An ugly discussion about poop!

Palmetto Peg

Sorry, everyone, but I have a question about poop. My husband is in a memory care facility. Lately, his bowel movements have been very soft, and impossible for him to pass all of it while he is on the toilet. He is unable to wipe himself, so he ends up with poop everywhere. He doesn't tell staff when he has to go, so they don't regularly catch him when he needs help. He will take off his pull-ups and sit on the bed, the furniture, you name it, and make a mess everywhere. I can tell that the staff is tired of it and I know I am. My question is this - have any of you had the same experience and what did you do? I have asked to have the doctor prescribe a fiber supplement to firm things up, but have not yet heard back. Any ideas? As always, thank you all so much for this forum where I can ask the good, the bad and the ugly questions!

Jazzma

My DH is also in memory care. He knows when he has to use the bathroom, but he doesn't know where he should go — so he will pee out his window (dribbling on the furnace and floor) or poop on the floor occasionally. The staff encourages him to use the bathroom every few hours, and that helps during the day. They are very understanding about the messes, at least when I'm there. I also gave all of the staff (nursing, cleaning, etc) homemade caramels for Christmas.

Mint

I don’t know if this would be helpful to you or not. I know I have heard people on here mention clothing from a certain website. We’re basically they’re not able to undo the clothing so therefore hopefully he would either get help. I’m thinking or use whatever disposable underwear you have on and then that would be much easier to change.

I do not remember which one was recommended on here. I found one called buck and buck.com. If you just put an adaptive clothing for dementia, they will pop up and there are other ones there. Hopefully maybe someone will come along and read this who has experience with this, and can be more helpful than me if you think this would work.

Palmetto Peg

I will check into the adaptive clothing, but I really think part of the problem is his diet. There are no salads and not much green in general served, and I imagine he isn't getting enough fiber. I know the staff is accustomed to this, but I have seen several roll their eyes when it is time for a clean up for him. Thanks for the ideas - we probably all will come to this point with our LO as they progress through dementia.

SDianeL

adaptive clothing would prevent him from removing the depends and pants and help the caregivers. They should be checking him more often. Talk to the director. Here’s the link to Buck and Buck Adaptive clothing.

Palmetto Peg

Thank you - I think that will probably be the solution. They definitely should be checking him more often, and taking him to the toilet at least every two hours so he won't wet through his pull ups so much. But, should and do are two different things. Overall, the care is okay where he is. He is close to me, and that matters a lot. I actually have COVID right now, but when I am out of isolation, I am going to request a meeting about this. Thanks for the input!

Chammer

My mom (86 yo, no dementia) used metamucil to firm up her stool. She was on metformin and has had her gall bladder removed so she had significant issues w loose stool.

She was eating a Metamucil wafer every day and now drinks the sort of gritty liquid daily instead - not sure why the switch because the wafers provided the bulk she needed. Are you able buy/provide the wafers for your DH and gave the MC provide daily w a meal without a Drs RX? If it is provided as a "cookie" it might go down easier than a drink.

Apparently there is a new Metamucil lemonade that isn't gritty, but haven't seen it in stores myself.

FTDCaregiver1

I used loperamide for bouts of diarrhea, Imodium. Worked on solidifying stool.

Denise1847

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/235392#Comment_235392

Hi Peg, I wonder if having a protective waterproof cloth on the bed would help. I am sure you are paying a good amount of money for his care and deserve some understanding. I would talk to the nurse who usually oversees the caregivers. You should be able to call her and have a chat. I do always acknowledge the difficulty of their jobs and express my gratitude for their good care. I wish I had more to offer.

Palmetto Peg

I like the idea of the Metamucil wafer. I have provided some additional supplies for them - including the waterproof pad on the bed. It seems like things move so slowly over there - I asked about a fiber supplement over a week ago, but the answer is the doctor hasn't been in, they will check with her when she comes, etc. I have been isolating with COVID, and haven't been over there helping with him as I usually do, and I am actually hoping that with the aides having to do more of his cleanup, there might be some movement about contacting the doctor. The wafer seems pretty innocuous, and I can't imagine any harm in it, but we wait for the doctor. Thanks for the suggestion and the support. I thought MC would ease my burden - and it has because I do get to sleep more than 4 hours a night - but it has also added a layer of frustration. If he was with me, he would already be on Metamucil or whatever worked!