Is OCD a symptom of Alzheimer's?

Bags. Plastic grocery bags. I moved Dad out of his house and found bags and bags of bags with lots of bags.
Keys. I once had to Fed Ex him a key to his car. Now I found at least 10 duplicate keys to that car around the house.

I'm not sure the specifics of the disease, all I can do is identify with you. My grandfather died of dementia and alzheimers and he demonstrated very repetitive behaviors for a few years before he died. I believe when people get older the things they worry and obsess about during their life become magnified as the mind goes and those things become more of a concern than ever. With my grandpa he had four outside doors on the house, ceiling fans and furnace issues, turning things off at night out of home protection. When the alzheimers and dementia set in, he would make the rounds at night locking and turning off, but he would do it 15 times before he was convinced it was safe to go to bed.

Thank you all for your insight. I really appreciate it!

OCD can occur at any age. My son developed it at age six with compulsive hand washing. With treatment he has been able to function in adulthood. Repetition and memory loss appear to be pretty constant in AL although this is not my area of expertize.
My comment concerns the use of Ativan in the elderly. It is widely used for anxiety in hospice patients young and old. The dose is usually very small to start and gradually increased if the response is positive and more is needed . If the agitation increases which sometimes it does another medication is tried. Elderly people do tend to metabolize medications slower than the younger population so caution with dosage needs to be exercised. The worst effects of Ativan can lead to coma and death. Also with any new medication the drug interactions need to be checked before giving a dose this also includes herbal remedies too. On another track inserting a catheter is pretty pointless and in my view assault if the patient refuses. She will just pull it out anyway, this happens all the time. It must be remembered that no drug is 100% safe for 100% of the population but the risk is usually worth the result. Who wants to die in pain when medications are available even if in an addictive class. Some people require unbelievable amounts of narcotics at the end of life but hospice is not described as comfort care for nothing

Mom has dementia and has gone through several series of repetitive behaviors. She used to file her fingernails into a sharp point! Don't know where she got that one, but it passed. Then she tied and retied her shoes constantly. It scared me when she did it in the car, leaning down while I was driving. She would constantly wipe her nose (yes it was dripping some). That drove me nuts when she did it all the time in the car - I'd have to hold my right hand by my eyes to block the sight of her doing that but still allow me to see to drive. At home, she'd pile up the partly used Kleenexes on the arm of her easy chair. She'd get a stack about 1" - 2" high. She'd let her dog out constantly, but I looked at that as beneficial since it was her only exercise. He seemed to enjoy the gig, too. None of these behaviors were harmful, just somewhat annoying.

So now she's in a memory care home and sits complacently in her wheel chair with her hands folded in her lap. I'm guessing that now she's stimulated without having to make her own activity.

OCD with repetitive behavior is not necessarily associated with dementia. It is a separate psychiatric disorder. Check the 2013 PDR. The Merck Manual does not address dementia either under OCD . Check with an MD, other than the one you have.. They'll probably want to examine her.
friendofnature: Isn't it a shame that your mother, now confined to a wheelchair,
does nothing for herself?.......a waste of her final years.
How 'bout magazines? Picture books?, sewing?, jewelry making? You didn't say how old she is. Hopefully, there's TV where she is.