81-year-old Mom's personality erased in two weeks. Any idea why?

Make someone do a urine test. Quick changes are very very often associated to bladder infections.

In addition to a urine test, do a full panel blood test if she can withstand a blood draw. Specifically, look for low thyroid which is not a normal test requested.

My prayers are with you.

Did she receive a vaccination? They do sometimes have effects.

Time to have her checked out and take some test from her doctor. My mom was the same and now she just smiles and dont know anyone too much. Memory lost with age. Take action now...

lbeachmike: Perhaps you should check for side effects of her medications, especially the new one and also the possibility of a urinary tract infection.

I had this experience with my parent. Please have your mom checked for a UTI. They’re common in older women and can cause sudden “UTI dementia” if left untreated. The infection in bloodstream causes brain inflammation and can lead to dramatic and sudden personality changes. A targeted IV antibiotic based on urine culture can bring her back after a course of treatment.

Mike, did they do a urine CULTURE and not just a quick "dipstick" test?

Has she been checked for a UTI? My mother would lose her personality and sometimes get angry for no reason when she had them.

I know that you said that her UTI test was negative, but have her tested again.

Also, have her Thyroid levels tested. Check for medication interactions, as well as vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

This was a finding on the EEG - does anybody know how to interpret?

>> Abnormal EEG due to the presence of occasional bitemporal slowing and mild generalized slowing

>> There are no changes noted from the initial report. There continues to be occasional focal slowing over the left more than right temporal regions; at times the slowing is semi-rhythmic.

Doctor's report states:

>> EMU showed bitemporal epileptiform sharp waves and 
patient was started on Keppra for likely seizure.

So I was doing some research online about the covid vaccine and dementia. Of course I found nothing since anything negative about the vaccine is scrubbed from the internet. But what I did find was dementia escalation in long covid now the question is how many of those cases were vaccinated versus unvaccinated. Is it the long covid causing the dementia and cognition issues or the vaccines and subsequent boosters?

Check for UTI

My 92 year old mom was put on Keppra very similar scenario. Had EEG etc. Turned her literally into a zombie, absolutely no affect and I had to figure out it was from the Keppra and convince TCU doctor to get her off of it. She did return to “normal” a few days later. Made me furious no sign of seizures and because they couldnt explain what happened said it most likely she was having seizures. She wasn’t and isn’t —-so maddening. My mom also has thyroid issues and if those levels are off that can also explain some of this. Keep advocating for her and not settling for answers that don’t make sense.
Also search this site regarding hospital induced delirium. There was a post last week I think. More common than one would think.

My mother had similar changes also with seizures a few weeks after the second COVID shot. She is 90 and was living independently. It happened was last Summer.. She had mild covid more than a year earlier. No health issues beyond poorly treated Lyme disease.

Mike, does mom have a primary care doctor who is looking at all these test results and explaining them to you? That's who would be best at hearing your concerns--a doctor who knew her "before".

It's one of the reasons that folks should HAVE a PCP, in my opinion.

It maybe she fell and hit her head. u said, she had an MRI and it was negative. Have them do a thorough blood work up. it could be medication(s) like interactions with other and also they say grapefruit juice should not be taken with meds if she is. she is 81. i would like to know also the sudden change. Make sure she's eating healthy and drinking lots of water and exercise. I pray ur mom would get better. is she stressed about anything. have the doctor check to see what medications are interacting. please keep us posted i'm curious to know. i find it to sound suspect as well.

It's a confusing medical picture and it seems that you are pretty on top of what is happening....but the picture is murky. Dementia is a symptom of brain disease, some subtypes (Alz, LewyBody) seem to be clear, but in 100 years I imagine the whole picture of brain diseases will be different. Many treatments are tried, and if symptoms improve, that is good. If not, try something else. Seems that she does not have a tumor or brain bleed that caused the sudden change. Dementia can smolder in the brain for a long time, as can seizures (abnormal electrical discharges) that are not visible on the outside of the body. So treating the seizures to see if her brain improves in time is reasonable.
Finding a geriatric psychiatrist (board certified) can help understanding biological influences on behavior, and a neurologist with a gerontology focus or interest can be the most helpful one in trying out other possible treatments. It may take some time, but get on waiting lists for new appts, call weekly for cancellations, etc. Hope your mom regains some of her 'old self'.

Please do check for a UTI. They can cause extreme behavior changes. It is shocking how often this is missed.

She has experienced brain trauma - infection, stroke, poor oxygenation, severe blood chemistry changes... or some other incident - to cause all this change. It most likely is recent. Make sure she is cared for by a neurologist, an infectious disease doctor (if infection is detected), a cardiologist (if heart issues are detected), a pulmonologist (if lung issues are detected). Make sure she is tested for COVID. As an RN, we have seen some cases of encephalopathy linked to COVID infections in the last couple of weeks.

Geriatric Psychiatrist - perhaps placement in a psych ward for full evaluation.

Update: My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's based on findings in her spinal tap results. She returned home with a full-time home aide and was doing way better than she was while at the hospital and "rehab." She was put on Donepezil.

We noticed improvement over a the span of a few days, but now the delusions / hallucinations have returned again - primarily at night. For this the doctor prescribed Seroquel "as-needed."

We have an appointment for another neurologist opinion, though the spinal tap results look like they are likely quite conclusive in conjunction with the symptoms. We are primarily shocked at how quick the recent decline was.

As much as I knew this is a horrible disease, I probably never truly grasped how devastating and stressful this is on families and caregivers. I get that there is no easy road, though it seems as if it would have been just a little "easier" if there had been a slower decline and if we knew what was going on so we could have at least had time to better prepare and adapt. These have been the most difficult and stressful few weeks my sister and I have ever endured :-(

Thanks for everybody's thoughts, feedback, advice and well-wishes - it's most appreciated.

BeachMike, how are things going?