Hello Franke. I have encountered that problem too, as My Mother Who's got Als could not swallow the tablets either. I began crushing the tablets with a pliers, and I gave Mum Her crushed tablets in a soup spoon, with a layer of strawberry yougort first,,then the crushed tablets..and another layer of yougort on top. I keep a glass of cool drinking water near when giving Mother the tablets. No problem since, thank God. I did consult Mum's Pharmasist first though to check if this would be ok, as some tablets are slow releasing, and need time to get into Ones blood stream. Good luck Franke, isn't this a brilliant site. I would be lost without it.
Ok, I confess, there are numerous times I fall asleep early, in my clothes. I am appreciative when my husband unlocks my bra and removes my shoes, so I can sleep better. I cannot believe I just shared that!
Saves on washing? Make her as comfortable as possible, take off shoes, bra (if she wears one), remove any covers or clothing that is too hot. Instead of changing her clothes, change your expectations and adjust your routines accordingly. Unless she has an adverse reaction to being awakened before bedtime, so you can "tuck her in", don't worry too much about waking her gently to make her more comfortable all night. If she is getting enough sleep.
The tops that I have been wearing are called "cobbler aprons" sold by an on-line company called National that are designed like a regular shirt top with sleeveless arm holes, snap buttons down the front, and good size pockets... wash and dry easily... these tops have been a godsend for me with my injury. Very inexpensive 3 for $20, can't beat that price. Heck, I even where them to work :)
Agreed let her sleep in her clothes as long as she changes them every 2 - 3 days and is not incontinent. Have plenty of wipes in the bathroom so the genital area gets cleaned on every visit. As FF says get some lightweight tops so she does not overheat at night. Just do the best you can. Sure anyone can sleep in their shoes just make sure they are no hiking boots. Obviously the two escapees in upstate NY took theirs off or at least one did and is now running around the forest in bare feet. bet those little piggies are sore!
franke, depending on how far along your wife is with her Alzheimer's/Dementia, as some above had mentioned, just let her sleep in her clothes.
If her memory is still good, can you ask her why she wants to sleep in her clothes, see if it could be a physical issue with changing clothes. Since I broke my shoulder, changing clothes is quite painful, so I bought some tops that are very light weight and easy to put on and those tops also become my pj's tops at night.... saves me from an agonizing struggle that could last for hours.
I would just allow her to sleep in her clothes. I would just focus on more pressing things like her meds. Good advice above about what to do. Sometimes with dementia they forget how to swallow. I would have her swallowing checked.
My cousin used to want to sleep with her shoes on. I would beg her to let me remove them, but she would not. Eventually, the staff at the memory care unit insisted and now it's not a problem.
If you are new to caregiving or your wife's illness is starting to require more informed caregiving skills you can ask someone to come in and show you; take some classes if you are able and can make the caregiving commitment (not everyone can do this full-time, no guilt). And welcome to this caregiving site keep asking your questions here! We are here to assist you. I have also learned lot.
franke: It's possible it is getting too hard for her to swallow medications. Why don't you talk with her doc and see what meds could possibly be eliminated or that come in a liquid form. My Mom was starting with that. She couldn't swallow and almost choked on some of her larger pills so they were discontinued. Again, Good Luck.
Hi Franke. If your wife's difficulty with swallowing tablets is a new thing, it won't hurt to have her swallowing reflex checked if only just in case there is something real going on. Her PCP or a Speech & Language Therapist or a specialist nurse can do that for you.
When you look at the patient information leaflets that come with your wife's medication, each one will tell you if it is NOT ok to crush the tablets. If it doesn't say you can't, you probably can - to be on the safe side, if you're worried, call a pharmacist and ask. Once crushed, a tablet can be mixed with a drink or with soft food and got down that way. It's best not to mix it into more than a spoonful, though, because if your wife doesn't like the taste or spits it out or can't finish it for some other reason and you've made up a whole glassful then you'll have no way of knowing how much she's actually consumed and you'll be a bit stuck. I used to sympathise away freely while my mother made faces about the bitter taste, and have ready something nice to take the taste away - ice cream, a yoghurt drink, whatever.
Some tablets can't be crushed. In that case, talk to your wife's GP and ask for a paediatric suspension or syrup, if the medication is available in that format (they usually are). If those aren't available, the GP will just have to come up with another plan.
But don't despair - lots of patients have swallowing difficulties and there's always a way round eventually.
My Mom was doing the same but in her case she would get undressed thinking she was putting her pajamas on but would actually just put her day clothes back on. Even if I set her pajamas out for her she would do the same thing. I now get Mom dressed for bed. She would be the first to say one needs to be in their pjs for bed but with her dementia she just can't get it together anymore to do it and needs more help. Reminding her didn't help and trying to rationalize with her didn't work either. Good Luck.
Well franke, there really isn't much you can do at this point. If she doesn't want to more than likely she will not do it. My mother did the same thing so I went out and got her several pairs of light sweat pants/shirts, this way she wasn't sleeping in her jeans or slacks. She really wasn't leaving the house that much either so if I managed to get her into her pjama sets she could wear them around the house as well as sleep in them.
It's easier to figure out a workable way than get them to see your way :) Good luck!
could not swallow the tablets either. I began crushing the tablets with a pliers,
and I gave Mum Her crushed tablets in a soup spoon, with a layer of strawberry
yougort first,,then the crushed tablets..and another layer of yougort on top. I keep
a glass of cool drinking water near when giving Mother the tablets. No problem since, thank God. I did consult Mum's Pharmasist first though to check if this would be ok, as some tablets are slow releasing, and need time to get into Ones blood stream. Good luck Franke, isn't this a brilliant site. I would be lost without it.
Instead of changing her clothes, change your expectations and adjust your routines accordingly. Unless she has an adverse reaction to being awakened before bedtime, so you can "tuck her in", don't worry too much about waking her gently to make her more comfortable all night. If she is getting enough sleep.
If her memory is still good, can you ask her why she wants to sleep in her clothes, see if it could be a physical issue with changing clothes. Since I broke my shoulder, changing clothes is quite painful, so I bought some tops that are very light weight and easy to put on and those tops also become my pj's tops at night.... saves me from an agonizing struggle that could last for hours.
My cousin used to want to sleep with her shoes on. I would beg her to let me remove them, but she would not. Eventually, the staff at the memory care unit insisted and now it's not a problem.
When you look at the patient information leaflets that come with your wife's medication, each one will tell you if it is NOT ok to crush the tablets. If it doesn't say you can't, you probably can - to be on the safe side, if you're worried, call a pharmacist and ask. Once crushed, a tablet can be mixed with a drink or with soft food and got down that way. It's best not to mix it into more than a spoonful, though, because if your wife doesn't like the taste or spits it out or can't finish it for some other reason and you've made up a whole glassful then you'll have no way of knowing how much she's actually consumed and you'll be a bit stuck. I used to sympathise away freely while my mother made faces about the bitter taste, and have ready something nice to take the taste away - ice cream, a yoghurt drink, whatever.
Some tablets can't be crushed. In that case, talk to your wife's GP and ask for a paediatric suspension or syrup, if the medication is available in that format (they usually are). If those aren't available, the GP will just have to come up with another plan.
But don't despair - lots of patients have swallowing difficulties and there's always a way round eventually.
It's easier to figure out a workable way than get them to see your way :)
Good luck!