The heat dries the air out. The secretions in his nose become dry as well. You may want to try a humidifier or if he can do it, saline rinses may help. A prescription like nasonex from ENT may help as well. My mother in law picks her nail beds, and a growth on her head. It is a symptom of her Alzheimers. It is bothersome to us especially when she makes it bleed. She seems to do it less since we started her on celexa.
My heart goes out to you. Really. There are so many things to be deeply troubled by when people start doing stuff like this as they get very old.
You could get him gloves or try to put a bunch of vaseline on his hands. They might discourage him (or backfire). But please be aware that these are "no harm, no foul" solutions. Whatever you do, don't put a substance that will burn or itch his nose on his fingertips. You don't want to get in a situation in which he's screaming in pain and you can't figure out how to get it out of his nose.
My suggestion is, though, is to let it go. I'm an RN. I expect you will get desensitized to this unpleasant, if not nauseating, behavior. And fighting this sort of habitual behavior is often a losing battle.
I want to give you credit for having the courage and common sense to ask about this sensitive, troubling issue. It's not the end of the world, but it sounds legitimately hard.
How about giving him something else to do with his hands. Maybe a rummaging box or a stuffed animal? People tend to think of these things for women but men take to both as well.
If this question doesn't make you laugh you will cry. It is so sad that our lives revolve around nose picking. I thought I got past that when my girls turned 10. My Dad hasn't started picking his nose but he does 18 other things that I used to get in big trouble for, slurping my food, sitting at the table with my head in my hands, being generally miserable, stomping my feet to get attention, saying mean things to others at the dinner table, then laughing when they get upset. They used to yell at me and send me to my room. Now I wish someone would send me to my room. What a joy that would be!! My advise is to do your best to hand him a tissue and then ignore it. Worse things will come, don't sweat the small stuff or you will be crazy soon. Learn to laugh over things like this.
Something is irritating his nose. A checkup with an ENT might not be a bad idea. In the meantime, a Benzedrex inhaler will soothe; it has lavender and menthol. Make sure he has Kleenex available and some baby butt wipes to clean his hands or wash his hands.
I do agree with Mike. He is getting older and going through changes and probably the best thing to do is just go with it and eventually he will stop or you will not recognize it anymore.
It is hard to take care of your father/ mother who all these years you have admired and has taken care of you. Now you still see him as an authority figure but have to treat him as a 10 yr old. What a major conflict in the brain it must be. Just try and remember the man who he was, but give him the attention he needs.
Word "behavior" does not suit dementia patients. Behavior is something people can control: "I will not take to to McDonald if you continue to do it" -- and we have a positive response! People with dementia have no control over their actions. They are not doing it to hurt our feelings, or get in trouble. They do not know they act not appropriate! So, as a caregivers we have to recognize it and learn now to IGNORE it. As long as it does not hurt them or others around.... picking nose is actually not as bad as many other habits I saw..:)
At 85, this is a learned behavior and you probably cannot force him unless you tie his hands behind his back. Is it picking inside his nose? Or is it just rubbing it because it itches? My 87 yr. old husband does the touching of his nose when he gets anxious with company or he is allergic to some irritant. Again, at 85 you may just have to turn away...
My mother in law picks her nail beds, and a growth on her head. It is a symptom of her Alzheimers. It is bothersome to us especially when she makes it bleed. She seems to do it less since we started her on celexa.
You could get him gloves or try to put a bunch of vaseline on his hands. They might discourage him (or backfire). But please be aware that these are "no harm, no foul" solutions. Whatever you do, don't put a substance that will burn or itch his nose on his fingertips. You don't want to get in a situation in which he's screaming in pain and you can't figure out how to get it out of his nose.
My suggestion is, though, is to let it go. I'm an RN. I expect you will get desensitized to this unpleasant, if not nauseating, behavior. And fighting this sort of habitual behavior is often a losing battle.
I want to give you credit for having the courage and common sense to ask about this sensitive, troubling issue. It's not the end of the world, but it sounds legitimately hard.
My Dad hasn't started picking his nose but he does 18 other things that I used to get in big trouble for, slurping my food, sitting at the table with my head in my hands, being generally miserable, stomping my feet to get attention, saying mean things to others at the dinner table, then laughing when they get upset.
They used to yell at me and send me to my room. Now I wish someone would send me to my room. What a joy that would be!! My advise is to do your best to hand him a tissue and then ignore it. Worse things will come, don't sweat the small stuff or you will be crazy soon. Learn to laugh over things like this.
It is hard to take care of your father/ mother who all these years you have admired and has taken care of you. Now you still see him as an authority figure but have to treat him as a 10 yr old. What a major conflict in the brain it must be. Just try and remember the man who he was, but give him the attention he needs.
Can you do what we did with our kids when they were little and just knock his hand away when he begins? It's quick and effective.
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