Throwing trash in toilet

Stephshield

My mother has dementia and my elderly father with terminal cancer is the primary caregiver. We have so many challenges and things to figure out, but the most urgent is that my mom keeps clogging the toilet. She has started to throw trash items in the toilet and flush, which causes it to clog. We have either fixed it or called a plumber multiple times but we need a preventative measure. Does anyone have any suggestions? Can a behavior like this be corrected? Or is there some sort of environmental solution?

JDancer

This is a problem many of us have faced. It's very difficult.

You are unlikely to change the behavior. May have to disable the toilet (turn off water, disconnect chain, etc.) so the toilet is only flushed after it's checked. Not a great solution, as removing objects can be very unpleasant. Perhaps transitioning to a bedside commode. could work.

Some people have purchased special toilet paper that dissolves easily when their LO fills the toilet with toilet paper.

terei

The only thing I can think of is a (toddler) lock for the toilet or bathroom door so that someone has to be in there with her.

Stuck in the middle

My toilets and sinks have shutoffs on the water lines.  Just turn off the tap and flush so the tank is empty.  Once a day, turn on the water, fill the tank, turn off the water, fish out the Dixie cups, flush.   If your toilet has no shutoff, have the plumber add one next time he's there.

Emily 123

Hi,

Is she using it, then throwing in the trash?  Or is she just using it like a trashcan?  

What about unhooking the chain in the tank so that the handle doesn't work, or turning off the water?  

harshedbuzz

Shephshield-

Ultimately, the answer to this is human supervision in the bathroom. Dementia impacts the ability to learn a new way of doing or not doing things. While this is a phase that will likely pass, this kind of behavior is often a precursor to urinary incontinence and more inappropriate behavior around elimination. Other families have reported this as a behavior that happens just before thing like urinating in unexpected places (trash can, dining room side chair or without her pants pulled down). She needs someone in the bathroom to prompt her through the steps sitting on the toilet, wiping (another skill lost fairly early on) and washing her hands (critical with a cancer patient sharing the household). 

In your shoes, I would put her on a pottying schedule- every 2 hours during the day- and put a childproof door lock on the bathroom doors so she can't sneak in without supervision.

You could try a stop gap like draining the tanks so they can't be flushed, but if she uses the toilet for its intended purpose in addition to feeding it random objects, you're making a nasty mess to sort through.

HB

Rescue mom

Not much help from me, although my DH with Alzheimer’s would stuff it full of toilet paper —not objects. A special, fast-degrading toilet paper helped a lot. But supervision is crucial. That phase seems to have passed.

Our plumber suggested draining tank and a couple other things that basically prevented flushing. All were  pretty unpleasant to deal with. IIRC, he mentioned some sort of screen/barrier that helped with objects, but we didn’t need that then and I did not listen well, and “cleaning” sounded tough. If  you have a plumber you trust, they may have more ideas if asked.

MN Chickadee

Been there done that. Supervision in the bathroom will be key but I also know how quickly they can find trouble. You take your eyes off them for a minute and you're calling a plumber. They make toilet locks, like to toddler proof the toilet. This may slow down the issue. But likely she will just find other mischief and it will be a new problem. You will have to find appropriate care or move her to a facility, as she is in a phase that is exhausting even for caregivers without cancer.