Funniest/strangest dementia patient stories

[Angie O'Plasty]

I'm sure we all have them, especially those of us who have worked in LTC. Here are some of mine:

• climbing into other residents' beds and taking a nap...one time we found the resident sleeping in a bed that was already occupied by the resident it belonged to--they were both sleeping in there!!
  
• putting pajamas in the toilet, then having an extra-large BM right on top of them
  
• taking a cup that had some medication mixed in juice, then turning to the person sitting next to her and saying "here, you can have this"--fortunately I was able to take it back before the other resident could get a hold of it
  
• wandering around in the hall and grabbing people's butts
  
• blowing nose into a tissue, then using same tissue to "clean" nurse's station counter
  

What other funny/crazy things have you guys seen dementia patients do?

[J2016]

One time I said hi to a resident, she motioned for me to come to her and she pointed at a cup and asked me "IS IT OK FOR ME TO BE DRINKING THIS HOLY WATER?" but it was milk.

One time I waked through the door and a resident was in her wheelchair next to it and was like "There you are!! We're sitting with the poultry!"

One resident told me she just saw a zeppelin outside, and the last time she saw one it blew up and everyone died.

One was pointing at another resident who was sitting watching tv, I went up to her and asked her what's up and she said "He just ordered a new couch, cause he's always sittin on that one"

[jobellestarr]

A patient that drank urine out of the urinal and replied "hmm, that's good brandy".

[sevensonnets]

I was taking care of an older man who developed complications after knee replacement and was sent to us in ICU. He had a history of dementia, but most of the time he made perfect sense. One morning he told me it was so loud out in the hall during the night he couldn't sleep. I knew one of the nurses had a birthday and they had ordered a pizza, so yes it probably was loud. He said he thought about getting up and leaving. I said, "You wouldn't get very far," and he said "Lady, I had my horse."

[GenieToBe]

My PDN pt. was eating her lunch and watching TV; I was perusing a catalog.

She leaned over and tapped me on the knee and said,

"Do you realize you're reading that magazine backwards?"

I said, "Do you realize you're eating your soup with a fork?"

[djh123]

I had a wonderful resident, who allegedly has multiple personalities, tell me the other night that she wished she hadn't married me.

[takem46]

Had a resident w/dementia. Somehow he got the idea that a stool sample was needed from him. So the

aide went into his apartment one morning and saw a dirty mug in the sink. It apparently smelled like poop. Out of concern that he may have ingested what may have been in the cup, she asked what was in the cup. Resident replied "Poop". Care Associate asked where the poop was and the resident replied, "In the freezer. I figured that if they need a sample, it would keep better if I freeze it." There was poop in the freezer in a cup.

[Isakolistic]

Had a buddy who was a CNA at a LTC facility. He told me the story of a confused elderly man with dementia who was having some "pooping problems". He was working in a different wing when he heard the overhead page, "Code brown, room XYZ". I think many of us know that sinking feeling when you hear that overhead page. He had to go through some double doors to get to the wing the page was to, and lo and behold when he opened the doors, a stark naked elderly man was briskly walking away from his room, stool spurting from his butt with every step. Some of the CNAs tracked him down and brought him back to his room, only to find a truly horrific sight; stool covering just about every square inch of the room. How the gentleman was able to splatter even the ceiling with his stool was anyone's guess. The cleanup was less memorable than the initial sights of the man escaping his room or the room itself, I'm sure.

[FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I]

......

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Had a buddy who was a CNA at a LTC facility. He told me the story of a confused elderly man with dementia who was having some "pooping problems". He was working in a different wing when he heard the overhead page, "Code brown, room XYZ". I think many of us know that sinking feeling when you hear that overhead page. He had to go through some double doors to get to the wing the page was to, and lo and behold when he opened the doors, a stark naked elderly man was briskly walking away from his room, stool spurting from his butt with every step. Some of the CNAs tracked him down and brought him back to his room, only to find a truly horrific sight; stool covering just about every square inch of the room. How the gentleman was able to splatter even the ceiling with his stool was anyone's guess. The cleanup was less memorable than the initial sights of the man escaping his room or the room itself, I'm sure.

Projectile stool? The image is staying with me!

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

My dad's mom suffered from Alzheimer's and lived with one of my aunts until it became evident she needed much more than family support.

Anyway, Grandma believed (in her demented state - this was not *her*) that my cousin Evie was not her actual grandchild and said some horrible things to her. So, Evie, as a young teen, lived with a grandmother who kept insulting her.

Well...her other grandmother had suffered a CVA and afterwards seemed to have a unique dementia of her own. Evie was staying over at this grandmother's house and this grandmother locked her in the bathroom! So, my poor cousin had both grandmothers against her. She climbed out of the bathroom window and went back home.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

Several come to mind. Inpatient geropsych unit in a metropolitan hospital, female patient who seemed to have her days and nights inverted, resisted being put to bed at night. Would walk the halls checking doors and looking in rooms. Found out after talking to family members that she was a retired RN who worked night shift for many years. I noticed that when she checked doors, it wasn't as if she was trying to escape the unit, but rather that she was checking to make sure that the doors were secured. If we let her sit in the nurse station for a few minutes and arrange papers, she was much happier because she believed that she was helping.

Inpatient geropsych unit, free-standing mental health hospital. Female patient who didn't seem to have much memory left, walked by the desk where we had a copy of the patient rules and regulations out on the counter. Stopped, picked up the paper, read aloud word for word what was on the paper, put it down, and immediately walked into another patient's room.

Inpatient adult mental health unit. Male patient from our companion geropsych unit came over to sit in the activity room. Spotted the piano, sat down and played beautifully (this man couldn't remember his own name).

Same unit as above. Male patient from geropsych unit, convinced that he was the President of the United States. Wasn't happy until I agreed to sit down with him and listen to his ideas about foreign policy.

[bagladyrn, RN]

Several come to mind. Inpatient geropsych unit in a metropolitan hospital, female patient who seemed to have her days and nights inverted, resisted being put to bed at night. Would walk the halls checking doors and looking in rooms. Found out after talking to family members that she was a retired RN who worked night shift for many years. I noticed that when she checked doors, it wasn't as if she was trying to escape the unit, but rather that she was checking to make sure that the doors were secured. If we let her sit in the nurse station for a few minutes and arrange papers, she was much happier because she believed that she was helping.

Inpatient geropsych unit, free-standing mental health hospital. Female patient who didn't seem to have much memory left, walked by the desk where we had a copy of the patient rules and regulations out on the counter. Stopped, picked up the paper, read aloud word for word what was on the paper, put it down, and immediately walked into another patient's room.

Inpatient adult mental health unit. Male patient from our companion geropsych unit came over to sit in the activity room. Spotted the piano, sat down and played beautifully (this man couldn't remember his own name).

Same unit as above. Male patient from geropsych unit, convinced that he was the President of the United States. Wasn't happy until I agreed to sit down with him and listen to his ideas about foreign policy.

Orca - I'm going to be the old lady from your first example someday.

Maybe we need to create a special unit for old healthcare workers with a mockup nurses station. Would keep us all occupied and out of everyone's hair!