Mom's picking at her nails and nose until they bleed. Advice?

My mom, as she started to get deeper into Alz picked huge bloody and infected wounds in the skin...we tried everything....and I mean everything...including bandaids over her fingernails, white cotton gloves...the bandaids were too harsh on her skin...the gloves worked as long as she kept them on. We had NO idea what we were doing..the dr poo-pooed the sores...some as big as nickels. well one day she wokr up critically ill. Yes an infection had made its insidious way into her artifical knee...they wanted to amputate...they did not expect her to live...they could not redo the knee..so they opened it up and basically flushed out the infection. She came back to us highly diminished and on insulin. It was a very slow decline from there...she eventually had to go into a nursing home where i was a constant presence. I lost her March 10th of this year. I guess this long answer to tell you how VERY life threatening this picking can be....and oh...to tell you the truth...not to discourage you...the picking is an outlet of stress and as she declined into the disease, the picking stopped....

My mom did the same and for months nothing worked even her dermatologist did not knoe what to except to treat open wounds. Then, I decided to to try a neurologist who said it was a form of OCD which can occur in dementia/alz and treated her with Zoloft. It has been 5 weeks and the habit has stopped.

My mother - 87 with dementia, started to concentrate on her nails as the day wore on and the sundowning took hold. Prior to dementia she had beautifully groomed nails, occasionally wore nail varnish, and generally took a pride in her hands. However, with the dementia she bites at the nails until they are virtually non-existent. Telling her that she could be infecting herself was/is no good - she doesn't respond. Now we do hand massages in aromatherapy oils and follow that with a coat of light coloured nail varnish - I'm trying to rekindle her original sense of pride and pleasure, and it seems to help. Sorry I have no advice about the nose as it doesn't happen with my mum, but she does pick at her teeth. I guess these are things over which dementia patients still have control, and therefore, exercise it.

If the source of the problem is none of the above, diversion may work. My mother was rubbing a spot on her face because she needed something to do with her hands. She now loves to pop bubble wrap and "works with" (I tell her it is therapy for the arthritis in her hands, as I suppose it is, too) some of the manipulative toys that can be ordered from Amazon...especially ones that are interactive like the balls that light up when you tap them, etc. There are many alternatives for diversion. Maybe the compulsion could be transferred to one of these. Good luck.

My mother is on Zoloft to stop these obsessive behaviors and has diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. Her health has improved on this med probably due to less stress!

Its either from medicine or she needs medicine. I would call the doctor for his advice before she gets an infection. Good luck. I just found out meds were causing my moms obsessive chewing actions.

Hi Deb, Go to Amazon or Google and do a search for "Fidget toys for adults" (or for ADHD) and you will find the best interactive toys. I bought the following for my 95-year old mother: Hyperflex stretchy string, Neutron light-up ball, Toysmith Liquid Motion Bubbler, Squishy Mesh Ball, Polygonzo Geo-Twister. Also, consider TANGLES! She has several of those. They come in all sizes and textures. When you read the reviews for Tangles, you'll find teachers using them to keep adhd kids' hands busy so their mind can concentrate on school. Hmmm. Impressive for our purposes, too!

Alpha3, Yes the zoloft can be given with HBP. If the neurologist or doctor prescribes it, have him go on very slowly and never stop it, you have to wean off it. Chances are, he will stay on it. My Moms on paxil, she went on it for anxiety before dementia, and has been on it over 20 years. Its in the same family as zoloft, an ssri. Good luck everyone, My Moms chewing is calming down since I took her off one of her medications. She is only on paxil, hbp, and b12's now for memory.

The "diversions" worked for a while. Then the scratching/picking began constantly and sore were not healing. She would wake up in the morning with new places. That is why I sought out a neurologist familiar with dementia. The zoloft has worked and she is now sometimes aware of the habit and can stop herself. Hope this continues.

My sympathies to you and to Alpha3. For my 95-yr-old mom we have tried everything. We cannot stop her picking at face, ears, arms. Doctors said same about OCD and Dementia connection. We tried meds for OCD but they didn't seem to make a difference for Mom. When a geriatric psychologist began monthly visits to her Memory Care facility, he continually would adjust her anxiety and dementia meds (Citalopram, lorazepam, Namenda, Aricept). At first this picking subsided. But when things occur in her life to cause her more anxiety such as the loss of a roommate, all bets are off. So, everyone tries distraction in any form that seems appropriate at the moment. So you see the bar keeps moving.