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Kat0305 Asked September 2018

Any suggestions for Mom with dementia who loses glasses?

My 89 year old mom has dementia and frequently loses things. Recently she lost her glasses that were purchased only months ago. Replacing eyewear is pretty expensive, and this could be a recurring issue. I am not sure if I should see if an expensive insurance for eyewear is available or check into those products that can be used for finding lost items like keys or glasses. Any suggestions?

JoAnn29 Sep 2018
Just a thought. My Mom had cataract surgery. I really think her glasses were readers. I think the top was ordinary glass and the bottom her readers because she wanted to continue to wear glasses. This maybe the case with Mom.

wannek Sep 2018
Holders that go around the neck like a necklace

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aannie Sep 2018
My mother also has dementia. She loses everything.
First she always lost her teeth. (Expensive!) Then it was her
jewerly, and now it’s her hearing aids!
The solution I found that works most often is .. I put a container with a lid (like the food ones you get near foil, etc.)
and keep them on the table next to where she always sits.
she has one for her hearing aids (she takes them out to use “tv ears”) and another for her teeth. I remind her several times a day to use them. I also have containers on her bedroom dresser for her hearing aids and jewelry and make sure she puts them in there when she goes to bed. (Her teeth go in her soaking container in her bathroom at night.)
Although there are still times she loses things, it’s become much more rare. I would suggest having a glasses holder sitting whoever she settles in. And then it just takes reminding her several times a day.
With dementia the problems are ever changing. Once you get one figured out a new one pops up. T.V. Ears have made a big difference and the containers have made a big difference. Now, if I could just stop her from using my living room chair as a napkin! I just got one of those “pet covers” for that chair.
It always feels like your just putting tape on each problem to fix it but, really, those are the things that seem to work.
Hope this is helpful.

whaleyf Sep 2018
My son got me a “tracker” for Christmas. It’s a little tag you hang on things like glasses. You loose something and you can go on your computer to see where the item is. It’s helped me find my life alert button which my cat has taken twice to play with. I could use several of these.

Seawitch127 Sep 2018
Yes, look on line for clic glasses website. They can come in prescription now. Since my mom had cataract surgery, she just needs them to read. U wear them around your neck and they magnetically click in the front. Always around your neck.

JoAnn29 Sep 2018
Please fill in your profile. Helps us know your situation.

My Mom lost her glasses twice in the AL. Once she left them in a vacant room the other the hair dresser mixed up the clients glasses. We found them because I took a picture of them.

Really, the aides didn't notice the person had glasses on and when they took off the top noticed the patient no longer had them on. I am all for them getting better pay. They do all the dirty work. But it boggled my mind when I would leave notes and they were ignored. Sometimes, to make aides lives better.

anonymous594015 Sep 2018
There is also a tracker called Findy that you can use even if you don't have a smart phone. You have to buy a "Smart Button" if you want to use it without an app. Pressing the Smart Button will make the tracker buzz.

https://www.foxsmart.eu/

GranJan Sep 2018
The nursing home kept losing my mother's glasses and I finally determined they were pulling them off when they pulled her top over her head to dress her for bed. The top then went into the laundry basket, and from there to the black hole aka the nursing home laundry. I found them in a top that hadn't went to the laundry yet. Also when she was in a memory care facility, they came up missing. A few days later they found them along with 8 other pairs in the room of one of the patients. Dementia patients don't recognize their own glasses and if they take them off and set them aside, another patient, with the same problem could come along and pick them up saying "Ah, here's my glasses.

Srgramacy Sep 2018
one is called orbit glasses and it works with Bluetooth. Good luck.

Srgramacy Sep 2018
There is a small Gps that I found by googling lost glasses. It goes on the side and with a smart phone you can find them. My Dad was always losing his
Kat0305 Sep 2018
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. What is the name of the GPS tracker you are using. I have decided that might be the best solution.
rocketjcat Sep 2018
If she takes them off during the day, I got my mom a chain that attaches to the glasses so she could wear them around her neck instead of putting them somewhere. That helped. We still found them under her pillow when she would remove them at night however. That key finder idea is brilliant!

MargaretMcKen Sep 2018
I left my specs at home once when I went away for work, and in desperation I bought a pair of chemist specs so that I could at least work. They seemed OK. Next time I had my eyes tested, I actually looked at the prescription. It was 2:2, identical to my chemist specs. I asked the optician if that meant I was just as well off with $20 chemist specs instead of $200 specs from him. He looked shamefaced and said ‘probably’. You can guess what I have done since then. It is different if the prescription is very different for each eye, or if you have a squint or some other problem, but it is worth looking to see if your mother could manage pretty well with cheapies.

Kat0305 Sep 2018
Thank you, those are good suggestions. Good point on running the "gauntlet" trying to replace lost items. I have done that same kind of thing. Need vs. Actual usage.

FarmJelly Sep 2018
Two thoughts. One, buy several pair at the same time. Walmart and other discount optical places often have great sales. If you see this will be a recurring issue, choose an inexpensive frame. Two, how strong is her prescription? If it’s very weak, maybe she doesn’t really need them? I recently ran the gauntlet of replacing my FIL’s missing dentures only to see him take them out and put them in his pocket to eat. I honestly do not know if my MIL even knows where they are. I’m afraid to ask, and I'm not spending $$$$ to replace them every few months.

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