I haven't seen it mentioned here or anywhere else about hygiene problems with alzheimers. so im wondering if this is part of the disease or something else going on.
my mum has recently become very smelly. she bathes every day but whenever I see her she smells (B.O armpits). I couldn't understand it as she always had her clothes neatly laid out in her bedroom. I finally realized that these neatly laid out clothes weren't getting washed and really smelt very bad.
after strong hints weren't getting through I have started to be really blunt with her, telling her to change her clothes and wash her armpits. I don't like to do this but I don't want her to be 'that old stinky lady' that people talk about. ive even put the offending items of clothing under her nose to smell and she doesn't seem to think its bad. I now also put her washing in each time I go round. she always gets in a bit of a huff about me doing it but as we know, she soon forgets.
has anyone else experienced this. she is recently diagnosed (about 2mth) and I am still finding my feet here
Hi,
I've been through this with both my parents and it's one of the trickiest things. Dad was compliant and happy for me to help him, Mum wasn't originally. So here's what we did/do with her:
1) Keep her clothes clean - that's half the battle. A day's missed body wash is not an issue if she is wearing clean clothes. I used to go through her wardrobe and smell all the armpits and pull out to wash anything that had been worn, even once. (I don't need to now as I have more input generally and her clothes don't get so bad). Mum doesn't know who's put the washing on...she used to assume that she had, so that was easy once it was in the machine. I'd also find excuses to be there when she was in her nightie so I could scoop up everything that she had worn during the day. As a last resort I have accidentally spilt water on her if she is wearing something really smelly or food-stained that I haven't been able to get off her...once wet she can't take it off fast enough and I can accept her irritation over my clumsiness as a pay off for getting her clothes clean..
2) In terms of her wash, Mum still believes that she can do it and technically she can, but actually never does. She gets huffy and if pushed, highly irritable at any hint that she can't do it properly. I never ever give her that impression and never will. Of course she can wash herself...goes without saying...and my body language has to tell the same story.
It was a really difficult one but she did smell bad for quite a while before I found a way in; I had to find an acceptable way to intervene. Years back, several years after her disease took hold, I started to help her wash her back and her feet; we called them the tricky bits and it was difficult for her to argue with that, although she thought I was being fussy. When I washed her back I was able to include her armpits. It gradually evolved over time for me to enable her to do more and for me to wash more of her myself. I had to go incredibly slowly to build it up. Whilst I wash her back, I very matter of factly hand her a warm wet flannel and say 'this one is for your face Mum'. That works a treat now. I hold the soap dispenser or a bar of soap out for her to wash her hands and the basin is filled with warm water ready for her hands (often the grubbiest part of her) Once she's washed her face and neck and any other bit that takes her fancy (which often includes the window sill and basin)," I hand her a soapy brown flannel and say this one is for between your legs.' Usually that works too. If I am concerned that she is dirty, I am now able to use a couple of warmed baby wipes to clean at the back before she gets there with the flannel.
What's really important is to be having a conversation about something completely different at the same time, so that she barely notices what is happening. Mum prefers a strip wash so we stand at the basin and look out over her (beautiful) garden, looking for squirrels and woodpeckers. This keeps her engaged and not concentrating on the fact that she is receiving help.
Underarm deodorant is very necessary to keep things under control and if her mood means that I cannot get her to go through this routine occasionally, it doesn't really matter. She never used to wear deodorant so it was tough to introduce. The spray is more effective than a roll on, but she hates the cold shock. Sometimes I put some on me, then on Mum, but either way, I always tell her "Sorry Mum, you don't like this, it's chilly" and I wait a couple of seconds for that to sink in before i actually spray it on her. That way she accepts it well, grateful that I acknowledge that she doesn't like it.
Nowadays, I wash her feet separately as a 'pampering session' in front of the television, but in the beginning it was a useful 'inroad' to help Mum get used the idea of me helping her to wash.
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Her hair is now done by a mobile hairdresser every week...more often than she used to do, but she looks better for it. People seem to treat Mum much better when she is well presented.
Hope this is of some help. It's such a personal and sensitive area, but really worth starting to get a toe in as early as possible. Good luck.
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