Mom with dementia goes through at least 4 large boxes of tissues each week. Her nose seems to run all the time and she always has a tissue handy, but she is obsessed with tissues. Sometimes I can tell where she's been at the ALF from the dropped tissues on the floor. Is this common?
My husband had Lewy Body Dementia, and along with it the "Lewy drip" where there'd be a bead of moisture on the tip of his nose nearly all the time. He really did need and use the tissues. When we went out I'd need to bring not only tissues but an empty bag to put the used ones in. Always upon leaving a theater or restaurant I checked around his seat and disposed of used tissue so the staff wouldn't have to..
You can mention it to her doctor, but depending on the cause there may be nothing to do about it except buy tissue by the case!
One characteristic is fluctuations. The person with LBD may seem normal one day and clearly impaired the next; may be out of it all morning and alert and clear-headed in the afternoon. Behavior and cognitive skills are very unpredictable from one day to the next.
There is often problems with depth perception.
Short term memory may be impaired but it is not like Alzheimer's where it tends to get worse and worse.
The LBDA site will give you a good overview.
(And I didn't mean to suggest that your mother might have LBD just because her nose runs. I simply know that is common in that disease.)
It can be an anxiety behavior that meds might take the edge off. Her dementia doctor should be able to help.
My mother was OCD about tissues. Runny, runny nose even with allergy or cold meds before we knew how serious her dementia really was.Multiple boxes in the car, in every room. Her purse had more dirty ones in it than anything else. Later, she stashed them in the basket under the seat of her walker. Eww. She would be holding onto several at once, but eventually got to where she wasn't wiping her drippy nose anymore.
They said she has Alzheimers, but there are more signs of other dementias with her than Alzheimers. We will never know for sure, and it's too late now to matter.
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