Maxpuppy, regarding urinating in areas of the house, if he is doing this in the same areas then try doggy-pee-pads to see if that helps keeps the area cleaner. If it does, order "blue sheets" on-line, which would be less expensive.
Try leaving on the lights in all of the rooms in the house, except the bathroom, to see if that may help stop him from peeing. I'd be curious to see if that works.
You can also try changing the color of the toilet seat, as I read it is difficult for a person with dementia to find the toilet if the sink, toilet and tub are all one color.
As for bed alarms, I would think that would scare the person to a point where they are afraid of leaving the bed for anything.
The bigger problem is that your husband is wandering and if he can get out of the house, he can kill himself in short order. Or if turns the stove on, there is potential to start a fire. The hazards are endless. There comes a time with dementia where placement is necessary, and that time may have come for your husband. You want to keep him home as long as possible, but he also has to be safe. Wandering means he's not so safe unless you've locked up all the chemicals, put bolts on the outside doors where he can't reach them, have taken the knobs off the stove, have turned the circuit breakers off in the kitchen so he can't turn on any appliances, and lots of other things too numerous to mention.
You can dress him in an Alzheimer's anti strip suit with a Depends on underneath it. So when he gets up in the night, he won't be able to take the suit off and urinate on the floor. That solves the one issue, but not others.
Keep in mind that when it goes off, you'll be awakened as well. Staying up all night attending to a wandering dementia patient means both of you will be sleep deprived come morning.
Wishing you the best of luck with a very difficult situation.
Please don’t underestimate the dangers of wandering. My aunt, while dealing with Alzheimer’s, escaped her home during the night, despite a very elaborate lock and security system. She distributed a lifetimes collection of jewelry all over her neighborhood and was found in a ditch. Wandering is scary and a sign that he’s not safe there any longer. And I’m truly sorry you’re both going through this
Have you tried limiting his fluid intake before he goes to bed? Try doing that say at 6pm nothing to drink after that and have you tried some melatonin to keep him asleep?
BIL is on 30mgs of melatonin for sleep and the sundowning that comes along with dementia. It usually works for him to keep him asleep.
I would google bed alarms to see what is the best.
I have struggled with the same issues with my father. I retired early and moved in with him when my mother passed away after an extended battle with cancer. Due to her own illness, she basically let him do as he wanted. These are the things that have worked for me in mitigating the nighttime wandering and toileting issues.
I installed security cameras in the main areas of the house, including his bedroom. There are several brands that are very reasonable. I installed Wyze cameras which do not require a monthly fee (as long as you do not need extended recording). The cameras can be set to alert your phone when there is movement and the alerts can be disabled when desired (I keep the alerts off in the daytime). You can also view the live video from the cameras on your phone to determine if he is just turning over or getting out of bed. I am not sure if you share a bedroom with him. If you do, this solution may not work for you.
As others have mentioned, limiting fluid intake in the evening has helped. My father will drink whatever you give him, even to the point of vomiting up the excess. Keeping up with his fluid intake assures that he stays hydrated without allowing him to overindulge.
Finally, adjusting his medications (of course through his physicians) has helped. Adding Seroquel and melatonin at night has helped to calm him and allows him to sleep through most nights (combined with limiting daytime naps).
As we all know, as soon as you solve one problem, another presents itself, but these tactics have worked for me (for now).
I used a bed pressure pad to alert me when wife got up. Also used a simple 2 piece baby monitor that would let me hear movement or sound when I was in the kitchen area.
I place the pad on the bed underneath a cloth incontinence pad (link below) that I also got on Amazon. Where you place the alarm pad will determine when it goes off. I place it where it's underneath my mother's shoulders just below the pillow so that when she lifts herself up, it goes off and I can get to her before she's able to stand.
Keeping it under the cloth incontinence pad helps to keep it in place while my mother is lying on it and she doesn't even notice that it's there.
Amazon also sells the alarm pads that go on the floor by the bed or wherever to alert when they stand up, if that's a better option.
They are well worth the money.
The actual alarm is not in the pad but is in a handheld monitor that you can carry around, even outside and you can adjust the volume. I turn it up to full volume when I take it outside but otherwise use a lower volume. When it goes off, my mother rarely even hears it because it's not in the room with her.
My Dad had this behavior when we were beginning his Lewy Body Dementia journey. Dad had REM sleep behavior disorder. He was actually asleep when this was happening. He couldn’t take anything sedative, but when he went on the excelon patch, his sleep was better regulated and it stopped. Maybe talking to a specialist about it would help: cognitive neurologist, geriatric psychiatrist, sleep doctor.
The longer we hang on to our loved ones, the harder it is to ever let go. Alzheimer's has been called, "The long good bye." Letting go is a process that is often frustrating, frightening and pathetically sad. This forum is a fantastic opportunity to avoid pitfalls and shed the layers of denial.
Some night lights can be installed in the toilet to set for a different color at night and can be purchased at Amazon for about $12. Just hope it attracts him there, but what have you got to lose?
Urinating around the house is a problem but wandering is a bigger problem. He may need a sitter at night to redirect him to the bathroom and to keep him out of trouble.
My husband didn't wander, thank goodness, but he did pee in all the wastebaskets in the house. Wouldn't use a urinal at nite, so I put a very large tall wastebasket lined with a plastic liner by his bed, and for a time he would sit on the side of the bed and urinate in it. Put plastic and bath towels down the side of the bed to protect bed and floor. I don't know if this will help, but I wondered after he died if he saw all of the wastebaskets as toilets since they were all white and lined with plastic bags. I had a baby monitor by his bedside which would rustle and flash red lights on my receiver if he got up or moved around much. Of course, I slept with one eye open, but as caregivers we do that anyway. Blessings, jaypy22
I had to get my wife a hospital bed. One of the features was a nurses call alarm they could press that sounded an alarm. It even had terminals to hook it up to an alarm in another room. I was impressed.
I bought a floor activated bed alarm similar to what they used at my Dad’s rehab. He did not have dementia, but was forgetting his strength limitations during recovery from a broken hip, so they used a bed alarm. I think I bought it from Amazon. It ran on battery power and I had an alarm unit on my nightstand that would go off. You can also try having urinal bottles tied to the bed so he can reach them and a baby monitor if you are a light sleeper and would hear him if he gets up. If you are interested in more info on the floor alarm you can PM me and I will look it up in my Amazon records. It worked well.
Maxpuppy: As your husband wanders at night, he may not just be urinating in undesired places in the home, but perchance he could also exit the home as well as other dangerous things. For this reason, he may require residence in a managed care facility.
Try putting a port a potty next to his bed and a sign above it with large letters and glow in the dark paint that says pee below in the toilet. I did this for my Pop. I also kept a night light on for him when he was visiting me. It worked for him. You definitely do not want him wandering about at night to avoid falls and leaving the house. You may want to eventually put him in a man diaper and speak with his doctor about getting him on stronger medication to help him sleep at night. A night caregiver would be best if you can afford it. It’s always a constant adjustment with Alzheimer’s. I wish you all the best.
I use the "Smart Caregiver cordless smart caregiver fall prevention monitor floor mat." It is wireless, no cords involved. When he steps out of bed onto the rug a monitor rings in my bedroom and I get up to get him directly to the bathroom. Been using this system since last Sept and have not had an accident at night since. Unless I forget to set or re-set the alarm! He used to urinate and wander all over the house at night. This also took care of wandering at night. He gets up, I'm right there. I also use the SimpliSafe home alarm system. You buy the equipment; easy to install. If a door is open it chimes and if nobody disarms it, it will call your phone # & if no one answers they send a signal to the police.My monthly monitoring for the SimpleSafe is around $15. No frills. The Smart Caregiver rug+monitor was around $170-$180 not sure. Google for best prices. Both were worth the price for the piece of mind they provide. Hopes this helps, wishing you well.
My father would get up several times a night to urinate right when he stood up from the bed. We set up motion alarms that we aimed at the bed and at a level that would set off the alarm for my mother. My mother always had a portable urinal handy. This worked great.
Try leaving on the lights in all of the rooms in the house, except the bathroom, to see if that may help stop him from peeing. I'd be curious to see if that works.
You can also try changing the color of the toilet seat, as I read it is difficult for a person with dementia to find the toilet if the sink, toilet and tub are all one color.
As for bed alarms, I would think that would scare the person to a point where they are afraid of leaving the bed for anything.
You can dress him in an Alzheimer's anti strip suit with a Depends on underneath it. So when he gets up in the night, he won't be able to take the suit off and urinate on the floor. That solves the one issue, but not others.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=alzheimers+anti+strip+clothing+men&crid=28B7G1S4OZAL5&sprefix=alzheimers+anti+strip+%2Caps%2C410&ref=nb_sb_ss_mission-aware-v1_1_22
Here is a link to bed alarms available on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bed+alarm+for+elderly+dementia+patients&crid=1NFP623XM7R7I&sprefix=bed+alarm%2Caps%2C138&ref=nb_sb_ss_mission-aware-v1_3_9
Keep in mind that when it goes off, you'll be awakened as well. Staying up all night attending to a wandering dementia patient means both of you will be sleep deprived come morning.
Wishing you the best of luck with a very difficult situation.
BIL is on 30mgs of melatonin for sleep and the sundowning that comes along with dementia. It usually works for him to keep him asleep.
I would google bed alarms to see what is the best.
Prayers
I installed security cameras in the main areas of the house, including his bedroom. There are several brands that are very reasonable. I installed Wyze cameras which do not require a monthly fee (as long as you do not need extended recording). The cameras can be set to alert your phone when there is movement and the alerts can be disabled when desired (I keep the alerts off in the daytime). You can also view the live video from the cameras on your phone to determine if he is just turning over or getting out of bed. I am not sure if you share a bedroom with him. If you do, this solution may not work for you.
As others have mentioned, limiting fluid intake in the evening has helped. My father will drink whatever you give him, even to the point of vomiting up the excess. Keeping up with his fluid intake assures that he stays hydrated without allowing him to overindulge.
Finally, adjusting his medications (of course through his physicians) has helped. Adding Seroquel and melatonin at night has helped to calm him and allows him to sleep through most nights (combined with limiting daytime naps).
As we all know, as soon as you solve one problem, another presents itself, but these tactics have worked for me (for now).
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cordless+smart+caregiver+fall+prevention+monitor&crid=2HDISLLJGXRZ&sprefix=cordless+smart+caregive%2Caps%2C219&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_3_23
I place the pad on the bed underneath a cloth incontinence pad (link below) that I also got on Amazon. Where you place the alarm pad will determine when it goes off. I place it where it's underneath my mother's shoulders just below the pillow so that when she lifts herself up, it goes off and I can get to her before she's able to stand.
Keeping it under the cloth incontinence pad helps to keep it in place while my mother is lying on it and she doesn't even notice that it's there.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0124XEUYC?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_ypp_rep_k0_1_13&=undefined&crid=2ZL6YARVNA0U3&sprefix=cloth%2Bbed%2Bpad&th=1
Amazon also sells the alarm pads that go on the floor by the bed or wherever to alert when they stand up, if that's a better option.
They are well worth the money.
The actual alarm is not in the pad but is in a handheld monitor that you can carry around, even outside and you can adjust the volume. I turn it up to full volume when I take it outside but otherwise use a lower volume. When it goes off, my mother rarely even hears it because it's not in the room with her.
I had a baby monitor by his bedside which would rustle and flash red lights on my receiver if he got up or moved around much. Of course, I slept with one eye open, but as caregivers we do that anyway.
Blessings,
jaypy22
floor mat." It is wireless, no cords involved. When he steps out of bed onto the rug a monitor rings in my bedroom and I get up to get him directly to the bathroom. Been using this system since last Sept and have not had an accident at night since. Unless I forget to set or re-set the alarm! He used to urinate and wander all over the house at night. This also took care of wandering at night. He gets up, I'm right there. I also use the SimpliSafe home alarm system. You buy the equipment; easy to install. If a door is open it chimes and if nobody disarms it, it will call your phone # & if no one answers they send a signal to the police.My monthly monitoring for the SimpleSafe is around $15. No frills. The Smart Caregiver rug+monitor was around $170-$180 not sure. Google for best prices. Both were worth the price for the piece of mind they provide. Hopes this helps, wishing you well.