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My mom has dementia, is almost 89 and has no health problems or diseases. Dad died last May at 90 from COPD. Since then my mom has gone downhill very quickly. She knows family, sometimes forgets names. No Alzheimer's yet. We deal with anxiety using lorazepam twice a day which did help especially the 3:30 dose. She was just diagnosed with a UTI and is on meds. She uses a walker and has fallen prob 17 times since last may.....luckily house is carpeted and no broken bones. After 8 mos I got her on Medicaid and thru NHTD I got a waiver to get an agency paid by Medicaid into the house to keep her home.....both my parents made me promise not to put them in a nursing home ( and I already have a younger sister living in one) Up until a week ago, I could change the subject and get my mom off a topic I didn't want to have her deal with, but over the last week, every day and night she or the aides will call to say she's agitated, wants to get dressed and leave to go home. Yes, I know what that means, I went thru it with dad, but now she's crying saying come get me take me home, this isn't my home, etc etc. she thinks she's in the aides house even though I ask her to look around and tell me things she sees that are familiar to her.. I live an hour away...I can't just run over to calm her....I tell her it's too cold out, or my car is broke or etc etc When those excuses don't work, what have others done to calm them down ? Any suggestions, hints would be appreciated

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Perkins, I remember my Dad calling me on the phone saying he didn't know where he was, as he was living in Independent Living, and this call was late afternoon.   I asked Dad, like you did for your Mom, to look around the room, does he see his furniture, and he said he did.   That did help to calm him down, but this was my first rodeo.   I finally learned about "sundowning".

Now, since your Mom was recently diagnosed with a UTI, it can take time for the meds to start working.   Until the meds really kick in, Mom could be still feeling the side effects of the UTI which can mimic a later stage of dementia.
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