• Home
  • About me / Privacy Disclosure
    • Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk Info
    • Contact Us| Or Ask a Question on Facebook
  • The Stages of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimers Support

Learning and sharing information to support those with Alzheimers dementia

  • Just me…
  • The Stages
    • Late Stage
    • Middle Stage
    • Early Stage
  • Questions
    • How to Take the Car Away
  • Best Reads
  • Communication
  • Care Tips
    • Healthy Diet
    • Medical
  • The Caregiver
    • Caring for the Caregiver
    • Memories Forgotten
  • Signs and Symptoms
  • In the News
  • Health and Aging
  • Alzheimer’s Clocks
  • Activities
    • Activities for those with Alzheimers or Dementia
    • Activities to Share with a loved one who has Dementia
    • Best Gifts for those with Alzheimer’s Dementia
    • 5 Activities to Keep Hands Busy for thse with Alzheimer’s or Other dementias
    • Does Mom with Alzheimer’s Need a Baby doll?
    • Baby Dolls Crafted for dementia and the Elderly
  • Holidays and Gifts
    • How to Choose Fun Gifts for Seniors with Alzheimer’s
    • Best Gifts for Caregivers
    • Best Gifts for Elderly People with Alzheimer’s
    • A few Great Gift Ideas for those with dementia
    • Alzheimer’s Digital Clock keeps time for those with dementia
    • Alzheimer’s Fidget Quilts for Sale Online
    • Chocolate may Soothe Anger in Alzheimer’s
You are here: Home / Archives for cottage cheese

Shopping for Cottage Cheese – Does Alzheimer’s cause hoarding

05/024 Comments

Does Alzheimer’s Cause Hoarding?

I’ve told this story so many times and I still smile as I tell it now and remember Mom’s surprise when we opened all those containers of  Cottage Cheese in her refrigerator.

On one of our customary grocery shopping trips, Mom reminded me that she needed to buy fruit. “Lots of fruit!” she drew out the phrase, because the refrigerator was full of cottage cheese. She needed enough fruit to eat all that cottage cheese before it ruined.

When I asked why she had so much cottage cheese, Mom said she didn’t know. I knew she’d been having a few memory problems, so I thought she had probably purchased an extra carton or two on her last grocery run to Safeway. Mom shopped locally between our larger shopping trips, but she was only allowed to drive to the nearest Safeway, one block away.

Perhaps she’d purchased a couple of cartons on alternate weeks, I reasoned. Then was reminded of something else I had noticed.

In the last few weeks I’d noticed a few grocery items had begun to accumulate. I wasn’t sure if she was eating less or we were buying more. So I began to check her grocery list against the shelves of her cabinet.

I had found a few duplicates besides cottage cheese, mostly Mom’s favorites; Cheerios, Cheetos, Twinkies and a few too many ‘honey buns.’  So this trip I did make a point of buying extra fruit; both fresh fruit and canned fruit so Mom could eat all the cottage cheese in her refrigerator.

I was already thinking ahead as we unloaded the car. If there was that much cottage cheese, surely some had already spoiled. I vowed to check each container before putting any other food away.

Living alone, Mom didn’t require the same amount of groceries that she’d purchased when her husband was alive. I could imagine it would be difficult to change her thinking and purchase less when her family size suddenly shrank.

We brought in all the groceries. Piled the fresh fruit high into Mom’s Fruit bowl on the dining room table and put everything away except the perishables.

The first thing I saw was all the Cottage Cheese containers as soon as I swung the refrigerator door open. Oh my!  At least 12 cartons of Cottage Cheese were neatly rowed like a dozen eggs.

I told Mom, “…some of this has to be ruined,” as I brought the trash from under the kitchen sink to near the refrigerator door. I brought out one tub and and gave it a slight shake. Then I knew it had spoiled because it surely was not Cottage Cheese.

Something inside the tub rattled. It rattled, and I knew cottage cheese would not rattle. Even spoiled cottage cheese would not rattle. 

“What’s in this, Mom, I don’t think it’s Cottage Cheese?” I asked as I removed the lid and Mom argued, “Of course it is.”

It was not!

  • The first tub held 3 fried chicken legs.
  • The second tub held a half-cup of fresh corn
  • Then 2 slices of bread
  • 3 boiled eggs
  • Sliced cucumbers
  • Fried okra, and on and on it went. Every cottage cheese tub held left-overs from many meals, yet mom didn’t remember storing a single one.

Mom’s jaw dropped at the sight of all those bowls– open– revealing their treasures, but not spoonful of cottage cheese.

We looked at each other and began to giggle, and giggle, and giggle louder.  Our eyes teared and we laughed so hard our stomach muscles ached. Mom had a bowl of fresh fruit piled high on her dining table, and not a single carton of cottage cheese.

That was only one of the lighter moments that came with Alzheimer’s, and there were lots of them.

————————————————————————————-

Fruit MixFruit CupsSliced PearsPitted CherriesWelch’s SnacksSliced PeachesHoney BunsHostess TwinkiesCheetos

—————————————————————————————–

Filed Under: EARLY STAGE, MIDDLE STAGE Tagged With: Alzheimer's cause hoarding, cottage cheese, hoarding, saving

Categories

Most of Those with Dementia love Music

Email Updates

Most Recent Articles

  • Answering Your Questions
  • Form a Network of Support when dealing with Alzheimer’s
  • Lesser Known Early Signs of Alzheimer’s
  • Healthy diet and exercise equal sound sleep for the aging
  • 8 Things Can Change How You Approach Caregiving
  • 6 Warning Signs in Elderly Should Never be Ignored
  • Thank you to Nancy Madaris!
  • Home Test for Alzheimer’s – Will You Take the Test?

Let Them Listen to a Favorite Book

Most Viewed Articles

Holiday Traditions affect those with Alzheimer’s or Dementia

Shopping for Cottage Cheese – Does Alzheimer’s cause hoarding

Disturbing Reading about Assisted Suicide for those with Alzheimer’s

Shadowbox Press – Innovative Products for the Memory Impaired

End of Life Care – When to discuss it with your loved one – Norrms (diagnosed with Dementia) gives his Opinion

The cure for long lines, “on-hold,” the Dr.’s waiting room – Kindle for all your books

Getting older? Understand your body and Enjoy aging

Are Anti-psychotic Drugs Threatening your Loved One’s Life?

Copyright © 2021 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in