Hello all,I haven't posted on TP for a while but I have read and searched for posts that relate to the predicament my mum and me as live in carer are dealing with.
My mum is 84,mixed vascular dementia and is half blind,deaf,mobility not too good,prone to falls as balance issues,and has had a Foley catheter for about 3 yrs now.im used to (if you ever can get used to the aftermath)of her getting up and wandering out of bed to the bathroom in the night,consequently dragging a night drainage bag on the floor as she forgets that is attached,this the tubing gets trapped under doors etc,resulting in pulling the catheter out of mum and the contents of the bag everywhere. She also tried to rip the catheter off a few times during the day,and has an absolute fixation with going to empty her bladder and bowels,even though she has become bowel incontinent too-it is such a horrible situation to live with let alone ,deal with the consequences!. I have tried many distractions,even a 'onesie' as that would deter her,tried feeding the catheter down the leg of her pants and strapping it behind her leg,it doesn't work at all. Doctors did prescribe Zopliclon to be used in times of agitation,but they do not work at all,just make her drowsy and she's unsafe as it doesn't stop her fixation for getting to the toilet or sometimes heading for the front door to look for whatever she is hallucinating about at the time.
She has frequent utis,part and parcel of catheter and dementia,she has just come out of Hosp for a severe UTI,urosepsis,and chronic retention.
I asked the doctors what the consequences of mum not having a catheter and they said,she would end up with renal failure eventually or on dialysis as the back pressure of the urine in a full bladder going back into the kidneys. They'd also said my mum is damaging her uretha so frequently by pulling the catheter out that they may not be able to insert in the future if she carries on the way she is... What quality of life is this for her,!?? The only thing I have found as a possible solution is maybe a depravation of her liberty from the point of view of a health professional or someone who had never had to care for a loved one with dementia,and that is restraint mitts-a bit like big oven gloves which prevent the wearer fiddling or pulling at things-iv lines,catheter tubes etc.
I have some kiln gloves that remind me a little of them,or oven gloves with a Velcro strap across the cuff to prevent removal.. It's either this or let my mum die from renal failure as it's distressing my mum so much. I'd appreciate all your thoughts and opinions or advice,I'm at breaking point now. X
My mum is 84,mixed vascular dementia and is half blind,deaf,mobility not too good,prone to falls as balance issues,and has had a Foley catheter for about 3 yrs now.im used to (if you ever can get used to the aftermath)of her getting up and wandering out of bed to the bathroom in the night,consequently dragging a night drainage bag on the floor as she forgets that is attached,this the tubing gets trapped under doors etc,resulting in pulling the catheter out of mum and the contents of the bag everywhere. She also tried to rip the catheter off a few times during the day,and has an absolute fixation with going to empty her bladder and bowels,even though she has become bowel incontinent too-it is such a horrible situation to live with let alone ,deal with the consequences!. I have tried many distractions,even a 'onesie' as that would deter her,tried feeding the catheter down the leg of her pants and strapping it behind her leg,it doesn't work at all. Doctors did prescribe Zopliclon to be used in times of agitation,but they do not work at all,just make her drowsy and she's unsafe as it doesn't stop her fixation for getting to the toilet or sometimes heading for the front door to look for whatever she is hallucinating about at the time.
She has frequent utis,part and parcel of catheter and dementia,she has just come out of Hosp for a severe UTI,urosepsis,and chronic retention.
I asked the doctors what the consequences of mum not having a catheter and they said,she would end up with renal failure eventually or on dialysis as the back pressure of the urine in a full bladder going back into the kidneys. They'd also said my mum is damaging her uretha so frequently by pulling the catheter out that they may not be able to insert in the future if she carries on the way she is... What quality of life is this for her,!?? The only thing I have found as a possible solution is maybe a depravation of her liberty from the point of view of a health professional or someone who had never had to care for a loved one with dementia,and that is restraint mitts-a bit like big oven gloves which prevent the wearer fiddling or pulling at things-iv lines,catheter tubes etc.
I have some kiln gloves that remind me a little of them,or oven gloves with a Velcro strap across the cuff to prevent removal.. It's either this or let my mum die from renal failure as it's distressing my mum so much. I'd appreciate all your thoughts and opinions or advice,I'm at breaking point now. X
