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Bathroom floor soaked again

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The solution would seem to be to accompany her to her showers.

Does she have dementia or other cognitive decline? Oh, I just checked your profike and see that she does.

She is 95; she probably shouldn't be showering unaccompanied. Have you considered hiring a bath aide to assist mom with her shower once a week?
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dcalig Apr 2021
That’s next Thank you
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A slipping hazard, if nothing else.

I got one of those bathmats that are non-slip and sewed rings to it and put hangers on the shower wall. DH takes the rug and places it on the floor. We have really slippery tile and both of us have had near misses with slipping.

I guess the upside is that you probably 'get' to clean the bathroom floor everyday.

You could always jump the gun and put a towel down yourself at night, so it would be ready in the am. Sometimes, problems just need to be pre-solved.

It's probably just not in mom's wheelhouse of thoughts.
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Your profile says your mom is 95 and has dementia. You need to have adjusted expectations about her cognition, memory, abilities. You wouldn't like it if someone had an unrealistic expectation of you, right? You may be teetering into burnout, which is unfortunately a very common result of being the solo caregiver to someone with a lot of dependency and needs. If your mom has any financial resources to enable you to hire more help, please don't hesitate to do it. If she doesn't and you don't wish to transition her to a facility, then you can call social services for your county and ask for an in-home assessment and see if she may qualify for "some" in-home services...but understand that it still may not be enough to keep you from burnout. The caregiving arrangement on works if it is working for both you and her. It may not be working for you, and indeed will only get more intense and demanding. Please make taking care of your own self a priority.
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First, I had a hard time dealing with Moms Dementia. I understood it, but hard when you have to deal with it. Patience is not my virtue.

Your Mom now has short-term memory loss. As such, she cannot remember what you have said from one day to the next, from one minute to the next. She also has probably lost the ability to be reasoned with and the ability to process what is being said to her. Her mind is dying little by little. I found my Mom went backwards in time and acted like a small child.

So like a small child if you want anything done right, you have to be there. So before she showers/bathes, you go in and put the towel down.
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againx100 Apr 2021
Exactly!

You can tell her something 100 times and it will not matter. If you want it done "right" you really have to do it yourself. Or at least not expect a 95 year old with dementia to do as you've asked them to do. Sorry.
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She never does because she’s lost the ability to remember. I hope you’ll find a way to solve this for you both, it’s no ones fault and the anger isn’t helping. Maybe a more absorbent bath mat, maybe do the towel for her, maybe get a helper to do this with her?
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dcalig Apr 2021
Thank you
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Hi,
This may be helpful:
http://www.dementiacarestrategies.com/12_pt_Understanding_the_Dementia_Experience.pdf
Teepa Snow has a video on youtube about ‘How dementia affects language skills’ which is excellent too. I had not realised that difficulty hearing/interpreting could be related to dementia.
I can still get frustrated, but it made me realise that she couldn’t help it so I could be more patient and anticipate what she might find a challenge. If your Mom used to put down a bathmat but can’t remember to now, then it’s unlikely she’s doing it on purpose. Take care,
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Just sending a hug..... for you.
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As Ann said ((hug)).

This is a very hard road to travel if you aren't a Saint. And I have found on this forum, that there aren't many if at all. Caregiving 24/7 is hard. Its like having a baby again but we are way older now. And the baby is lots bigger. Set in our ways and liking it that way. Dementia is so unpredictable. There is no ryhmn or reason to it. And if your a person who does well with order, its really hard dealing with it.

We took Mom out to dinner with us a lot. Sort of our "get out of the house" and social time. Usually found someone to talk to. This one time Mom got hot tea, nothing new. A mug with the teabag were given to her and a little pot with hot water. Mom picked up the little pot and proceeded to turn it upside down. It was like watching something in slow motion but was done in a matter of seconds. Hot water everywhere. TG we hadn't been served yet. That was the last time she was aloud the little pot.

I eventually placed my Mom. She did lots better in an AL.
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If you're losing your temper over such a small thing, I can only imagine that you're losing your temper over many things. That is definitely a sign of burnout, and I'm worried more about you than I am your mom.
You say in your profile that she has some form of dementia, so of course she's not remembering to "put a towel down." At her age she shouldn't be getting in the shower by herself anyway, so it's either time to hire someone to assist her in the shower, or perhaps if it's getting to be too much for you, time to be looking at placing her in the appropriate facility.
You are now at the point where you must not only do what's best for your mom and her safety, but what is also best for you and your mental health. You can be no good to your mom if you're not taking good care of yourself first. I wish you well.
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So here's the thing. If your mother has dementia you cannot expect to dialogue with her and make her understand as if she was a healthy minded adult. What I mean by that is, it's like you're speaking to a toddler. Even then, a child has a higher probability to understand you and follow as requested. My mom is not the best care taker (she has no patience with anyone), she gets irritated with my grandma so fast (for little things). It infuriates me because it just makes the situation worse, when she loses her temper.

Just place the towel yourself.

It will get worse, let me warn you. So best be that both (assuming your mother still makes decisions) of you start planning for the future. I wish you both the best.
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