disoriented old mini poodle

Question
My boy is 15-1/2 years old, and has quite bad arthritis.  He also had encephalitis almost 3 years ago, but we pulled him through that with drugs, though it does appear he's totally deaf as a result of the infection.  He doesn't walk very well, spends most of his time sleeping and eating (loves his food).  But these days he often seems to not know where he is or what he's doing.  And he forgets himself and widdles in the house.  Is all this normal for such an old dog, and is there anything we can do without spending a lot of money (already done that one)?
Thanks

Answer
Hello Lorraine,
There are several suggestions I can give you for your boy.  
To help with the peeing in the house, they have a product called "Belly Bands" for male dogs that you can put around his middle and it will catch any accidents.  
For the deafness, use a flashlight if you need to get your dogs attention.  Alot of people will turn the outside light on and off to get their dogs attention when the dog is outside.  
For the arthritis, they have orthopedic beds that you can use to help with stiff joints and a baby aspirin will help with the pain, do call your Vet and get the proper dosage compaired to his body weight.  
The stiffness and bladder weakness is typical for a boy your dogs age, but the forgetfulness and not knowing what he is doing is not normal.  Sadly though, there isn't much you can do for your dog as its most likely also age related.

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks,
Kim