Follow
Share
Nurse here: Could be UTI. Or another infection. Could be stroke. I'd look into UTI first (urinary tract infection). They're "famous" for this change in status
Helpful Answer (12)
Reply to Sleepingbear
Report

Your mom could have a UTI. Bladder infections in younger people are usually quite painful so you know you have one, but for some reason frequently the elderly can’t tell if they have a UTI because there is no pain. The UTI causes confusion and strange dementia type of behavior. Have your mom checked and good luck.
Helpful Answer (12)
Reply to Specpondmom2
Report

Another vote for UTI and a reminder to keep UTIs top of mind in this population. Don't know about others, but there were several times over the years when Mom would act erratically for a day or two before it suddenly dawned on me that it could be a UTI--like an "ah ha" moment.
Helpful Answer (11)
Reply to Clover409
Report

First thing I would have checked is urinary infection. That can cause exactly what you list as symptoms very, very quickly. A complete and total change in awareness, behavior, and communication from one day to the next.
Helpful Answer (9)
Reply to my2cents
Report

Excessively high blood sugar can cause severe confusion.
Helpful Answer (7)
Reply to MG8522
Report
noramanwiller Apr 10, 2025
Yes! This happened for my mom. DKA episode. :(
(3)
Report
Dear Wgrubb,
Please let us know how your Mom's medical issues resolve. So many times folks post their question, but don't let us know the result. I'm hoping it is just a UTI.
Helpful Answer (7)
Reply to JanPeck123
Report

No, Dementia progresses overtime. Mom could have had a stroke in her sleep. Like said, sugar levels could have spiked. Could be anything. Call her PCP and get her in now. Maybe even take her to the ER.
Helpful Answer (6)
Reply to JoAnn29
Report
BluegrassGirl Apr 10, 2025
This is an often overlooked cause of intense mood and personality changes! My mother had trouble with taking her diabetes medication and would forget to eat. Sometimes for days. It was scary how wild and crazy she could get. A neighbour once called me to come see because my mother was ranting and raving in their huge backyard for hours. They knew she didn’t drink but her crazy ranting was so similar to a very aggressive and drunk person. The paramedics were sure it was a stroke until the neighbour took over my mother’s medications and explained her diabetes and severe hyperglycemia and high blood pressure. They were good friends but my mother terrified the poor lady and threatened her with garden shears!
(3)
Report
There has to be an underlying cause for sudden onset dementia. Most likely a UTI. But get her also checked for a TIA, commonly called a mini-stroke.
Helpful Answer (6)
Reply to JanPeck123
Report

Really sounds like a UTI or dehydration. Both of those conditions can come on quickly and silently before the symptoms you describe show up. The thing that has worked best for me is to call an Urgent Care Service in my area that does home visits and AL visits. She needs a urine test to culture whatever bacteria is in her urinary tract (if any) and she might need a bag of IV fluids to get her hydrated. They can do that at home.
If she is mobile, you can take her to an outside Urgent Care for this. If she can’t or won’t leave the house, try to find a mobile Urgent Care. If all else fails, get her to the ER. I have found televisits with her Primary Care to be pretty worthless to diagnose and treat these conditions since they really can’t prescribe the right antibiotics without a good urine sample. They can’t do an IV over the phone. Re hydration, I have used a mixture of orange Gatorade with her favorite juice to get some electrolytes in her and get her to drink it. She is usually a pretty good water drinker so that helps too.
Helpful Answer (6)
Reply to jemfleming
Report

More than likely she has a urinary tract infection. Elderly brains have a higher propensity of being affected by bacterial infections than others. She should be tested asap. If she won't go in do a virtual visit
Helpful Answer (5)
Reply to Kalamazootx1
Report

See All Answers
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter