Alzheimer's Disease Support Group

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration with declining activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms or behavioral changes. An early symptom is memory loss (amnesia), usually manifesting as minor forgetfulness that becomes pronounced with illness progression, with relative...

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Deborah48 04/20/2011

Up until now, Rollie would NOT utilize depends no matter what, even in the hospital, completely drugged up he would insist on getting up to pee. But since he has been home he is confused about the bathroom situation. He doesn't seem to be able to distinguish between pee or poop. I used to watch him and good tell if he had to pee and I would ask him, 'Do you have to pee?" and he could answer 'yes or no' but now when I ask him he just gives me a blank stare. "Do you have to pee" or "Do you have to poop?" are responded with a the same blank look and he just nods his head so I take him and sometimes he makes it and sometimes he doesn't, sometimes it turns out he doesn't have to do either. So my question is, does this mean that he is becoming incontinent because he is losing the ability to figure out his sensations on his own?

Jamr41 04/20/2011

I think so. Men can have prostate issues contributing to incontinence, but there comes a point when I think they lose
all sensation or the ability to hold it.
Same with bowel incontinence.

KarmaDakota 04/20/2011

hi, I was wandering the same thing. The lady that i take care of has started peeing in her depends at night time. Is this progression? I had replied to someone before. I can't find it but, it was about someone pooping and putting their hands down there and smeering it. I thought, ewww that will never happen here. Haha. Ummm, yup it happened. All over the walls, her face, her hair, the remote, blankets. I read your posts alot and I give all of you ladies so much credit. I am not related to this lady but, it is very, very stressful. I'm trying to keep the depression at bay. Any ideas?

Deborah48 04/20/2011

Karna- get lots of rest, take breaks and I take Prozac. LOL that's what works for me.

inmemoryofhattie 04/20/2011

I think I would be duct-taped to a wall if I did't go to Water Aerobics once a week. If I could go everyday I might approach sanity.....

Also I do a deep breathing exercise: three deep total in and out, slow breaths.....this is supposed to physically combat anxiety which when it builds up too much turns into depression

I also try to go to yoga once a week and I often repeat the ending of the class to myself while breathing:

peace peace peace,,,may there be peace in our hearts, peace in our homes and may there be peace in the world...

wishing you some rest and peace....

Pam65 04/20/2011

I'm too tired to answer right now but I'm grossed out by what Karma wrote.....

I have to go to sleep now.

deleted_user 04/21/2011

Actually my husband does both.he tries to go to the bathroom sometimes, but also he wets himself...so I can only assume that the feeling is there sometimes but not always. I've asked him but thats useless. He has actually gotten so lost and confused that he has stood in front of the toilet and then looked at me and said now what do I do. I literally have to tell him to pull it out and pee in the toilet (as he doesn't know aht to do.) I at first thought his prostate was probably enlarged or something and that was causing all the leakage , but when he doesn't even remember what he is suppose to do I think its safe to say its not that it is the progression of the disease.

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