Bodily Fluids

Years ago, a friend of ours (male) made the statement, "Babies are a series of uncontrolled openings." As we are learning, this is just as true of individuals with Alzheimer’s. Oh, we were long prepared for incontinence. That started 19 years ago when Dad had surgery for prostate cancer. We just weren't prepared for the other things.

Spitting: an ongoing problem. (background) Dad has a special cup that his THE cup for water. It's an insulated mug from my brother's medical school. It's just the right size and shape for holding with unsteady hands. The handle just fits his grip. We've fussed at Dad so much for spitting on the floor, that I think he is TRYING to be better. Yesterday morning when I was refilling his cup, I noticed that he had spit IN the cup. Overcoming my evil impulse to make him drink his own spit, I washed the cup before I filled it. This morning, Dad had spit ON the cup. The handle was covered. When I unsuspectingly picked it up by the handle...

Drool: For Mom's birthday, the day after Christmas, we had a big family dinner of barbecue. Dad had to have his face wiped more often than my 23 month old grandson. Barbecue sauce everywhere...

Pee: It's easiest to changed Dad's diapers in his bedroom because he can sit on a protective pad during the process. I chose commercial-grade indoor/outdoor carpet for his room because I knew it would get gross. I guess I underestimated how gross (more below). In dressing him in the mornings, my husband would strip Dad while he was sitting on the bed and walk him to the shower. The down side was that getting comfortable seemed to trigger peeing. Dad would pee across the floor while walking to the shower. My husband solved this for a while by using the dirty clothes to catch any dribbles. When the volume got too great, my husband resorted to leaving the diaper on until Dad reached the bathroom (with tile floor--easier to clean).

Poo. For the past several years, we could put Dad on the toilet morning and evening as his clothes were changed and he could move his bowels. Wiping was another story, but at least the clean up was limited. Recently, he got less predictable and would have bowel movements in his diaper. Yep, an adult sitting on poop is just as messy to clean up as a baby sitting in it. It goes everywhere. This morning, Dad did something new. My husband had cleaned up the morning load, showered Dad, and dried him off. On the way back to the bedroom to dress, Dad let go with another load--all over the carpet. Keeping him from walking in it was a challenge in itself. I guess diapers are going to have to be put on in the bathroom as well as taken off there. I hope this isn't a new trend and just is a result of 2 days of large holiday meals.