Hi everyone...new to the group and look forward to sharing, offering and giving comfort to all of you!! We are about 5 years into dementia. So my question is: anyone have this issue? Dad, although still tending to his bathroom needs mostly alone, sometimes mom does find him calling for her only to walk in on a bit of a mess!!! So, into the shower he goes as she gets busy sanitizing and cleaning up after him. He is using wads of TP and it is becoming quite a frequent occurrence that the toilet is filling all the way up and almost over the top. Mom freaking out..any thoughts on how we can eliminate or reduce this overuse? Thought we had the answer with a bidet seat, which would be amazing, but he won’t know how to use but, like a child, will play with buttons and wind up breaking it!!! Now..mom plans on taking empty rolls and every morning, twirling 5 or 6 sheets around the end of roll and let him call for her if he needs more!!! Plumber there every two minutes due to clogging!!! Also thought about the disposable wipes but plumber says...they are def not good for septic system even thought it says that are ok to flush!!! Ugh...help if anyone has any good ideas for us!!!
I have a pretty heavy duty toilet bowl myself my DH bought from Lowes. He told the salesman he wanted something that would be able to flush a bath towel or a small child. I still wouldn't flush wet wipes though, because clogs will happen with ANY toilet bowl and enough tp.
Good luck!
With every decline an adjustment has to be made. The declines can sort of creep up on you or they happen overnight. Your dads bathroom problems have crept up and now mom needs to step in and "help a bit" but soon she will have to help a lot more. She can say..I'm just going in with you to make sure there is enough toilet paper. She can monitor how well he is doing and as he needs more help she will notice. This is also when they go out look for "family restrooms" or I would take my Husband into the women's restroom but I would check it first and if anyone was there I would explain my Husband has dementia and I needed to bring him in. I never had a problem. If there was someone there that minded I would wait until they left. Most people are VERY understanding.
A few suggestions
Single ply toilet paper in the bathroom he uses.
NO wipes "flushable" or not.
ADA height toilet or get a riser.
Get an attachment that has "arms" so that he can get up from the toilet more easily.
Another option for the toilet..
There are plastic inserts that sort of look like a bucket that sit on the rim of the toilet under the seat. If you put this on the toilet no matter how much TP he puts in it it will not be flushed. Mom would have to go in and empty it but it would prevent plumbing problems and give dad a bit more sense of independence for a bit longer. But mom does need to prepare herself for stepping in a bit more often and for more of the ADL's (activities of daily living)
It's the plastic pan that sits on the rim of the bowl and under the toilet seat. Used in almost every doctor's office and hospital.
Along with wet wipes, it would ease the strain on the toilet.
Should be easy to find and cost
effective.
Mom could dispose of the wipes and flush the rest.
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