I have had enough of all the strange behaviors my mother is exhibiting since her dementia diagnosis. This is a new one lately that absolutely drives me crazy. Tell me if you think this is as much as I feel it is. We have 2 bathrooms in our home. Recently the toilet in her (my mom's) room broke--got plugged up. She does use and inordinate amount of toilet paper and she puts things down there like food scraps. Anyway, the second bathroom off my room is working and available. Soooooo.....in the middle of the night when she has to go #1 or #2, she does so in this bucket and then brings it to my toilet in the morning and dumps it. I have told her and told her and leave the light on in the second bathroom so she can use it if needed. I have even thrown the disgusting blue bucket away so she won't (she has fished it out of the trash). To me this is disgusting and unnecessary. Am I over-reacting or is this just another step in her failing mind?
Another time he came strolling by me into the kitchen and opened the door on the freezer. Unzipped his pants and proceeded to pee right into the freezer. You just never know !!!
Actually, my mom's toilet habits are not a extension of her dementia. She has done that for years because she has lived with me in different accommodations and when the restroom was not advantatious for her she would keep ( a urinal collectoral) in her bedroom. And that is because of the distance to the restroom that was available to her. However, her bathroom is not far away from her bedroom now and I know she has much difficulty being able to get herself out of bed because of her bad knees to make it to the bathroom. And I think her aim is not what it used to be because of the urine odor. That is why I am trying to promote the portable potty. I would just like her to have less pain trying to support herself using the restroom. But she is highly sensitive to comments.
My mom is used to peeing in receptacles like a garbage can or large jar because it is what she learned when growing up with parents who immigrated to the USA in the early 1900's. And that is what they used way back then. So it's first nature to them it is how it used to be. However my mom was introduced to more modern techniques as she grew up. She knows what bathrooms are and toilets. Heck She trained me and my siblings to use the toilet. But know she is in her 84yr she has resorted back to peeing in her garbage an in the middle of the night. It is tough for her to move around as she did injure her knee many years ago.
For me, my frustration is never ending as I say to her .."Mom your room is starting to smell." (Wrong think to say). Mom let's spruce up your room...theres a odor once again(wrong think to say to her.) Next..in thinking that I am helping to preserve her sense of loss of identity..."Mom because your knee is painful and you have difficulty getting to the bathroom at night I can get a potty for you to use in the middle of the night, you can dump it in the morning." To no avail....failure. I too am at my wits end. I hate walking to my bedroom past her bedroom and smelling sour pee.
Good luck,
Carol