Life with Dad

Caring for someone with dementia, you have to laugh to keep from crying.

Name:
Location: Texas

This blog is a reflection on being a member of the "sandwich generation". We are those sandwiched between aging parents who need care and/or help and their own children. After an extensive remodel of our house, we moved my parents in with us. Dad has Alzheimer’s, which adds complications to the situation.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Finger Painting

We have a new problem since Dad came home from skilled nursing. Dad is bowel incontinent. Just like our 2 year old grandson, Dad will say he is not dirty even if he is and will refuse to sit on the toilet to have a bowel movement. Lately, however, he has started something new. If he's dirty and we don't catch it right away, he digs in his diaper. I guess he's trying to get rid of it, but what he ends up doing is smearing poop everywhere. We euphemistically call it "fingerpainting."

Thursday afternoon, Dad fingerpainted himself and his leather
recliner. Last night, he fingerpainted his bed. For daytime
fingerpainting, my husband has come up with a solution for now. We
used a leather punch to punch some extra holes in Dad's belt and lock
it closed with a suitcase-sized lock. That way Dad can't get his
pants completely off, and we can catch him before he digs completely
in his diaper. Now if we could come up with a solution for pajamas.
I don't really want to sew belt loops on his pjs.