Mom should be in a facility where she has 24/7 supervision. You don’t know what she might stuff down the drain next. Or the toilet. I knew someone who took a vacuum cleaner outside and tried to trim a hedge with the tools on the end of the hose attachment. I knew another dignified lady who would walk out of her room naked with Depends on her head because she thought they were a hat, They’d lost the ability to understand what objects were for. Your mom seems headed that way, It can get a lot worse.
If your mother is ‘stuffing food’ into the sink drain, she is quite possibly past being suitable for Independent Living. If you find a solution for this problem, there will be others. She no longer understands how to live a normal independent life. Think about the bigger picture.
Do not leave an Alzheimer's/dementia patient unattended at any time, especially where kitchen appliances are available to wreak havoc with. She can leave a pot on the stove and burn the house down, making a sink issue seem totally irrelevant. Do not discount the trouble she can get into with dementia at play.
I suggest you read this 33 page booklet about dementia and what to expect with an elder who's been diagnosed with it. Lots of Do's and Don't tips for dealing with dementia sufferers are suggested in the booklet.
Understanding the Dementia Experience, by Jennifer Ghent-Fuller
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210580
Jennifer is a nurse who worked for many years as an educator and counsellor for people with dementia and their families, as well as others in caring roles. She addresses the emotional and grief issues in the contexts in which they arise for families living with dementia.
The reviews for her books are phenomenal b/c they are written in plain English & very easy to read/understand. Her writings have been VERY helpful for me.
The plumber should know. and, this isn't a problem or issue for the plumber, it is for your mom and the care / support she needs.
Read this response below: partially copied here (excellent advice):
Do not leave an Alzheimer's/dementia patient unattended at any time, especially where kitchen appliances are available to wreak havoc with. She can leave a pot on the stove and burn the house down, making a sink issue seem totally irrelevant. Do not discount the trouble she can get into with dementia at play.
Like we said back in the day; Right on, Touchmatters.
I had a couple of clients years ago with this issue. The old man was bedridden and the wife was mobile with cognitive issues. She kept turning the stove burners on and leaving them on. She kept making cups of coffee and left cigarettes burning. I kept turning the burners off, washing coffee cups and snuffing out cigarettes all day. The old man was in a room full of thick gray dust. He was dusty as well. No kidding on this one. I had to find a bucket to fill with water to wash him, and he kept talking about his golden pecker checker. The wife kept cussing at him, making coffee, smoking cigarettes, and leaving on stove burners. I think I went home and drank two glasses of wine that day.
Seems your mom is confused about what goes into garbage and what goes into sink disposal unit. Suggest that the garbage disposal unit in the sink is "broken" - put up a sign near sink to remind her - and that all must be put into regular garbage. If that doesn't work over the course of a couple weeks, then you may have to consider that she needs supervision at least during the daytime - and maybe full time.
I am confused. If her mother lives in independent living, doesn't she have a disposal in her sink? If so, even if she filled up the sink with food people in independent living are usually assigned a housekeeper. When the housekeeper comes, she/he could put the garbage in the sink in the disposal. It would not be pleasant to do this because the sink would get filled up with food for a week, but the drain would not get clogged. Or is there no garbage disposal? Also, the housekeeper may be used to a less extreme version of this situation. I live in an IL community, and when I was assigned a new housekeeper, the first thing she did when she came in was to run the disposal. This went on for a few weeks, and I couldn't understand why, so finally I asked. Apparently, many residents don't run their disposals regularly but wait for an accumulation to build up in the drain. While I know ecologically it is better if I don't run the disposal every time put food in it, I personally can't stand having anything smelly there for long.
There are "screens" that are shaped like a cup that can go into the drain to prevent unwanted things from going into the drain. Most sinks have a "plug" or basket that will seal so the sink will not drain. That could be put in place. Can a small bowl be placed in the sink so food or other garbage can be scraped into that then taken to the garbage can a bit later? I do this with food scraps when I am prepping meals and when I am doing dishes I scrape into the same bowl. (I have a garbage disposer but I still do this from habit) Once empty the scrap bowl goes into the dishwasher. It might be that mom or dad can not carry on this particular task without more direct supervision.
Gertoe: A parent who is stuffing food down the sink drain is well past Independent Living suitability. This isn't a question for a plumber since he would be a repeat visitor, but an issue for the parent's doctor.
I suggest you read this 33 page booklet about dementia and what to expect with an elder who's been diagnosed with it. Lots of Do's and Don't tips for dealing with dementia sufferers are suggested in the booklet.
Understanding the Dementia Experience, by Jennifer Ghent-Fuller
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210580
Jennifer is a nurse who worked for many years as an educator and counsellor for people with dementia and their families, as well as others in caring roles. She addresses the emotional and grief issues in the contexts in which they arise for families living with dementia.
The reviews for her books are phenomenal b/c they are written in plain English & very easy to read/understand. Her writings have been VERY helpful for me.
The full copy of her book is available here:
https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtful-Dementia-Care-Understanding-Experience/dp/B09WN439CC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2E7WWE9X5UFXR&keywords=jennifer+ghent+fuller+books&qid=1657468364&sprefix=jennifer+ghent%2Caps%2C631&sr=8-2
Educate yourself about what lies ahead as dementia progresses before you decide what steps to take. Knowledge is power.
Best of luck
Read this response below: partially copied here (excellent advice):
Do not leave an Alzheimer's/dementia patient unattended at any time, especially where kitchen appliances are available to wreak havoc with. She can leave a pot on the stove and burn the house down, making a sink issue seem totally irrelevant. Do not discount the trouble she can get into with dementia at play.
I had a couple of clients years ago with this issue. The old man was bedridden and the wife was mobile with cognitive issues. She kept turning the stove burners on and leaving them on. She kept making cups of coffee and left cigarettes burning. I kept turning the burners off, washing coffee cups and snuffing out cigarettes all day. The old man was in a room full of thick gray dust. He was dusty as well. No kidding on this one. I had to find a bucket to fill with water to wash him, and he kept talking about his golden pecker checker. The wife kept cussing at him, making coffee, smoking cigarettes, and leaving on stove burners. I think I went home and drank two glasses of wine that day.
Most sinks have a "plug" or basket that will seal so the sink will not drain. That could be put in place.
Can a small bowl be placed in the sink so food or other garbage can be scraped into that then taken to the garbage can a bit later? I do this with food scraps when I am prepping meals and when I am doing dishes I scrape into the same bowl. (I have a garbage disposer but I still do this from habit) Once empty the scrap bowl goes into the dishwasher.
It might be that mom or dad can not carry on this particular task without more direct supervision.
Does Mom think the sink has one of those food scrap disposal compactor units?
Is the food bin hard to access? Requires bending? How is her balance?
Anything else going in the wrong places?