Wife constantly picks at scabs. As soon as a wound of any kind heals over with a scab, or even dry skin, she starts picking at it. Advice?

Bubble wrap. My mom pops them instead of picking at her sores on her forearms. Not a perfect solution but it works while we visit.

Have you talked to her doctor? There meds that might help

Does she think there are creatures or bugs under her skin? Is she delusional about why she is picking? If so, she may have a rare and devastating condition known as delusional parasitosis. My husband suffered with it for a year before a Psychiatrist recognized it and prescribed a antipsychotic. He was bleeding & bruised from head to toe trying in vain to get the “little engineers”
out of his body. Just an idea. Good luck!

She picks because it’s itchy. As the wounds heal the skin around them tightens and opening them up again may hurt, but it also relieves the discomfort of the tightness.

Scratching leads to more scratching. It gets itchier and itchier until it become addictive.

The picking may also be somewhat instinctive, especially if she has a hard time healing. When wounds are in a non-healing cycle, sometimes the medical treatment is actually having a nurse or doctor pick the scab for you— this is wound debridement.

So to address of these causes, before bed, put pure bacitracin on her wounds. It is greasy like petroleum jelly so it will relieve the pulling skin tightness and discomfort. It works better than neosporin and is less expensive. It will also aid in healing while she sleeps so it may get her farther along the not-yet-healing/picking cycle. Cover with a bandaid to prevent it from all ending up on the sheets.

Doing the day, give her tasks that keep her hands busy. Painting something, sorting something, drawing or coloring, folding laundry. You have to “retrain” her from going back to the scratching as entertainment.

picking at scabs can increase her risk of developing a skin infection and scarring.
Just a guess, but it is possible she may be suffering a neurosis called dermatillomania, a condition that's somewhat similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder and it would be highly advised you seek medical help. If a physical cause has been ruled out by her doctor, she may need to see a therapist. One such intervention is behavior therapy such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

You might want to give her a fidget blanket. It is a lap type quilt/blanket that gives her hands something to do. That coupled with some of the other ideas will hopefully provide a solution for you. Good luck.

-if your wife does feel itching I agree with caroli1-antibiotic ointment isn't for longterm use, nor just as an emollient. better to use a skin cream, maybe A&D or Eucerin cream gently applied in a few of times a day. If someone has time to sit with your wife, maybe try create an activity, a game with picture cards, clapping games, singing and keeping time, just holding hands. Clearly this cant be for too long at a time, but might help some, to distract her. If she has an aide a few hours a day, she might help engage her. But first clear this with your wife's doctor, to be sure it's not an indicator of anything larger. But lots of people pick at scabs. With less to do, a less busy life to distract us, it can become an activity.
I hope your wife feels more comfortable, very soon.

is there any special kind of gloves that she cannot get off so that whenever she is done eating, etc, you can put the gloves on and then she can't get them off? i never tried "liquid bandage" but not sure how that would work. maybe a nurse would know how to keep her from picking at the stat loc. wishing you luck.

Twiddle blanket? - i.e., something else for her to pick at. Try also: bubble wrap, BluTac, worry beads, stress ball etc.
White cotton gloves? - though I expect she'll just take them off, won't she.

No, you can't tie her hands up. Tempting; but not so much "unorthodox" as "will have APS on your doorstep before you've finished the second knot."

I am unable to answer all of your replies as I am busy with my wife almost non stop, except for her nap time and nighttime sleep.

Yes, all of her doctors are well aware of this. as this is not something new but has been going on as long as we have been married, 37 years last month,

I alternate A & D ointment with another petroleum jelly product. If the areas become inflamed, I also add an antibiotic ointment.

She is not delusional as yet, but with vascular dementia that may well be in the future.

She has been being treated by a psychiatrist since our second year of marriage and is on several Psych meds for her depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

I have tried many different fiidget blankets, dolls, stuffed animals, and other homemade items.

Different types of dressings have not proved to be a long lasting solution. She usually pulls them off within 2 to 4 hours.

OCD seems like a solid diagnoses brought on by anxiety.

Reminding her or posting notes only makes her mad and increases the problems.

I am not trying to put down all of your suggestions and as you can see, I have tried most if not all. I will continue to see if someone has anything that I have not tried.

Thanks for all of you great replies. Although you have not been able to help me, you may well have helped others who visit the site regularly but never post questions or answers.

We are talking about a woman, who with only one hand, non-dominate, has pulled her catheter loose from the bag at least 5 times.

Also many nights she tears her diaper and/or disposal pads apart to the point that the floor looks like it snowed during the night.