I'm my mom's caregiver 24/7 and as the Dementia increases she becomes more combatant. I don't have a problem until she becomes irate and fights me when I change or bathe her. What I don't understand is how her memory is still good, but when she gets into her moods swings, I have to wait until she realizes I'm there to help her. This is not my first time as a caregiver and I took of my lover who died from Aids in 1993, but this is totally different.
Yes, you're right, AIDS is a totally different type of caregiving than dementia. As you are learning, you can't reason with someone who has dementia.
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I'd be right there with Wet Ones disinfectant wipes before she leaves the bathroom. Grab her hands and remove as much as possible. Have a few ready and hopefully she'll cooperate. Maybe she doesn't like the feeling of running water or that it's too cold.
Maybe it may be time to apply for Medicaid and look for Memory Care placement.
Does your mom have a preferred way of washing her hands? My mother liked to partially fill the sink and swish her hands in the water with some soap. Since I never put the plug in the sink and I wash under running water that wouldn't have occurred to me. And my mom liked bar soap instead of liquid. Would your mom like some special washcloths that only she uses? If she had things exactly the way she liked them, would that help at all? (Probably not, but it is worth a shot!)
I like the "manicure" idea, too!
My husband did wash his hands after using the bathroom -- that was a habit too ingrained to drop -- but I was concerned that it wasn't as thorough as it should be. I put a basket of washcloths near the sink, and a hamper for them in the bathroom. They became single-use hand towels. My husband was always fastidious about drying his hands and then using lotion. (Another long-standing habit.) I hoped that between the casual washing and the thorough drying his hands got clean.
The bonus to this is that folding the washcloths gave him a chore that he could do well. I used all kinds of patterns and colors and textures, to make the folding a little more interesting.
I continue to use these single-use "towels" for my hands. I feel they are more sanitary than reusing larger towels.
Of course if your mom isn't willing to even wash her hands at all, then drying them thoroughly probably isn't adequate!
My mother lived with my sister for over a year, and she fought taking a shower every time. When she spent weekends with me we all thought she'd love my walk-in tub. Nope. That was a fight, too. When her care became too much for home-care, we placed her in a nursing home. One sister and I happened to be visiting when an aide came in and told Mom it was her turn for a shower. Mom went off with her without any protest. We were told she never fought her shower. We wondered who this impostor was and what they had done with our mother! Hiring a bath aide to come in once or twice a week MIGHT reduce the fighting. Ask her doctor to order that.
Reasoning with dementia is seldom successful. Explaining the benefits and risks probably doesn't work. So you may have to be a bit sneaky about how you get her to do what is best for her!
And if you find things that work, come back and tell us. This is a very common problem, and we learn from each other.
For the times this didn’t work, hand wipes. Eyerishlash’s approach is a wonderful idea.
My mom’s cleanliness post toileting was a pet peeve of mine and I tried to get her in that habit. I would say I was successful 75% of the time, however.
The orange stick is a great tool as well!
Hygiene was always a battle with my mother in her last years whether it was hand washing or bathing.
I’ve given up trying to figure out why running water creates such fear in her mind - hand washing, showering, tooth brushing - and just try to work around it.
Thanks for all the great tips in this thread!