I find Mom's #2 on bathroom floor. How can I help her to get to the toilet in a normal way?

I've been taking mom to the restroom every few hours but have missed a couple of mornings where she has had an accident in bed. She maybe is not removing depends consistently I found out, before sitting down. Maybe she does not remember how to do this. I am more used to the new habit I have now of taking her to the restroom. She seems to be doing better. It seems to happen if I leave her alone for a little while. I am using day programs more often.

I will also try some other ideas and look at this later as well. It was a rough morning but i am feeling a little better now.

Hello, thank you for the answers and ideas. It helps to know im not alone. She doesn't recall how it ends up on floor. I will try taking her to use the restroom and try to figure out when she goes to the bathroom. It is true that will be much less work than the cleaning up.

Susan, I just saw your post about her taking her diapers off to go to the bathroom. I would explore the adult onsies that would prevent her from taking off her diaper. I have never used them for my loved one, but other here have. Perhaps they can give you more details about them.

And, I would lock the bathroom door so she can't go in by herself. Keep a close eye, so you can change her properly when needed, removing the chance for her to mishandle the contents.

It's very difficult to handle this in the home. I have a good friend who's mother had this issue with her dementia. He had to find placement for her, after hiring professionals to keep his house on multiple occasions. There would be no shame in asking for help on this.

Susan, you mentioned in your profile that your Mom has Alzheimer's/Dementia, sad to say this behavior will only get worse instead of better. See if there is a pattern of time where your Mom goes to use the bathroom, and you go in with her to help her.... it won't be easy and your Mom might refuse to have you there with her but it will be easier than cleaning up the mess.

You might need to take your Mom into the bathroom every hour whether she wants to go or not. Run the water into the sink as that will make some people go.

Your profile says your mom has dementia. I would ask if she is doing this on purpose or is it running out without her knowledge. I'll address both:

Depending on which stage she is in, getting her to stop mishandling her feces, if that is what is happening, may not be possible. For some reason, it's not an uncommon problem with dementia patients. I just posted a response to another question about this same issue this morning.

If the feces are running out of her panties without her knowing it, then I would explore adult diapers. Extra pads can also be used in them for extra protection. I would also chain her diet so her stools are not so loose. Talk to her doctor about meds if diet doesn't work.

Often, it's not an accident that the feces are mishandled. The person's brain is not working properly and they aren't able to realize that what they are doing is unhealthy and unwanted behavior. No reasoning or tips will help her stop doing it. The only thing I can think of is to supervise her at all times, so that she is never allowed in the bathroom without assistance. That way you can ensure she toilets properly. She may no longer be able to toilet herself.

If it still is a problem, there are onsies for adults that can be purchased for her to wear. They button in the back and the patient is not able to get her pants down and remove the feces. You might also consider diapers if she is not cooperating.

Have you tried a bedside commode?

This whole situation is really hard for me and I am really losing my patience. I just feel like crying ( a lot) today in desparation after spending so long cleaning shoe bottoms and the bathroom floor, ect.. I just keep cleaning it up and still the house doesn't smell right. I want to keep caring for her at home, but I need some solution to this? This is really difficult for me. Has anyone experienced this and what did they do to stop this behavior. I tried depends, but she still just takes them off to go to the bathroom.