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While visiting a loved one in AL via videoconference, I had to stop them from eating a tissue. This is a new behavior. Is this common with dementia patients? I called the front desk and they responded immediately removing the tissues, but in an effort to be proactive, what can we do other than remove anything that's not edible that can fit in their mouth?

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First... Check to make sure there are no dental issues that have caused this change. There may be mouth pain that they are trying to relieve by chewing on something soft.

My Husband chewed on just about anything.
I would cover his legs and lap with a blanket and he would bring it up to his chin and begin chewing on it. I have cloth napkins that are used and there are many that he chewed. I would give him a piece of cloth to chew on and if that fell from his hand he would begin chewing on his fingers.
I did find Baby teething rings that he would chew. Believe it or not some dog toys as well. The dog toys are sturdier than baby teething rings since dogs teeth and jaws have more PSI they tended to last longer.
He would also chew on his shirt collars. Funny thing is when his son was real little he would chew on his shirt collars and I would try to discourage it and my Husband told me he did the same when he was little.
So find something safe and soft for them to chew on if this is going to be a "thing".

And I have to comment or ask... Is your loved one is in Memory Care or Assisted Living? the concern that I would have with AL is your loved one could decide to leave the facility. It might be time to think about MC rather than AL
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frazzledteacher Oct 2020
While it is technically an Assisted Living Facility, it is designed for residents to stay until their demise. One side is for more independent residents, and the other is for residents requiring more care. They have already moved to the "more care" side. Doors to the outside have coded locks so residents can't wander. I have already discussed this issue with the nurse and they removed all of the soaps and other items that could be harmful. I could find only two true memory care facilities within driving distance, and a friend has a loved one in one of these facilities. After speaking with them, I determined that what their loved one was getting in the memory care facility was the same as mine was getting in "assisted living".
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Is this a Memory Care facility? If not and if it continues, I’d explore Memory Care. There, there is more supervision of the person as well as prohibition of common non-food items that could prove harmful if ingested, like soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. At my LO’s MC the items are kept locked up, unless being used under supervision.
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Oftentimes with dementia, especially fronto temporal dementia (FTD), the person reverts back to baby type behavior by putting everything they see or touch into their mouths. You really can't remove everything from her room, that's not realistic........and even if you did, she'd start sucking her blanket or her clothing. Obviously, your loved one must be watched very closely to avoid having a harmful thing go into her mouth & down her throat. Your loved one may need to have a sitter during the day to watch over her until this phase passes.........and hopefully it WILL pass.

In the meantime, there is a product called Chewelry which is 'jewelry' to wear that is intended to be chewed on; for people with disabilities who put harmful things into their mouths, here's something that ISN'T:

https://www.arktherapeutic.com/chewelry/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppyZFnwhHeiancgp0iKMJotO24TFNolCrRM5u-16IyZqkmPCbs95_QWoaAoazEALw_wcB

Good luck!
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