At what stage of Alzheimer's does a patient stop wanting to shower?

Imb1234: I agree with you that Tric6748 would get more helpful responses by starting a separate thread. Imb, I am glad I could give you a giggle or two. Tric6748, yes, we are all "a support team," if you will. When people put up posts, they are extremely helpful.

help2day: When I read your post about the shower chair with a hole in it like a commode, all I could think of is when my mother used her shower chair as a toilet/commode and no, hers did not have a hole in it! She just had a BM on it and DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT... that is until I informed her. I guess in her case, it's a good thing that her chair DID NOT have a hole, else the drain be clogged up!

Cheyenne93: Yes, I have to say you are indeed fortunate to have such a compliant and sweet patient, your dear husband! I agree on not totally washing the entire body, else it gets dried out. However, we all know the important parts that should be washed and by that point, you may as well get him in the shower. Then afterwards, you can apply lotion to his body. They even have unscented ones.God bless you, too! My mother actually deceased from a stroke, but I still stay on this site so that I may be able to help others because I've seen it all, believe me! I don't think my late mother ever washed her hind end as she was quite unsteady. At the end in the nursing home, I washed my mother's entire bare body while she was in the bed...and I mean all of it. She loved it. Now when she was in her right mind, she was a VERY modest woman and never would have let me see her unclothed. Bless her soul!

Imb1234: I just now saw your post about a person (your dear mother) with Alzheimer's understanding the article about the disease. My response is a big NO, they would not know how to read it, let alone interpret it unfortunately.

Llamalover47 ~ Yikes! Perhaps as an additional suggestion, I would recommend putting a small basin under the "holey" shower chair to catch the BM should it occur during the shower. I guess I didn't think of that! LOL

My mom also stopped showering. One of the caregivers told us that if the person doesn't know how to swim the water on their face scares them and they think they are drowning. My Mom never did learn how to swim so we took that advice to heart. We did very short showers and tried not to have the water get in her face.

My mom didn't recognize me, had awful balance, doors had to be locked with alarms, she laughed in a loopy way. But we began reading about Alzheimers research and with the assistance and support of our local MD's and Naturopaths we applied non standard DRUG FREE protocols and immediately saw improvements. Today she knows everyone again and is dressing herself and can chop onions and has cognitive skills once again. Some of the stuff I have read and we have been trying out little by little according to the studies and my moms labs are; High quality probiotics, Vitamin D3, Folate, zinc, magnesium, NON RANCID Omega 3 fish oil up to 4-6 grams per day, Carnetine, Coconut oil, phosphotidalserine and choline, Alpha Lipoic Acid, B-complex, maybe enzymes, electrolytes, Low Carb diet, Get the blood sugar under 140 and walk outdoors vigorously for 15 min right after EACH meal to burn that fuel from food before it gets a chance to raise blood sugar creating arterial plaque. Get morning sunshine to set the sleep clock, add take melatonin at night before bed in the hopes to get solid 5-8 hours of NON medicated sleep. Get support from the MD. Make sure there is no UTI and try to first treat with mannose and sugar free cranberry juice sweetened with Stevia. Try to NOT use antibiotics as they strip all the bacteria out of the digestive tract which makes sabotaghes your whole opportunity to get nutrients where they need to go. I have done it for my mom and it makes them immediately stable. Also, if they are constipated, and using miralax and mineral oil and other laxatives, that also causes difficulty for neurotransmitters to function as they can not extract the nutrients they need to function from the digestion being faulty. Don't take my word for it... do some research or current Alzheimers studies. Buck Institute, William Walsh Research Institute, David Pearlmutter, Steve Fowkes..... and others... NOTE; you might have to sedate the person with Alzheimers and do a thorough dental cleaning because that dental bacteria as well as rotted out metal fillings causes brain inflammation more than any other thing i listed here.

help2day: My late mother has deceased so no worries about poop going down the drain. Best of luck!

Llamalover - thanks for ringing in on the article question. I think I kind of already knew it would be a waste of time but good to have my impression confirmed.

Imb1234: You're welcome! Phew...the oddities of caregiving! LOL!

I'm living in HELL. Brought mom home from hospital after a UTI infection which makes her crazy. Her mind isn't getting better. She can sit for HOURS asking the same 20 questions. I made a poster with the answers and she forgets to look at it. We have been doing exercises and things to strengthen her body and she's better after a week, but can't go back to independent living when she doesn't remember the last 30 years. She is 90, I am almost 72. Tried for Medicaid but didn't get everything they wanted in time. Think I do now. Got to escape. I need medical care now, more than ever. Better get to work on the papers for Medicaid.

Donna1944: Yes, I made a "white board" and put it by my late mother's telephone so that she would just have to punch in 2 #'s when calling her loved ones. For you, after the second question (or maybe even the first), I wouldn't respond. She's not going to "get" it anyway. You may as well be giving any random answer, e.g. "bird," "towel," " ice cream"! Yes, it looks like she must reside in an NH. Medicaid app is lengthy; I totally get that. And remember-be prepared for the 5 year lookback. Best of luck, Donna! I know it's hell.

Huggie wipes are great when patient is afraid of water...and many are. they also sell adult wipes. Make sure there is no alcohol in the wipes.
Coconut oil is a great moisturizer. A little goes a looong way!
Good luck. Malachy