So for the past few weeks Mom has forgotten to flush the toilet! My husband has flushed it for her but tonight was awful in that it was poo! I patted her back and told her she had forgotten and she said she did not in that she did that hours ago. Well I seen it for my own eyes as did my husband. She has zero idea! What to do? Not quite time for moving her to a care facility, but her memory is getting lower and lower and she is insistent it is not!
I used to watch the tv show ER. Once a new doctor commented that he wouldn't have become a doctor if he knew how much of it was about feces and urine.
Caregiving is not as glamorous as people may think 😉 but it is more character building than anyone expects- whether you want your character built or not. 😇
Yes I did say that, probably warmed up phone lines all over the family.
Along the way the icky became less icky. No I never did wipe his a**. I monitored his care and MIL's care in a nursing home. Paid their bills, argued with doctors and nurses - did end up having to do visuals on FIL's and MIL's a**es to monitor sores, etc.
Had to clean out poop from under MIL's nails several times ( dementia is so NOT fun) poor demented MIL had to deal with diarrhea on many, many occasions. Sometimes FIL would need a diaper change and demented MIL would attempt to change him. That was probably the biggest mess ever. Poop smears everywhere. The poor nursing home staff- they were always so nice about. Even the day they had to clean both of them and their room from top to bottom 3 times in one day.
I guess my point is that it gets much ickier down the road. The cap'n is a good ways further down that road than me- all the home caregivers probably get there eventually. I had it light with nursing home and hospital "monitoring" and it was more poop, blood, urine and naked body parts than I wanted to deal with. I would bring cookies for the lady down the hall from my MIL, she would catch her when she left her room naked and headed down the hall.
I would visit MIL during the diarrhea episodes - trying so hard to watch what I touched. If my dog smelled my clothing (or me!) with special interest after a visit - ahhhh- yuck!
I must be honest, I am not missing the diarrhea days.....
I like the note-on-door suggestion, will pass along to mom.