Registered User
Jan 14, 2018
127
0
Bath
Hello @EdgsonW - firstly, I will own up that it was your user picture of those beautiful cats that drew me to your post!

The reason for my reply is that my Mum has been constantly obsessed with tissues. She wipes with them, folds them, hides them ....... so much so that I stopped taking her boxes of tissues in as she would also 'decorate' her Care Home room with them.
Mum now requires all aspects of care, is in a wheelchair and can barely communicate or understand.
Last week I cut up a cup cake for her to eat and gave her a white paper napkin (one of those nice thick ones) - I turned my back for a minute to bring our drinks over and found Mum was biting lumps out of the napkin and attempting to eat it. I had no end of a job getting all the bits out of her mouth (and I'm sure she swallowed some). I figured that she perceived the white napkin to be a sandwich, and its proximity to a plate that she had been eating from, reinforced this idea in her mind.
Never a problem at mealtimes as coloured cloth napkins are used.
So, I would say that @Grannie G's suggestion is a good idea.

Thanks again it is so good to know that I do not suffer alone. They were my wife's friends cats which though beautiful would keep us awake with there yowling when we went to stay. They must have known that I did not like them and I still have scars to prove it.
Coloured tissues of napkins
EdgsonW