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My father has advanced Alzheimer’s and has had a pacemaker for almost past 10 years.. the last few months he is slightly obsessed with having it removed.. he picks at it and tells everyone that we need to take it out. Could he actuallly remove or damage the pacemaker... should we have it removed? Has anyone else had to deal with this with their parent.. my mom is afraid he will do something to it. And telling him why he has it or to leave it alone isn’t working if course.

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Can you keep a "puffy" bandage over it until he gets past this phase? Removing it could be a death sentence.
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I don't think he could remove it w/o cutting his skin first. Do you think he would or could do that? It certainly would be painful. Beyond that, only a surgeon could remove it properly. Your father could complicate the whole situation by trying to remove it.

Can you figure out why he objects to it? Does he consider it a foreign body? Is it hurting him? Or do you think there's really no issue besides the fact that he perceives it should be removed?

You might want to ask the office of the cardiologist who performed the procedure and find out if there's something that can be put over it to protect it from any attempt at removal.

Jjariz is right - removing it would really be dangerous, not just in the botched process of trying to get it out, but the lack of if he ever was successful in removing it. It's there for a reason, and needs to stay if he wants to have cardiac protection.

Sorry you're dealing with such a challenging perception that the pacer needs to be out.
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ds123
He needs to see his dementia doctor and get his meds adjusted. Also, you can purchase alzheimer's clothing (google) that keeps him from getting at that area of his body
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My father is 88 and this obsession with removing the pacemaker is new but intense and getting worse..a bandage wouldn’t work as he would just remove it.. we have all told him why it is there but of course that doesn’t matter.. he gets really angry at us and it’s really getting hard to cope with.
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Yup, his meds need adjusting for the anxiety he perceives the pacemaker is causing. Call the doctor dealing with his dementia meds or maybe his private doc, if that's who's handling it. Explain with INTENSITY that he won't leave it alone and you are sure that he will find a way to manipulate it.

There are hand mits that have a flat board on one side and netting on the other. But in his anxiety state, I wouldn't advise them until he's able to be calmed down by medicines.

Sorry, it's h*ll when they get focused on something and they just won't give it up.
Try giving him something to do with his hands. (Kids puzzles, folding laundry, an Alzheimer's blanket (lap blanket with zippers, bows, buttons, pockets-available on Amazon) or distract him in other ways when he starts with the pacer with food treats, TV, dancing to music, "helping" in the kitchen, etc.
Diversion is a necessity in dementia.
No, HE can't remove it unless he took a sharp object to his skin and tried to cut it out. It's placed right under the skin. 
No, it should NOT be removed. It's there to keep his heart beating evenly. Without it, his heart would skip beats and lead to other problems.
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