Is it normal to urinate in strange places?

I think it's not uncommon. And it can be difficult to know what is triggering this loss of orientation to place.

(When you add up all the different cognitive steps involved, there are quite a lot and they have to be maintained throughout the whole process. Feeling urgency. Recalling appropriate response. Remembering bathroom location. Locating bathroom. Adjusting dress. Peeing. Paperwork as necessary. Readjusting dress.)

It might be worth reporting the change in behaviour and seeing if anything can be done - signage, lighting - to help him pick his time and place!

If your dad were "normal" he wouldn't be in a memory care facility. He is surely not the only man with dementia who pees in inappropriate places. What does the memory care staff do about this?

It's my understanding that any change in mental status is to be reported to the resident's doctor, so, I would ensure that is done. They may want to check him for UTI or check his medications. It could be anything or due to his dementia. I would think it's the kind of thing that they have seen before. I'd confirm that they have him on a schedule where they escort him to the toilet at designated times, to help avoid him going on his own in an odd place.

From previous posts it seems that this is pretty common in both men and women with dementia. Does not seem to be much that can be done about it except make everything waterproof and easy clean and restrict if possible to certain areas.

Thanks everyone! Yes they have tested for UTI and it's negative. Staff ends up cleaning after him. I never detect urine or wetness on him or his bed, but sometimes his room is a little smelly.

With dementia, all things normal are no longer so.

well i was lucky my mom had a catheter but do not get one just for that they get a lot of uti //DEMENTIA SUCKS she passed away 4-9 cause of it good luck

Often dementia patients pee in unexpected places because they can't find the bathroom. Sometimes this begins in the night, when the path to the bathroom they're expecting (from the house they lived in as a child, or the one they lived in longest as an adult) isn't matching up with the actual location of the bathroom here. Sometimes it begins in the daytime, with getting distracted and sudden urgency and not being able to read the usual cues about where the bathroom is.

Does he also not recognize familiar objects? not pick up a fork in the usual way? It may also be that he can no longer perceive what is, and is not, a toilet.

Dementia often has this effect, somewhere along the way. Sorry.

It sounds cruel to wake someone every two hours to escort them to the bathroom... How often is the gentleman urinating every day?

You don't say how old your dad is - but really, I have recently learned that many men have a "pot to put it in" located in their bedrooms. I encouraged my DH to use a urinal but recently learned that one of his younger brothers has been using a bucket for years. Definitely TMI when said BIL (79) told me this, but I am thankful my DH is using a urinal. Sometimes I must hold it for him, but still better than an accident.

This would explain the garbage can and actually, he could do a lot worse. The closet is a no-no. But if you're worried about him urinating in his bed, why isn't he in "protective underwear?!" When my DH reaches that point, he will be in protective underwear. He's 96 and so far not enough accidents to worry about it yet. But he does wake me almost hourly to help him to void. (We both agreed to not resort to Depends unless forced to. They tend to lead to UTI's and Yeast Infections.)

If he's in a Memory Home - you need to ask the nurses and administration about this - it is a health risk to have him doing this around the room. A bucket is acceptable - BTW, a little (as in a few drops) Hibiclens will kill the smell. But the MH needs to be held accountable for not telling you and for not taking steps to help your dad.

This happened to my husband about six months ago. He got up in the night and peed in the corner of the bedroom.

He a was on Donepizil and was also having nightmares. We took him off of that and put him citalopram and memantine.

Nightmares stopped; no more weird peeing.

Good luck. This ride is not for the faint of heart.

My dad has done this at his memory care residence. He has owed in one of the garbage cans in the kitchen and on the heating/cooling registers in one of the sunrooms and his room. This is when he was still able to walk. His dementia has progressed so I don’t think he does this anymore. He is on a toilet in schedule but the aides usually recognize when he has to go. He at times will tell them. Sometimes though he says he has to go but then when he is taken to bathroom he forgets that he said that.

I am not a doctor, but worked in a long term care unit for over 10 years, when a patient did this is was from progressive dementia, they no longer have the judgement to know where and how to use the washroom facilities, when they feel the need to go they just release it where they are at that moment.

My dad (lives with me) started doing this after recovering from major surgery. He had gotten so accustomed to peeing in a bed urinal, he began peeing in a vase so he wouldn’t have to walk 10 feet to the bathroom at night. I discussed with his doctor, then Dad, and figured out it was just a behavior issue and not related to any medication side effect or dimentia.

It is one of the grosser dementia behaviors (even worse is a fascination with fecal matter). It’s a tough one. Taking someone to the bathroom every two hours won’t address the issue. He can still pee, even with very little in the tank, if he wants to have the experience of peeing on something. With dementia, you’ve got to outsmart the disease by being responsive to the behavior. Dad is getting some kind of satisfaction from peeing on things. Maybe, try putting some things in the bathroom to pee on. Move that trash can into the shower and leave the curtain open for starters. Or, put a potty chair in his room with the lid up. There’s a chance he doesn’t like the feeling of standing in front of a bowl of water to pee. With dementia, you’ll save your own sanity if you let go of what’s gone and focus on what’s left. There’s something driving him and it can be directed, or at least outsmarted : )

Yes, this has happened with my mother. She was living with us, so we simply cleaned up after her. It's simply part of the dementia process for some patients.

Your dad's behavior may be a result of a few possibilities. I like to rule out the medical first. Enlarged prostate gland can cause urinary retention, and possible urinary tract infection. Diabetes, and medications, like Lasix (Furosimide), can cause people to urinate very often. This drug is commonly prescribed for "heart failure" patients. Caffeine is a natural diuretic, thus causing frequent urination. Do the caregivers take Dad to the restroom on a regular schedule? It may be time to bladder train Dad, if medication or infection, are not the issue. Or, Dad may be simply confused and disoriented. In that case, it is common behavior for mental decline (dementia).

A dear friend's husband did this for a long time, even before he received his full dementia diagnosis. She had to replace all of the furniture in her home after he passed because of it. It's apparently more common than she/we realized.

I think there can be many varied reasons for this behavior and once you have ruled out things like, UTI and medications which it sounds like you have the options for altering the behavior minimize. You are fortunate that he's in a facility so clean up and discovery are their problem. It is a hard habit to accept or overlook though for us, the loved ones who are aware of what is going on because it's so contrary to our manners training so having some ideas about what may be happening from his perspective might help us.
For me it is important to remember, accept that the patient isn't aware that he is peeing on odd or unacceptable places, he hasn't given up caring, he isn't purposely or knowingly creating discomfort and extra work for others. Every time I read or hear about places loved ones are choosing to pee it reminds me of an incident during my youth when a friend of mine went into my bedroom closet and peed in a pile of laundry in the middle of the night...there had been some drinking before we fell asleep on the living room couch and she had no recollection of this the next day, I don't really know if she did it in her drunken state or in her sleep state but I consider them both similar to what a dementia patient might be experiencing when they find odd corners to pee in. She was very familiar with my apartment but it wasn't her home and who knows where she was in her drunken and or dream state. A dementia patient may be living in their childhood home one moment and their newlywed apartment the next so the corner they choose to pee in may very well be an old familiar bathroom toilet at that moment.
I know I have mistaken something for a different piece of furniture or fumbled around several feet away from where I think I am in the middle of the night half asleep and in the dark. Many elders are living more in the dark than we realize because their vision is worse than they are able or willing to tell us. There are all kids of logical reasons that from your dads perspective he is peeing in a perfectly appropriate place. Honestly I don't think I would have the heart to let him know differently if I thought he was aware enough any of the time to understand what that meant but then that's me projecting. I don't know this first hand but I think this tends to be phase that they progress out of, one way or another too.

Depends don't cause UTIs and yeast infections. If changed regularly and cleansing is done at time of change should be OK. After all babies wear diapers 24/7 Having sleep disrupted every hour is very rough on the body and mind.

just talked to my mom's doc's NP about this yesterday, Citty1, and she concurs with you. If the Depends are changed regularly then the urine around the skin doesn't break down and cause a UTI. If they are not, then a UTI is common. My mom can still change her own Depends, but she's already had three UTIs this year. Her confusion level is notable -- at least to me. I live far away, but I keep her stocked with AZO test strips. Does anyone know whether the AZO (or other) bladder health products help? I was trying to ask the NP about that, but she wasn't even familiar with them. The doc was out of the office. Am trying to get a feel for whether her cognitive disorder (described by neurologist and psychoneurologist as only mild upon last visit) is getting worse or whether it's primarily the UTIs causing the highest level of confusion. I'll be moving to her location in about a year and moving her in with me (her LTC $) runs out, so I need to get a handle on these things.

My mom use to do that. She would pee on my fabric chairs, she peed in the drawer of the bathroom vanity, she peed in the trash can that had scalloped edges (ouch) - I could never figure out what the issue was, but then it stopped after a number of months and she became completely incontinent. Dementia creates a lot of different behaviors with different people. She also use to poop on the inside of the oven door. What??!! Not much you can do really, it is what is is. Bless you for being there for your dad. It's rewarding yet difficult. :)

Dementia patients have illusions. This is when they observe an object and misinterpret it as something else. When they have an urge to urinate, any receptacle becomes a toilet. I found my husband trying to urinate into the sink.

Google 'anti-strip clothing' which is made for this problem

Yes unfortunately it is very normal. It's a stage of dementia. I have seen it in many patients where my mom lived and my mom and grandma went through it. Some patients regress to infant stage and play with feces and forget what phisical needs are and where to go. It's very a sad stage. Some last longer than others. You can only have a close watch to ensure proper cleaning without too many accidents. Challenging like all stages of dementia :(

Yes unfortunately it is very normal. It's a stage of dementia. I have seen it in many patients where my mom lived and my mom and grandma went through it. Some patients regress to infant stage and play with feces and forget what phisical needs are and where to go. It's very a sad stage. Some last longer than others. You can only have a close watch to ensure proper cleaning without too many accidents. Challenging like all stages of dementia :(

Thank you all for the responses. Jjariz, you are probably on to something. I can tell that he is at a stage where he is perceiving things differently from a visual aspect than what they really are. It does not seem to be incontenance as he is not peeing IN the bed but I caught him undoing the front of his pants, standing next to the bed, preparing to pee ON the bed. Peeing in the trash can didn't seem too odd at his stage of perception, but the closet, the bed and the recliner seem odd.

Would this likely be an advanced stage? He has been diagnosed with Lewy Body and/or Parkinsons type of dementia. His progression has not been a straight line decline. He still knows us, but it is clearly taking more time for facial recognition to register with his brain when we walk into his room. He is going to be 80 in a few months. He started showing first signs of problems about 4-5 years ago.

My late grandmother with her deminitia used to urinate in her potted plants in her bedroom and every where else in her bedroom. It is more common than people think. Get water proof mattress covers and rubber sheets topped with of course regular bedding the same for the other furniture in the home

My husband does this too, I am told it's pretty normal. As others have said, telling the doctor and testing for medical reasons is step one then finding a preventive that works for you all is the next step. When my husband was doing this we had out of town guests and so we temporarily moved the cats litter box to husbands room for a few days. He started peeing in the litter box... which, LOL is actually way easier to clean than the carpet, bedding or closet so after the guests left we also left the litter box in his room. The cats have another one and won't go near his box and he is no longer peeing all over the place. I am not recommending you get a litter box just sharing a funny story to demonstrate how odd solutions can sometimes just pop up out of nowhere and be workable. I like the idea of using a bedpan type solution too. Whatever is easiest for your family is the way to go.

I once read of a dementia patient's family who laid down a strip of carpet from his bedside to the bathroom with the toilet or a pot as the end, so it was recognizable as a path to the bathroom.