Cutting mum’s nails

[Hihosilver123]

Mum is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s. She’s been bed-bound since an infection in August. She’s incontinent, and has to be fed. She has minimal language now, and doesn’t always recognise me 😞 She's in a care home and they look after her really well. However, I like to cut her nails for her. When I do this, she screams and yells and says ‘ouch’, even though I’m just cutting her nails and no skin. I imagine it’s just anxiety but I just wanted reassurance that cutting nails doesn’t actually hurt her?

It 100% does not hurt.
as long as you’re not cutting skin or somehow tugging her nails very hard (not sure how you would do that!)

Hi I work in a dementia unit. Some residents do scream and shout over everything and nothing. Visitors must think we are torturing them rather than washing and dressing them! I know they get scared and i do feel for some of the ladies receiving personal care from a male colleague who to them is a stranger.The chiropodist that visit use a battery nail file. You can get them for babies too. Maybe get that instead? Otherwise, leave the door open and let the staff know what you are doing so they don't worry. Maybe some lovely handcream and a hand massage after? You are doing a great job in extraordinary hard circumstances. I hope all goes as well as can be expected.

I used to do this for my mum as she started to kick the chiropodist who came to do it. I found it easier to do it when she had had a bath. Would she like having her feet soaked and washed in warm water and then having her nails done?

Could you do it when she's asleep, like you do for babies? I'm sorry if that's a silly idea.

Thank you for your comments. It’s good to know that this is just an expression of confusion and anxiety. I was a bit concerned that the carers may be alarmed by her screaming today. One of the carers came to check. I told her I was cutting her nails but you’d think I was amputating a limb. She saw the funny side. I’ll look into a battery nail file.