Mom has been picking the skin off of her arms, legs and back. The arms and hands are looking the worst. She keeps picking at the scabs which causes bleeding. I got fidgety tools, but she has refused to use them. The arms just look awful. I am at a loss. Any help would be appreciated.
At home, I kept his fingernails short, and gave him a handtowel to grab onto and pull at. Where there were scabs, I used cloth bandaids with gentle adhesive to protect the skin. He might pick at them, but better to pick at a bandaid than skin.
Sometimes, especially when it involves her face, it looks terrible to others and they will ask what has happened. It drives me crazy also, and I am constantly applying anti-bacterial and bandaids (which are like another scab, just something to pick off), and cleaning her nails in hopes of preventing a bad infection.
Sitting on the toilet does seem to be the place where this most often occurs, and I tend to not let her "hang out" there any longer than necessary when she is in a picking phase - get her done, up, and out.
Have also tried the fidget tools, but they go untouched. Of course, engagement in anything is key - but that is one of my biggest battles daily, finding ways/things to engage her. I believe for some, anxiety meds have helped with this, but that is not an option for us. Eventually, she just seems to stop, and things heal for a time. And then, for whatever reason - presumably increased anxiety or boredom - she will start up again. (The time in between bouts of it lasting much longer than the actual picking phase.) Again, that's my saving grace. (The old "this too shall pass".)
For what it's worth, I believe this obsessive behavior has a name: excoriation. You might try looking up that term (in association with dementia). I've done it, but not recently. And ultimately found it was just something we have to deal with in our own way. But, as usual, it was at least something to know it wasn't just some weird oddity in our world - that it is relatively common.
Best of luck to you, and hugs and prayers for all on this site! Have a blessed day!
He was constantly scratching and picking like you describe. I finally thought, this is almost like an allergy. I started him on Benadryl (while in hospital) and he did stop!
At home, Benadryl is too strong and knocks him out. If you have a Sam's Club, the cheapest is their brand in tablet form and I give him 1/2 morning and 1/2 at night - it stopped his constant scratching and picking at the scabs. It is called "Members Mark diphenhydramine" and the bottle of 600 will last more than a year for us.
You will need to use "Triple Antibiotic Cream" until the scabbing is gone or the picking will continue - really, any good cream should help as her skin is most likely dry too. Curel makes a lot of good creams and you can find them at Walmarts.
The scratching is a sign, symptom of an underlying problem.
The longer it continues the more of a habit it will become.
I just thought of one thing that can have "magic" properties with my mother -- hydrocortisone creme. I tell her the doctor says it will make the itch go away. You can get it OTC. It works best if it is doctor recommended in their minds. (Of course, it is actually doctor recommended. Dermatologist often write prescriptions for it for itchy skin. Just don't let her use it on too large an area.)
My mother's dermatologist told us that older people often inflict damage on their own skin by scratching at it. The only solution I can think of for someone who does this is mittens. :) It drives me crazy to watch my mother rubbing and fidgeting with her hands all day. I know how you feel. I think much of it is boredom and too much attention to self.