My mom (82) got a UTI which caused short term memory problems. She has been diagnosed with Primary CNS and has been on Hospice. A recent MRI showed no advancement with cancer growth in her head and no brain bleeds. About a week or so into the antibiotics for the UTI she suddenly (it seemed) started to have real problems with walking and is now using a walker. I have heard a fall/broken hip can hasten death, but can a UTI do this as well? It's tough and stunning to watch this play out.
Any illness can also cause or increase a mental decline.
Untreated (and you say your mom's UTI is being treated) but untreated a UTI can lead to sepsis and death. And in some cases a person is unaware that they have a UTI.
There is a possibility that once the UTI has cleared and given a bit of time for mom to recuperate she may return to her base line functioning then again maybe not this may be the new "normal". So prepare for either case.
In someone already on hospice, even a “simple” UTI can drain what little reserve they have left. I’ve seen people go from walking fine to needing full support in just days. It doesn’t necessarily mean the cancer progressed - sometimes the infection alone just overwhelms the system.
It’s heartbreaking to watch, but sadly pretty common.
In someone already on hospice, even a “simple” UTI can drain what little reserve they have left. I’ve seen people go from walking fine to needing full support in just days. It doesn’t necessarily mean the cancer progressed - sometimes the infection alone just overwhelms the system.
It’s heartbreaking to watch, but sadly pretty common.
It can really change a person mentally. And yes it is heartbreaking to witness, unfortunately.
I hope you can find some peace.
She saw monkeys on the items in her room (biohazard icon).
So, yes, I believe that a person with a UTI can become different. My mom had them frequently in her late 80s. With her, I'd know because she would get a fever, and vomiting. That was truly about the only time she had vomiting issues. So, I knew when I heard her voice on the phone, there was a UTI. The ER doctor almost was a friend we saw every couple of months.
And with all else on your poor mom's plate, it would be almost impossible to differentiate between what is the worst culprit. She is weakened by age and by several incidents and illnesses. This weakness makes her more susceptible to problems. I know that the MDs must at this point be doing a good workup on blood panels to make sure there is no sign of sepsis in blood from her ongoing problems. I hope she does better soon.
Frequent UTIs are never a good sign. In my mother's case, the UTIs made her very confused and that resulted in stumbling, falling, and breaking her hip. She then had hip surgery which accelerated her dementia, and she never recovered from that. 3 months after she broke her hip, she passed.
This is sort of along the lines of many people that I've known who have passed. There is a series of infections and a general lack of movement in the person. They have something happen and become bed bound. Then the dying process really speeds up as a bedbound person doesn't move and begins to decline mentally.
In itself a UTI probably isn't fatal, but everything that happens to a person when they start having many of them, can be.
Then again, they may make a full recovery and overcome it. There's literally no way to know.
in person’s over 80 a UTI can cause dementia-like behavior or increase behaviors that already existed with dementia. When my mom starts being more active, we check for UTI and it’s almost always the culprit.
Given that your Mom historically has been a good eater and a good walker and prior to the UTI had a decent memory I'm praying Mom will still have some good days and enjoy her food and walking (even with a walker). Hopefully Mom's memory will also clear.
UTI's take a lot out of 80 year olds.
We found good nutrition, movement and sunshine to be helpful.
I'm praying your Mom has some quality days.
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