by Jewel Hughes
Member since:
October 6, 2006

Situation let me know your Solutions

November 27, 2006 10:48 PM EST
views: 106 | rating: 9.8/10 (6 votes) | comments: 32

Ok here is another Situation and after I get 30 or so comments on how you would all handle this situation I will explain to you how I handled it. This is a situation I dealt with in my Adult Foster Care Home.

The disappearing toilet paper.

You see one of my residents would go into the bathroom and roll toilet paper into small rolls and then stuff them into her dresser.

This lady did have alsiemers and sundowners but I wondered if she had at one time had no tp to use.

So tell me what would you do? The dresser can only hold so much toilet paper and this is bothering the other residents as there was never toilet paper in the bathroom when they needed it.

Ok if you need to know anything else about this Situation before you can comment please let me know.

Thanks everyone!

:-)

 

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Comments: 32

Janet H. Nov 27, 2006, 10:56pm EST
For once, I can't think of a thing to say!
Larry H. Nov 27, 2006, 11:11pm EST
Hang all the persons things on hangers, move the dresser to the bathroom, give everyone their own roll of toilet paper..
Diane White Nov 27, 2006, 11:12pm EST
Issue every resident his or her own TP to take to the head.
Find out if the cuplrit is trying to corner the TP market and get in on the investment!
☀ Aunt Shanny Nov 27, 2006, 11:12pm EST
I think Larry has the right of it.
Lydia O. Nov 27, 2006, 11:13pm EST
Jewel, I know you are a blessing to these people's families--I hope if I ever need this kind of help there is someone like you around!

What I would do is to buy her a box of wipes, her very own box, and tell her that when it's gone she can ask for another one. Maybe put a sticker that says that on the top of the box.
Corey B. Nov 27, 2006, 11:22pm EST
I'd give her her own personal roll and tell her that she's special and that's hers to keep and she has an unlimited supply because she's special.

That or check the loo after she leaves to make sure there's tp left!
Jenna is around here somewhere s. Nov 27, 2006, 11:32pm EST
Hmm....Did you ever ask her why...?? Does she put her own clothes away...I'm curious to what her answer would be..

A simple question,as to why there are rolls of tp in her dresser..?? you don't have to accuse her of doing anything wrong just find out why and base it from there...
Marsha S. Nov 27, 2006, 11:35pm EST
other ideas above, I would figure out why she has a fetish about toilet paper. If she has alzhiemers, she may have not had enough if any toilet papet when she was younger or sometime in her life. And she may be regressing into childhood or that time in her life.
Heather B. Nov 27, 2006, 11:36pm EST
I was going to suggest the same thing as Larry H. but I would not put the dresser in the bathroom or she might start putting USED paper in it. I'd let every person have their very own roll to carry in with them.
Jewel, when I was a teenager, I was a CNA and worked with many patients who did some really crafty things. Sometimes we just had to accept their behaviors and work around them as if they were "normal." :0)
Amber Fire Nov 27, 2006, 11:46pm EST
I have to agree with Diane White but with a bit of a twist.

I would give each resident their own pack of TP to use in the WC, except the culprit.

There must be an underlying reason for the behavior so to just give the person their own would not solve it.

I would leave a roll for the culprit to use in the WC and when possible snatch back some of the stash and roll it back onto an empty roll for their use later. (Sorry this is my frugal side can't help myself.)
Nanci B Nov 27, 2006, 11:47pm EST
That is what I was going to say Heather - I think this is a situation that cries out for a work around. I don't know if issuing every resident will solve the problem because perhaps they will have problems coping with that. I think it may just be necessary to offer a little more supervision to this resident when she uses the facilkities to ensure that there is TP available for all. As for the dresser, there are two choices - let it get filled up and see what she does next or, go in when she is not there and remove small amounts on a regular basis so she always has room to put more in. Maybe she doesn't remember she has taken it before until she gets to her dresser and she sees that some is already there. At that point what can she do with it?
Leanarda S. Nov 28, 2006, 12:13am EST
Maybe she has leakage from an overactive bladder and is embarrassed to ask for pads so shes making her own. I would talk this possibility out with her and offer her a supply of pads they make for this problem.
Kathy S. Nov 28, 2006, 12:18am EST
Give her a roll of her own. Check the bathroom for TP several times a day; remind others to check before using the facilities. There's probably not much you can do about it if she has alzheimer's; she might not realize she is doing it.
Apryl Just Apryl Nov 28, 2006, 12:43am EST
I would go to the supermarket and purchase a four roll count of toilet paper for her. I would take it to her room and place it beside the dresser and explain that this is her back up paper if she should ever run out.
Shawn "left this place" W Nov 28, 2006, 12:51am EST
All great ideas, and I can add nothing. I would like to know what you decided to do, and if it worked.
Lindsay Gulash Nov 28, 2006, 1:03am EST
maybe she has a good reason... i think the only logical this is to ask and go from there...
HGM Moya Goatley Nov 28, 2006, 5:30am EST
She is obviously fulfilling a deepseated need. I think you have to approach it from her point of view. Let her take the toilet paper and replace it after she has been. Tell her, as you remove some of the rolls from her dresser, that as there is not a great deal of room you will look after them for her. You could reassure her by showing her a drawer full - or a box that you've acquired for the purpose. As this behavious is constant she obviously doesn't remember that she already has a sufficiency so it is doubtful that she would count what is in her dresser - or the box which remains under your control so that you can redistribute it discreetly. I look forward to your solution. Moya
John Mitts Nov 28, 2006, 5:32am EST
Maybe to use as earplugs so she can go back to sleep afterwards.
Cheryl W. Nov 28, 2006, 8:42am EST
I would explain to her that there isn't room in her dresser for so much toilet paper, but that you will make sure she never runs out, by giving her a new roll every day. Be faithful about doing this, and soon she will trust you to do it. After awhile, perhaps you can cut back to a roll every other day and so on. She will see that she isn't going to run out.
Judith S. Nov 28, 2006, 10:32am EST
If there is room for a small cabinet, dresser type piece of furniture in the bathroom, place it in there. I would paint her name very clearly on it. At least that way she might put it in a drawer there and the other residents would know also to look in the drawers there for the paper. It will no help to talk to her, she will not remember the conversation for 2 minutes. Just put a sign on the door to the bathroom to remind the other residents where to look if they have memory problems too.
Sandra L. Nov 28, 2006, 10:46pm EST
Jewell, I trust that you are trying to deal with this in a such a way that she is able to keep her dignity. My aunt and uncle run an adult foster home with a couple of Alzheimer patients and they love it there. None of them are ever made to feel any different than if they were all a family. I'm interested in seeing how you handle this situation. All the suggestions are good ones and the only thing I can say is that I hope you continue to let her do this if she has a compulsion of some kind.
You are such a good person to take such good care of your charges. I admire you for it.
Cortney R. Nov 28, 2006, 11:51pm EST
The only solution I can think of would be to take some kind of wooden or metal box (one the size of the toilet paper roll) and put a rod in it (make it one that you can remove) and remove a rectangular piece of the contianer the width of the toilet paper. If this woould work you could put a lock on there(and you keep the key and nail or bolt it to the wall. If you think that might be to much of a task, you could always give each person their own roll and that way nobody would ever get to the bathroom and find that the toilet paper is missing. I hope these ideas help.
Wendy F. Nov 29, 2006, 2:17am EST
Can't add much to all this ! Hope you figure out a solution !
Kerry (A tree, not a lemon) .. Nov 29, 2006, 2:50am EST
You may never know why she is rolling up tp and hiding it, and it really doesn't matter, afterall it is not hurting anyone. You might try giving her a 12 pack of Scott and let her fill her dresser to her hearts content, until she is satisfied she has enough.
There's no reason to issue everyone a roll, that is just one more thing for the resident's to remember and more often than not- they will forget it, and many will be to embarrassed to yell for some and then you have a whole new run of issues, health, cleanliness, rashes etc.
The woman is not a criminal, sheesh...she's just an elderly lady who may even think the tp is something special that she should care for.
why am I typing so much? ha I'm done
jack w. Nov 29, 2006, 6:48am EST
I AM SORRY BUT FOR ONCE I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY!
DJ B. Nov 29, 2006, 9:56pm EST
The suspense is killing me......
Tom & Ann Blickhahn Nov 30, 2006, 7:26am EST
Reminds me of a child who was afraid to use too much for fear of making the toilet overflow, so he hid the small pieces he used in a bathroom cabinet. Odd bath habits are hard to break and, in this patient, it may be incurable so a work-around like those suggested is probably the best.
zale orcid Nov 30, 2006, 11:51pm EST
i haven't been able to read because I'm trying to be original. I would pay more attention to her, and write her poems that she could read then keep in those drawers besides blank sheets
zale orcid Dec 2, 2006, 1:39am EST
thank you for your comments jewel
Kerry (A tree, not a lemon) .. Dec 3, 2006, 1:44am EST
I'm so confused. I just want to know what happened with the TP lady.
Thats all...just toilet paper and aged women.
HGM Moya Goatley Dec 18, 2006, 4:31am EST
Please Jewel, put me out of my misery. How did you resolve it? Moya

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