Hello all, I am new to this forum and wanted to post a message about my dad's compulsive buying habits which are related to his dementia. Originally he started buying lots of milk and then it went on to biscuits and chocolate. At the time me and my mum didn't know what to do to stop it and it became a bit of a problem. However since then it has moved onto compulsive buying cigarettes. Luckily he isn't smoking them properly - he lights one and then puts if out after a couple of puffs. It is getting to be ridiculous though as he is spending huge sums of money each month and we don't know what to do. My mum is planning to hide his bank card as a last resort, but this will of course cause him anxiety and anger! It is such a dilemma. If only he would go back to the cake... it doesn't seem so much of a problem now.. Thank you
Hi Sophie
I haven't posted in here for a while but came back to it today as I'm wondering too about my Mum's spending habits. We've just got back fro a holiday with her and I have noticed a decline with her dementia. When we go out, she always needs the chemist, even though she already has bought loads of things. On holiday, she always wanted to go into the shops, in a Lidl, we did a big shop and then as we were leaving, she turned to my husband and I and said "You wouldn't let me go down that aisle there, I wanted to see what they had" but she had already bought loads of things that she didn't really need, including a massive packet of biscuits. She was always buying biscuits, tissues and lots of other stuff for friends, in the end her suitcase was so hard to close!!
My Mum did use to smoke but she gave it up last year. But I was wondering, would it help if your Dad switched to E-cigarettes? You could try and persuade him next time by commenting how expensive those cigarettes are, isn't it shocking, that one smells really nice...etc and the e cigarettes may just be a way to keep his habit going but not so expensive. I know it depends on how advanced his Alzheimer's is but sometimes, my Mum can be persuaded to try out something new. I hope you find something to help you, it's pretty tough going, isn't it. Xx