Tissue and toilet paper maniac. Anyone else?

OMG! Another one!!!! I thought MY mother was the only one. I've done everything to stop her from using tissues just to wipe water off her face after she's taken her pills (there is NO water!). She's got wastepaper baskets filled to the wazu with wads of dry tissues! In each room of the house! Tissues. If there isn't a tissue box next to her bed/couch/bathroom, car, etc., it's top of the list on the supermarket list with food coming second.

Toilet tissue????? I put up a new roll and she goes in there ONE time, half the roll is gone!

Thank God, thank God, for this forum. Because quite frankly, when I 'lose it' it's here I come to see if anyone is losing it.

I swear when the time comes, I'm going to put tons of tissues in the casket with her!

As to wondering how we will be? I've come to the conclusion I could never 'be' this way. I'd rather DIE from whatever it is that gets me first than go through being elderly with dementia (my mother has vascular dementia with paranoia (which is now being helped by medication that the insurance company is now telling us they will no longer pay for two times a day, only one, because 'they' feel two aren't necessary. So much for the doctor's opinion, huh?

Stress!

This is going to seem very rude, but I'm going to write it anyway because I'm sure someone else is thinking it -- years ago people died from normal diseases that affected the elderly. They didn't spend their 80th decade being put back together (my mom has had open heart (83); knee replacement (85) cancer's removed (which probably didn't need to be) ; She's on at least ten meds that are keeping her alive, oh, and did I mention the diabetes for which she is currently receiving insulin? Oh, wait, there's also the stage !V kidney failure (which apparently happens to all the very elderly in that their kidneys just can't handle the numerous drugs they are trying to process, plus the foods, etc.

I want to die a natural death. Not be someone's burden. And not have to have someone remove impacted feces (as I had to do the other day because she called me from the bathroom, crying).

Today I am stressed. Everyone thinks I'm such a 'good daughter'. I'm not!

My mom used tissues a lot for a runny nose. Seems like that's a different problem. I know her nose was running that much. She would have a little drip of clear liquid coming from her nose all the time if she didn't wipe. We investigated with docs, to see if it was a cold. My heart went out to her that she needed to have that little old lady tissue up her sleeve all the time and her waste basket was always filled.

I just keep wondering how will we be? How will we feel? What can we do to help ... both our elderly and ourselves to address these issues. So, I'm sharing a somewhat different/similar experience, but I don't have a good idea... except to always be kind and compassionate with all the good ideas.

Good wishes to everyone here. Thanks for sharing all the bizarre and beautiful changes in our lives.

Sounds like your on top of it.
I am a care giver for my husband, an active working R.N., & have lots of tricks up my sleeve for this disease.
So she may use a lot of toilet paper daily-is it a $ problem? If not, just save the old toilet paper empty rolls & split the paper on to say 4 rolls, for each roll, & give that to her daily to use-see if it helps? Good luck...

My Alz mother goes to the bathroom at least 10 times a day, probably more because she uses one big roll of toilet paper a day and she fills up one trash can everyday. At first, i was a bit annoyed that she was using so much toilet paper, but now, i consider her many walks to the bathroom her daily exercise, and the extra cost of toilet paper the expense for her physical therapy. So, $20 more in toilet paper per month doesn't bother me anymore.

Disable the flush handle. That way you can check for the mountain of paper before you activate the flush.

I gave my father plastic freezer bags(zip lock bags) filled with bounty paper towels which were folded in 4s. I would keep them in his walker, near his bed etc so they were accessible to him. His meds had the side effect of giving him sinus type problem. I had small plastic bags with him to use as trash bags.

For toileting, I ripped bounty towels in half and stacked them in the bathroom.
He would use half a towel when in the bathroom which could be flushed. We did not have plumbing issues.

I used to engage him in the twice a week 'folding and bagging" the bounty towels. It was something he could do while sitting in his recliner and made him feel he was useful. It freed me up to do the chores which needed mobility. He actually enjoyed doing anything to help out. In general, I tried to engage him in any chore he could do or assist me with during the day. Even if it is a small assist which you can do yourself faster, I was not in a rush and he had a better mood with being able to help. I always praised him and thanked him for his help, which reinforced that he was still useful.

Came across controli-a-roll, worth considering

Jeepers, from all the replies within 2 days I think we've found another common!! Question is , WHY? What is the fascination with toilet paper/tissue??

My mom hoards it everywhere...I empty her pockets before I do her laundry, if not, it's fuzball city on all clothes!! It's stuffed under her pillow, in her drawers, pant pockets , coat pockets, waste bin in the bathroom and yes, even the toilet (she doesn't know it flushes) Hmm....wonder why this fascination with tissue??

I had this trouble too. (MIL w/alzheimers). So I locked the door on our only bathroom and put a commode chair (on wheels with padded seat) in her room. When she complained the bathroom door was locked, I told her it was broken and she needed to use the commode chair. That way, I had control over what went into my septic tank. These days, she is bedbound and goes in her depends. It's actually easier this way......so in my case, she got easier when she became bedbound.

Conversing with a LO who has Alzheimer's is often like talking with your cat. Acknowledge, respond, be affectionate, develop boundless patience. Forget about rational responses. Show respect, your therapeutic fictional responses are allowed. ~DLMifm

try to accept the mind is damaged. Forget about rational responses. we can run ourselves ragged trying to rationalize the irrational behaviors
Easy to say, impossible to live with .."Take a BREAK often | You get to start o