My wife wants to chew on everything she can get into her mouth just like a two year old does when they are cutting teeth. How do I stop her?
My wife has Alzheimer's and is in stage six. She spends all her free time chewing on things when she is not eating, drinking or talking. She seems to be obsessed with the desire to chew on things and will chew on her finger, bib, table cloth, piece of her clothing, books, napkins and pictures. She has been taking Lexapro for several years and a month ago her doctor started her on Ativan and Trazodone to see if that would reduce her desire to chew on things. So far these two additional pills have not stopped her from chewing.
The dentist has checked her and found nothing wrong with her teeth. When I ask if her teeth or mouth hurts she says no. She just acts like a two year old child does when they are cutting teeth.
Has anyone had a situation like this, any idea how to stop her from doing it?
ome to think of it--the granddaughter I have who "chews" on anything she can....if she's tired or stressed (very type A personality, even at age 8!) she will settle down and NOT chew or thumb suck if you rub her back, tickle her forearms or rub her feet. She must have a real need for touch...we had to wrap her very tightly when she was a baby to calm her. I think dementia patients ( and I include my sweet dad in this) who are losing the ability to eat find that they need stimulation of some other kind, that eating isn't providing. I'd rub dad's feet or shoulders. He said I was the only one strong enough to bruise him (he meant that as a compliment) but it calmed him a lot. Some people CRAVE physical touch, some hate it. You have to go with what your loved one wants/needs.
She could have a mental or psychological problem
She could be malnourished or dehydrated, and I'll explain why from my own personal experience:
When I was growing up in an abusive home where I was always denied enough food and water to survive, I chewed on anything soft that would allow me to build up enough saliva to alleviate extreme thirst. Another thing I did during winter was to drink the dew that formed in my bedroom window and I also ate the ice that formed there. I did all of this before I was old enough to discover how bold I was to sneak out of my bedroom at night and into the nearby bathroom for water. Additionally, I regularly ate paper to alleviate extreme hunger.
Now, what you may want to do is take want to do is take her to the doctor and have some tests run such as blood test to see what she may be lacking. I would guess and even bet that she's most likely lacking something in her diet and that deficiency is causing her to chew on stuff. I used to do the same exact thing during childhood for the very same reasons, and this is why I bring this to your attention. If your love one has a history of being a picky eater and this goes on for long enough, it will start having very negative consequences at some point. Meanwhile, what you want to do is to take away anything that she has a tendency to chew on and lock it away until you can resolve the current issue. The problem starts with chewing until the person starts swallowing bits and pieces of whatever they're chewing on. You really don't want this to happen because it can lead to choking and even death. This is why it's best to start removing stuff that she is chewing on. When you remove something, offer a safe and healthy alternative. If she's going to chew on anything, make it something worth chewing on. Put out a healthy fruit bowl and even some veggies for her. Watch her closely, and when she starts to pick up something to chew, direct her towards the healthy alternatives. Instead of snacking on that tablecloth, have her snack on the fruit and veggies. When she starts to chew on something, take her over to where the fruits and veggies are and tell her to "snack on this instead." You can also keep a water pitcher and some other refreshments and beverages available for her. Yes, I'm saying to set up a refreshment table for her, because if she's going to snack on anything, she should snack on that instead. If she won't eat the fruits and veggies, you may get the blender out and make her some smoothies. Another trick would be to use a juicer and make her some juices. If she still continues having problems despite your best efforts to give her healthy alternatives, you may very well have to get her to a psychiatrist to see what kind of mental issues she may be experiencing.
Jewelry and other products, including baby products, from China have been found to be contaminated with lead.
I did a check google search and allegedly the "chewelry" is BPA and lead free, but if it's made in China, I'd double check it to be on the safe side.
Perhaps the best you can do is take away the unhealthy things and provide something to chew on that's more healthy...good healthy food, for example.
My first thought though before reading that she has Alz was the Pica syndrome when people want to chew on strange things because of a nutritional deficiency.
See webmd.mental-health/mental-health-pica
for more information on this. It might be worth checking into; I'm thinking a neurologist or geriatrician might be a starting point for medical investigation.
In the meantime, make sure there's nothing with lead around that she could chew on.
Have you given her something like that? Seems better than chewing on a book, and also shows her that someone cares and notices what she wants. Can't hurt, can it?