HI! my mom has had eoalz for about 10 years she just started with this scratching thing,its not her meds,she did it when she was on no meds at all,her skin is not dry,her shoulders are all bloody I put 5 large bandades with med on 1 shoulder and 2 on the other I took her to the dr and got her on antibiotics and the dr had no sugessions on what to do.my mom has no clue when I tell her not to scratch she just calls me a bitch.I tried 2 shirts on but still gets her hand in there she does not read or cant do puzzles. PLEASE HELP ME IAM GOING CRAZY!! Thanks Melissa

Buddy,
I'm not a care consultant, but I just thought I'd try to offer some hopefully helpful advice.

Is your Mom being treated by a nrurologist or geriatric psychiatrist? They should be able to prescribe medication which may stop the scratching or at least cut it down. As perhaps a last or later resort, you could try posey mitts (which are a form of physical restraint). Finally, you can use the "find" function (the purple box) in the caregivers section to help you get ideas on top of those that you will receive from one of the care consultant.
I hope everything works out with this.

Dear Melissa,

I am so sorry for such a frustrating and scary situation. Repeated behaviors such as scratching pulling, etc are not uncommon or dementia, but can very difficult to deal with. It is good she has seen a doctor, but her problem may be more related to her dementia at this point. If possible I would strongly encourage that she a dementia specialist about this new behavior or repeated scratching. Although the skin irritation could have been started from another physical issue, her inability to stop scratching is most likely dementia related. Repeated behavior may be helped by medications like an anti psychotic. It is important to speak with a specialist about his option as there are risks. Please take her to a dementia specialist as soon as you can to help with managing this new difficult behavior. Call our helpline for a listing of specialists in your area. 800.272.3900

At this point in the disease our mom may not be able to follow your instruction to stop scratching. Her level of awareness has changed as a result of the disease, and so too has her ability to control her actions and thoughts. Asking her to stop may not work. Some other alternatives would be to give her something to play with in her hands to distract her. It could be a stress ball, playdough, a doll, etc. If there is something you know she is interested in, like a dog stuffed animal use that to distract her mind and her hands. Some caregivers find the cutting coupons is a common hands task, if she is still able to do that and is interested. It might be a trial and error to find what works best to distract her hands and her mind- but it might be worth trying at this point.

During this time it is very important to keep a close eye on her, how her shoulders are doing. If the wound continues to be agitated and the antibiotics are not affective it will be important to seek further treatment and medical attention.

Melissa we are here for you. I know you must be frustrated and feeling like you are going crazy is not pleasant, we know- call us please and talk to us anytime you need to vent or ask a question. We are here for you 27/4 call 800.272.3900

Bests,

Thanks for the advice I did call the hotline today I think they are sending a straight jacket for me they really are a life saver she gave me some #'s to call and are sending out a alz associate to talk to us.the posies mitts are not a option they would just start another issue. Thanks so much for your help!!!!!!!!

Mom did this, only she was scratching between her legs. It not only injured her, it mortified Dad, who thought she was playing with herself. We were never quite able to get her to stop, and that was one of the last behaviors she exhibited before she passed. Her hospice nurse noted it to me two days before she died.