Dear Carol: My mom is in mid-stage Alzheimer’s, so she has fidgety hands. Even though I lotion her skin regularly, she’ll zero in on a random spot on her arm and pick it open. I’ve contacted the doctor and was told this is not unusual behavior in dementia.
They said to use petroleum jelly and cover it with gauze. If it gets worse, we’re supposed to take her to a dermatologist, but it feels like they are just passing us along. No amount of talking to Mom about this helps.
Any suggestions? – LM Dear LM: Like rummaging and shadowing , skin picking is a type of obsessive behavior that is common in certain stages of dementia. It’s frustrating to the caregiver, especially since, as you said, it introduces a chance of infection. Yet, controlling skin picking can be difficult.
In fact, even people without dementia can develop a disorder called dermatillomania, usually handled by mental health experts. Dementia presents its own challenges. As with most dementia-related behaviors, look for triggers.
Is she anxious? Is she cold? Hot? Stressed by too much activity? Bored by not enough activity? Is she in pain? Have there been medication changes? Since obvious distress on your part can be picked up by your mom and increase her anxiety, practice deep breathing to calm yourself when necessary. By addressing underlying causes, we can potentially ease destructive behaviors. Once you’ve ruled out or modified possible triggers, move toward accepting that skin picking is not unusua.