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My Mom has always been over concerned with cleanliness. But it's beyond the point of ridiculousness.

No one is allowed to use her toilet but her. She's in assisted living and I'm embarrassed to use the toilet down the hall.

We can't sit on her bed.

If the physical therapist comes in an puts her notebook on the bedspread I have to wash it.

Everything must be put in a plastic bag.

Plastic bags are everywhere, to separate everything from germs.

She puts bath mats on the floor so when she gets out of bed she doesn't have to touch the floor to find her slippers. The bath mat also has a right and wrong side so that when you reuse the side facing up hasn't been on the floor.

Is this something the elderly do or is my Mom just crazy?

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This is not a real common or typical behavior. I would also vote for OCD previously more concealed or kept in check before the dementia; medication for that might be worth considering.
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my mother woke up at 4;30 am last night and knowing she would only be up for an hour or so she still made up her bed to absolute perfection. in my experience a dementia patient will still exhibit their lifelong character traits but all will be exxagerated with a twist of insanity. i think the live in caregiver takes a worse battering than the patient as we try to make reason of unresonable behavior..
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Do I know OCD!!!! This is most likely what is happening to your mom, just made worse by dementia! My mom was always meticulous when she was healthy. Fixed all kinds of things. Kept the yard up, the house spotless, and a place for everything and everything in it's place! Now she destroys everything! Picks, pokes, prods, pulls, tears, chews, licks and on and on. It took her 6 months to practically destroy a $300 wheelchair! Broke the brakes by slamming the levers constantly. Tipped it over on herself more times than I can remember. She has pulled most of the buttons off her clothes and picks the paint off the walls that she used to touch up every year.
All this drives me to the brink at times, but it is the disease and they have no control or even understanding of the craziness that puts us over the edge daily.
Just go with it when you visit and try not to make an issue of it if it makes her happy.
By the way, full moon on Wednesday! Get ready for fun times!!!
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My Mom was the most OCD clean freak I'd ever heard of. But, at some point she decided she just didn't care anymore and stopped cleaning. Like overnight.

I don't know why this happened. But, I just dealt with it and kept going.
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i am really new to this but deefer, you said 'get ready for full moon' .... i know that psychaiatric pts get more intense over full moon, but does it also affect dementia pts? i had not thought of that, and wondering now whether our psychotic /violent / anger outbreaks coincide with this, so will be keeping extra vigilent eyes open.
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