How do I keep Father's hands out of the toilet?

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How do I keep Father's hands out of the toilet?

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And is there a way I can prevent or stop him from flushing? My father is 62 and lives with me and my family. Currently he's fixated with all things water, except for showering. For health, sanitation and conservation reason this is our biggest problem now. He will sometimes wet his hands in the toilet to slick back his hair or wash his hands in it. He also flushes the toilet multiple times when he's in the bathroom. Which he goes into a lot. For the flushing, I've tried turning the water off as well as disengaging the chain from the latch. He found a way around it and added to the problem. As for the hand in toilet part. I have no clue what to do. I could put a lock on the bathroom door and have him wake me when he needs to use it. And go in to Monitor him. But there always seems to be repercussions With change. I might wake to find a mess outside the bathroom door, in the kitchen sink or worse. I'm trying to be as innovative and crafty as he. So really any and all ideas and solutions are appreciated.

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Get a portable toilet (4 legs, handles, sits on floor). Put it in his room, lock the bathroom door and then supervise when he goes in there. I have a similar problem, but my husband likes to stand in front of the mirror and then rearranges things. I find pee on my lid so I have to wipe it first before I sit down, and I've seen him pee in the sink. Don't sweat the small stuff. Shut the water off outside and he cannot flush multiple times (instead of under the sink where he can turn it back on - that info is in long-term memory). The more this habit upsets you, the more frustrated YOU will become. Soon he will move onto another oddity. The brain does not understand etiquette with dementia.

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On the safe side of using colored water...you might try using a food coloring instead of a harsh chemical. If there is a color that he is not particularly fond of you might use that color of food coloring which may cause him to avoid the toilet water.

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Try putting the blue water dispenser in the tank. I doubt if he wants blue hair.

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If your father has Alzheimer's, 62 years is very young, which means it will become aggressive and will only get worse fairly rapidly. You may want to talk to his doctor and start thinking along the lines of nursing home placement. If this is unacceptable perhaps his doctor can put him on medications that might help the obsessive/repetitive thinking. However, if your father has Alzheimer's and at 62 eventually he will become too much. Well, try the medication route first. Seriously--what else can one do.

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I would not put any chemicals in the toilet water. These can be very toxic if touched or swallowed.

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Great idea jajocaregiver08 with the food coloring. At least if the problem continues you would know that he had his hands in the water because they would be tinted so you would know to make him wash them. Another idea is to maybe put something with a strong smell like vinegar or a safe aromatherapy oil in the water. Maybe something really flowery or pine scent. He may not like the smell and stop putting it in his hair.

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Your father is suffering some sort of dementia/mental illness. Make an appointment with his primary care physician. While you are both in the examining room, explain his using toilet water for grooming and other bathroom activities with his physician. His physician do a urinary workup to rule out urinary tract/prostate problems, he will explain the risks to your father using toilet water, and he detail medication and other options.

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Since your dad's reasoning is impaired, putting chemicals in the water, won't likely prevent him from using it. He won't likely be able to process why it's dangerous. Constant supervision and locks are practically the only options.

Keeping them safe from themselves can be exhausting and time consuming. I would talk with his doctor about medications for OCD or anxiety. Sometimes they help prevent repetitive behavior. Often there will be constant repeating of statements, pacing, fidgeting with hands, etc.

I might also explore places like Memory Care facilities. I had to place my cousin into Memory Care when she was 62! Some types, like Vascular can hit very early. I wish you all the best with this journey.

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Get an easy to use cleaning product-I use ScrubbingBubbles. Clean the toilet a bit every time you pass by. Relax, flush often, let go of the conservation issue. The behavior will change eventually, anyway.

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Lifewithdad all I can come up with is to leave water in the sink and maybe he will dip into that instead of the toilet. Oe good thing is that he is actually flushing the toilet. If you can afford it installing one of the extreme low flush toilets. They suck the wast away and leave very little water in the bowl. I am sure they are pretty expensive but my daughter has them in her house and they are amazing.
All the reasoning in the world is not going to change the behavior of a dementia patients all you can do is provide a diversion and let him discover it for himself.

How do I keep Father's hands out of the toilet?

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