Follow
Share

My dad is 93 and has dementia. My husband is his full time caretaker. We have grown accustomed to the tissue hoarding aspect of this disease, but is anyone else experiencing their loved one drinking from a water bottle for a sip or two and then pouring the bottle out either on the ground or in his lap. At dinner he has taken his glass of water poured it into the floor. Always denies doing it. Is this his own quirk, or have you also experienced it?

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Is he having problems swallowing the water? does this happen with other liquids?
If it happens with other liquids you may need to thicken thinner fluids. Water, tea, coffee, juice and soda. There are several products that will do this and they do not change the taste of the liquid just the viscosity.
If he is not having problems with other liquids and this is just something he does try getting a cup with a lid and straw. The lid screws on and has a gasket on the inside part of the lid so it will not drip out.
Also another possibility..if he is having dental problems it might be the temperature of the liquid bothers his teeth and he may be having a bit of pain when he drinks so getting rid of the thing that causes pain makes sense.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

maybe a child's sippy cup? They can't be spilled.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report

KEVKANSAS2016---Yes, Yes, and Yes. Oh my, how I can relate to your problem. My husband is adept at hiding tissues, rolls of toilet paper, newspaper wrappers, throwing soiled tissues behind furniture or in clean pots/pans, bowls in kitchen cabinets. He has also taken half eaten cereal and thrown it out on the cement walkway or driveway. Try and get dried cereal off cement!!! The only way of removing dried cereal on cement is with a wire brush! Then, we move on to the TV remote that only leaves the pants pocket when TV needs turned on or channel switched. Hordes everything. The water issue doesn't seem that uncommon with dementia patients. Actually, my husband has a step above your dad. My husband takes Diet Coke, Pepsi, orange juice---any liquid out of the frig and pours it all over the counter and nothing in the glass. If we happened to be out to dinner with friends (which is extremely rare and only on special occasions) he will take water, Pepsi, or whatever,and pour it in his plate of food! Being a 24/7 caregiver I try to get his drinks as often as possible, however, his 'desire to help himself' seems more spontaneous when I am doing yardwork or after I go to bed at night. At first I could not understand when making coffee in the morning, what all that 'brown stuff' was under the coffeemaker. I thought my coffeemaker was leaking. It took me several days to realize it was Pepsi or Coke. I've tried capping the bottles with special caps I bought in the store---hasn't worked. The juice I put in standard Mason lid type jars. You may try and give your father a small amount of water in a glass or bottle so if he does spill, it will only result in a tiny amount. Can he drink from a straw? If so, this may help. Good luck and God bless your husband for his compassion and caring of your father. It is the most difficult job, the most thankless job in the world. Now I must run. Hubby is trying to stuff a bag of garbage in the mailbox!
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

Wow, I am truly amazed. Of all the things I have read here, this is a first.

I have no suggestions but lots of sympathy.

Hugs!
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Oh I imagine he is not totally unique and that someone somewhere with dementia also does this, but I don't think it is common.

Isn't it amazing what strange behaviors dementia can trigger? There probably is a "logical" reason behind this, but you may never discover it.

My husband had a quirk of taking a special extension off of his bed lamp. The extension provided an easy way to turn the light on and off. One day I caught him in the act, so to speak.
me: "Honey, I thought you liked that new way to turn on your lamp."
him: "Oh yes. I love it! I don't have to reach up into the shade any more. It is great."
me: "Hmm ... well then, why are you taking it off the lamp?"
him: "Didn't you tell me you bought it?"
me: "Yes. I bought it at the hardware store."
him: "Well, if it belongs to us I'm certainly not going to leave it behind when we check out of this hotel."

See, a perfectly logical reason, given his delusion we were in a hotel. I'll bet your dad has a good reason, too.
Helpful Answer (5)
Report

Alal I can say is keep your sense of humor 😂
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

I use travel mugs. Never tried it but there are childs shippy cups that have a flip top and are spill proof.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

A HUGE YES! Individuals suffering from dementia are gong to not only going to throw water, but food as well. And why? They're not well.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter