Coping with 'stripping'

[Stimpfig]

Hello again

In the last one year, mum has done this about 4 times. She has taken off her clothes and wrapped herself in a blanket. On questioning, her 'reasoning' is that the clothes she's wearing are soiled, dirty, not the right ones, old etc. , none of which is true as I have always ensured that she wears fresh/clean clothes every day. She sometimes complains that she doesn't have enough clothes although she cannot recognise what's what anymore nor can she dress herself. When she does this, I usually take out all that she likes and give it in her hand to let her feel the nice clothes she `'owns' but then she forgets it all as usual.

I don't suppose I can prevent her from suddenly taking off her clothes but was wondering if others are going through something similar.

 

[Lynne]

Hi Sue,
Sorry, I have no answers for you but just thought I'd share the mental image your post conjured up:

Elderly Indian lady (Asian, not American) sitting in the entrance to Germany's equivalent of Sainsburys, surrounded by cast off clothing and firmly wrapped in a blanket, doing an imitation of Hiawatha

You didn't mention it, but can we hope for your sake she only does this at home

 

[Áine]

Hi Sue. Never a dull moment with parents like this is there? My dad went through a phase of this, I think connected to when he was quite unsettled moving nursing homes etc, though that might just have been co-incidence. There were several evenings (it usually WAS evening) when he just couldn't seem to keep his clothes on. Even at mealtime he was standing up between mouthfuls of food trying to get his trousers down. I talked about it on another discussion forum at the time and people suggested various things: he needed changing, needed the toilet, too hot, change of medication, and / or simply being bored. One thing he did seem to be giving as a reason was that he wanted his braces on and the nursing home had forgotten them. He certainly did it less once he had his braces on ...... though practically it was less easy for him to get undressed with them on anyway . Oh, and another thing I'd wondered about ...... the home had just started using incontinence pads with him and I think he was a bit uncomfortable with them.

Thankfully he's only done it in the nursing home and not whilst we're out. Someone did suggest to me some special clothes made by:

http://www.buckandbuck.com/

which I've only seen on the net - they look like trousers and sweatshirt - but are in fact an all in one suit that fastens up the back. I've got mixed feelings about them I guess ...... and I'm not sure how practical they are for when people need to use the toilet ...... but if it's between that and the stripper routine outside Sainsburys, then they could be worth considering.

 

[kuulteach]

my mum is in hospital waiting to go in care home (of my choice since she is paying)
she packs! Everyting! soiled pads with the clean clothes - eternally washing!
My house is a tip......... I now consider myself lucky she hasn't thought to pack what she's wearing too

Had this mad thought about a thread for people suffering with dementia........ would either be bizarre, empty

 

[Lynne]

Don't feel you have to hold back Kuulteach, there are already several quite loony threads on TP, or else threads that started life as simple questions & then veered off the straight & narrow!!

If we didn't share a wry grin or two together, we'd all be weeping.