Repetitive behaviors

Elshack

My DH ( 91 moderate dementia ) opens and shuts file drawers at least 20 x a day. I ask him what he is looking for and he says he is "just looking". He takes out his discharge papers from the army when he was 23 yrs old and looks at them. He will look in the bedside table at his Electrical engineering Bachelor of Science diploma from many years ago. He often opens and closes cupboards and just looks inside. Should I just let him do this since he isn't bothering anyone but it kind of drives me buggy. Does anyone else here see this type of behavior?

M1

Definitely. My partner's is cleaning and vacuuming, over and over. Goes through old irrelevant papers at her desk too. I've decided that if its not a safety issue, just to let it be.

abc123

Dear Elshack, this type of behavior is common. I have seen it with my Grannie and MIL. Grannie would constantly check all the doors by opening and closing them several times each and lock us out of the house. She also checked the plugs and receptacles by unplugging every electric device in the house. Constantly unplugging the cable TV boxes. My MIL packed and unpacked her clothes and personal items several times a day. I have witnessed my mom searching through papers and every drawer in the house. I believe she is searching for something familiar to comfort herself. It’s as if she is trying to validate herself. It’s sad to see this. But in all three women, this was a stage they went through and it ended as all staged usually do. Maybe your husband finds comfort seeing his name on these papers. I hope so. I’m sorry you have to be here but glad you found us. We are here for you.

Buggsroo

My husband opens and closes the fridge repeatedly. He also fiddles with things until I want to scream. He also will rinse his dishes and put them back in the cupboard without properly washing them. Being a Virgo, this makes me crazy so I tell him I will do the dishes, that way I can ensure they are washed.

I notice he doesn’t brush his teeth, I try to tell him to do it but it goes in one ear and out the other. If it doesn’t affect me, I let it go. 

He flushes the cat waste down the toilet to be helpful, here it is supposed to be put in the recycling bin. 

Finally, he puts the heat on when it is 80 degrees out because he is cold. 

There are flashes of the old person he used to be, but sadly they are few and far between. I have learned to enjoy them and be thankful.

sandwichone123

My dh does very similar things. I think he gets a lot of comfort seeing his ribbons and discharge papers and papers about his schooling--they remind him of who he is and the accomplishments he's had.

Doityourselfer

My husband repeatedly curses using the same phrases over and over, claps his hands and makes noises with his mouth.  He's in the severe stage of Alzheimer's.   One good thing at this stage is he no longer paces.

Paris20

Next to repetitive questions and statements, the repetitive behaviors make me cuckoo. My husband goes to his underwear drawer every night, takes out his underwear, and then returns everything to the drawers, and starts the process all over again…and again…and again. So. I started to lay out his underwear in the bathroom, where he changes. Besides, he needs diapers at night so I put out the pinstripe diapers, which I call his Yankee panties, plus an undershirt. It has not worked. He still goes to the dresser countless times. I’ve moved the underwear to a more prominent place. Still, he moves everything into the dresser drawers and out again. I try to hide my exasperation since it takes him at least an hour to undress and put on his underwear. Sometimes I lose my temper. Then I feel guilty.