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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!