Do those of you living with a parent or spouse find them hiding things in the most odd spots?

Good morning all! So, yesterday I changed my aunt's sheets. As I pulled the fitted sheet off at the head of her bed where she sleeps, I noticed as I looked down between the mattress and the headboard, there were pieces of toilet paper down on the carpet. I reached down and grabbed them all up. There were four or five pee soaked, then dried pieces and a dried up peanut sized piece of poop. She is freaking notorious for putting toilet paper in her Depends. I've witnessed her in the process of putting pieces of toilet paper OVER A PILE OF CRAP!!!!! I cannot for the life of me get her to stop doing that. These nasty pieces of TP no doubt came from her reaching into her pants and digging them out and throwing them down there while she's in bed at night. That's the only conclusion I can come up with. WTF?! This disease is a total mind blower for me. And, that's the point. Don't try to figure it out, you'll be like a dog chasing it's tail. On that note, have a great Friday and weekend, everyone!

Have the same problem with my husband. Most important thing is to always keep the car keys hidden in case they decide to drive the car. My doctor told me this was especially important as the dementia gets worse. I keep the keys in my purse hidden under potholders in a kitchen cabinet he has never yet gone. into. I keep the spare key in bottom bureau drawer that he can't bend down to and hidden under my clothes. I keep the phone in my pocket all day. Had to keep my cell phone in my purse because he kept taking it, even though he doesn't know how to use it. The TV remotes are also hidden. He is fascinated with his wallet which he even sleeps with. He lost his medical ID so after I replaced it, I took all of his important papers and ID's out, made copies of them, and put them in his wallet. I then took the real stuff and put them in a small wallet which I keep in my purse. When people come over they know to hide their phones. You just have to keep one step ahead of them.

Get bigger pockets. Buy a lightweight jacket with lots of pockets. Put stuff on high shelves. It's just like having a toddler around. Leave little trinkets around that she can hoard and hide, like the junk mail, old keys, old cell phones.

I know exactly how frustrating this is.
My mum touches everything and hides everything... It always amazes me how quickly she can move or undo things, I fold a basket of washing and if I don't put it away within 10 seconds it is all unfolded and hidden around the house.
A friend gave us a box of walnuts off her tree and I continued to find them hidden all over the place for months...in my slippers, my car, inside pillows, hidden behind shampoo in the bathroom...I had to laugh in the end.
I find the best way to deal with it is to put anything important/ paperwork etc in a locked cabinet .
I have her bedroom very basic, just her bed, table and photos on the wall, with just a few things of hers on her bedside table . You will find that most of the time they have specific places where they hide things for " safety ". As mums room is uncluttered it is easy for me to find what she may have hidden.
Mostly she stashes things under her pillow, behind her door or under her bedside table or in her handbag or pockets.
I also have out a basket in her room with some cards people have sent her and nic nacs which she loves to rummage through.
I have had to put a lock on the dressing room as she would constantly get clothes and shoes out and put them in these places in her room- it was constant and stressing me out.
Now she doesn't even try to go into the dressing room unless I go in to help her get dressed as she knows it is locked.
Also I reccomend you check bins before putting the rubbish out... I found a diamond ring in our kitchen bin once!
Good luck!

When my aunt began to hide things, I was astounded. After reading all of these posts, I am more than astounded. What a weird thing that our brains go to doing this weird habit. I found a soiled Depends, neatly tied up in a grocery bag, under her pillow a week ago! I took her to the dr. the other day, and when I went to get her shoes, I could see there was something in there. Yep, it was an unopened Ding Dong. In her chair cushion, I have found spoons, forks, banana peels and unopened little candy bars. She put the coffee pot on the floor next to her chair yesterday. What is up with this trait?

I have the same problem. As frustrating as it is, I hope this little senerio make you laugh. My mom can still stay at home alone but she does touch and move everything. We have a dog and in the morning i leave her with treats and chew toys so she won't be bored. By the time I get home, mom has hidden her treats all over the house. The poor dog walks around when I come home to show me where they are hidden so I can give them to her. I also had to stop buying the bacon looking treats because I discovered mom was eating them. When I told her that was a dog treat she just said well it tastes good and ate another piece. Geez. Anyway, I have a locked cedar robe and all important mail, pills, anything I need to be able to find is locked in there when I go to work. I let her do what she wants with the junk mail...keeps her occupied. Last mistake i made was bringing in the mail which included a small electronic device for my car (a snapshot device from the insurance company). I hide it in my room but not well enough. By the time I got home from exercise class, the box had been opened and the dog chewed the device to pieces. At first I was upset but then I laughed at my own stupidity for not locking it away.

Yes. I have the same problem. I have a special box for bills. All of her medicine (not in the pill wheel), and other papers and materials that are essential have all stayed in a closet in my bedroom. I have had to put a lock on my bedroom door when we have a respite caregiver (I should have done that sooner before things went "missing"), and we had to cut a hole for a pet door for our cats to go in and out of our bedroom door when it is locked. Those measures have made things less frantic, with less missing items and less disturbing surprises. I have told my wife not to leave her purse laying around, but she takes it with her or puts it in our bedroom.

In addition, every piece of furniture, etc., can be a "stash" place. We have just had to keep checking furniture, bed, trash cans, for anything inappropriately "stashed."

My place has 2 bedrooms, and I took the smaller one when I moved her in with me. I sleep and work there. I'd never have dreamed this would happen, the constant picking up, hiding what I don't want her to mess with, the bathroom situation where I sure don't want her using my toothbrush, etc. I do the smocks with pockets thing just to keep my keys on me. You learn as you go, constantly have to outthink them, but some things disappear you know not where, ha-ha. Mom loses her purse/billfold 5 times a day in her bedroom. She can wreck her closet in 5 minutes, putting things inside out and upside down on hangers to where you can't figure out how in the world she did it. I live for the day when I can reclaim my little house. As time goes on, will be ditching lots of clutter, hers and mine both.

My mothers Yorkie has chewed up two $1300.00 hearing aids this year! No longer have insurance, can't get it. She has FINALLY started putting it in a ring box and sometimes disconnects the battery (to make it last longer). Then forgets to put it back in her ear. We tried having her sleep in it but it came out in the night and the dog found it first.
Yes, it is trying on the nerves and I sometimes lose patience. She swore to me the other day that I messed up her meds box because she should be taking the larger about of pills in the A.M. I explained, again, that if the blue pill is in the slot it is ALWAYS morning meds. She had skipped two doses, ( morning) because she thought the wrong ones came out. Also she has two sleeping pills in her night meds. If I call and she's sleeping I know she manipulated her med dispenser to get the night meds. UGH! She knows I'm doing all I can to help her and I admit when I'm wrong and she is right. She needs to trust me.
I gave her back a 3.5 carat diamond ring she gave me before her greedy husband died, but in a week she had probably hide it for we can't find it. I suspect when we move her we'll find it, don't think anyone in the retirement home would keep it.
So yes, moving, hiding, even giving away things I have bought for her is a problem. I need a lot of prayer to do this! Best wishes.

Don't know the answer since everyone is different, but do know this is common for those with Alzheimer's. Husband (the Stash Master) hides and hoards everything from junk mail to old candy wrappers. The more important items; TV remote, car keys, wallet, small flashlight and electric razor he carries around in his pants and shirt pockets. After 4 years of dealing with this, I just let it go. Called the local cable company and got an extra TV remote after hubby continued to play with all the buttons on HIS remote eventually causing the TV not to work. After placing a dozen or so calls to technical support and once the extra remote was received, programed the code, then took the batteries out and gave it to hubby. Two fold--no one could watch TV because the remote was always in his pocket. Now he can merrily press all the buttons he wants and does no harm! Also have a spare key to HIS car, which stays in the garage since he can no longer drive. When going to bed, the remote, wallet, flashlight are stuck under his pillow. What drives me crazy is he mixes his dirty clothes in his dresser drawer with his clean clothes. Dressers drawers are a nightmare, can't see the tops of the chairs or cedar chest with the mounds of clothes and debris. Has a ballistic fit if he sees me going into HIS bedroom. Nothing can be touched! Nothing. The room looks like a bomb went off! Clothes hampers do not exist in this house. My question is, why do they hoard everything! We have tools that are over 100 years old! I don't even know what they are!