My mom is late stage Alz/Dementia

Teresa 72

hi, I am my 70 year old moms caregiver, I just gave her supper and I just caught her eating the cotton from a diaper. it was clean she just scraped out the cotton and was eating it, is that normal?

Jo C.

Hello Teresa and a very warm welcome to you. That sounds as though it must have been a rather startling discovery. Sometimes our Loved Ones (LOs) develop challenges with eating items that are not meant to be eaten; this is called "Pica." If you use Google with the terms "dementia and pica" together, you will find information that may be helpful.

Often when pica occurs in dementia, it is because of damage to parts of the brain and not recognizing objects as non-food. Other times, in some individuals, it may involve very low levels of certain elements in the body's system; a physician would need to order blood labs to rule that in or out. However; with our LOs who have dementia, it most often will be due to damage of various parts within the brain.

Do watch her carefully and let her physician(s) know what is happening. If this occurs again with her ingesting any non-food objects, it would be best to have your mother seen by her doctor, and/or dementia specialist on an urgent basis. There are some meds that can be prescribed to be of assistance for some persons with dementia if this is an ongoing problem issue.

Let us know how things are going and how you are doing. We are all here in support of one another and that now includes you too! We will be thinking of you.

J.

terei

This is not uncommon for a PWD. My mother tried to eat ‘fruit’ made from semi precious stones. We just removed the item. Not sure of the best approach for issues with a diaper, except remove them from her access. I am hoping this was a diaper she didn’t have one.

BassetHoundAnn

Hello, Teresa, and welcome to the forum. That must have been shocking to find your mom eating cotton. Memory care facilities will often lock up personal care items that residents might ingest like toothpaste. Fairly early on in my mom's Alzheimer progression I discovered that she was placing in the refrigerator non-food items that she thought were food. Like the Silly Putty a physical therapist had given her to exercise her arthritic hands. She would also eat dog biscuits I would hand her to give to the dog. When I would point out that she was eating dog biscuits she would laugh about it and say that she always ate dog biscuits, why the fuss? As others have said this is very common, though always shocking.

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

Oh Bassethound, I tried to give my mom treats for our cat the other day and she put it straight in her mouth as soon as I gave it to her. She made a face and said "I think I should have stayed in the car," and handed me the damp treat back.

Teresa, if your mom got the diaper from the trash, you might want to think about getting a trashcan with a lid that locks, maybe even one certified bear proof to be extra sure your mother doesn't try to have any other snacks from there. If it was from your supplies and she seems keen on picking it apart again, consider getting a small lockable tote and putting it out of her direct eyesight but still somewhere relatively easy for you to access, like a shelf above her eyesight.