Follow
Share

My 85-year-old father has been in and out of the hospital and 2 different rehabs since Christmas Day. He had an infection in gallbladder and gallstones but they would not do surgery because he was too high risk at the time because of some kidney and heart issues so instead they placed a tube and drain. Moved to a terrible rehab (that's another post!) for 2 weeks where he continued to decline. I screamed and yelled something was wrong, no one listened even after 2 trips to 2 different doctors. Finally, last Weds, on the day it snowed 8" here in NC, I called my dad to check on him (also had daughter at home puking with stomach bug so between that and snow, I couldn't go see him) and he was slurring his words and severely confused. Also he'd been very lethargic, falling asleep mid-conversation and very weak, no appetite. Needless to say, the terrible rehab kept telling me he was fine but I listened to my instincts and had my husband go get him and take him to ER, where his BP was dangerously low and he was severely dehydrated. Turns out he was septic!!! So he spent several days in stepdown unit by ICU then moved to regular floor, total stay a week. Surgeon still refusing to do surgery (also another story for a separate post!) so kept tube in and have him on IV antibiotics - had to place picc line last night and finally we got him into a good rehab late last night, the one where he and my mom both were for several months after they both suffered strokes 2 weeks apart, 3 years ago. He's even in the same room and has one of his fave CNAs there. This is all good but the big problem is he has developed what the Dr. told me could be "hospital delirium." It is so, so bad. My dad is not my dad right now. It started on the first week hospital stay but was more confusion now it's full-blown delusions and argumentative behavior. He is convinced 5 people have been staying at his house and that he was there to see it and they are robbing it (my mom died a year ago and he lives alone), that the hospital rooms were his living room, it was his tv, that they did surgery and drilled holes into him, that he needs 8 blood transfusions. On and on crazy talk and he doesn't understand what the picc line is and what is happening to him. It is very distressing to witness and I don't know what to do. Please know before this initial hospital stay at Christmas he had NO dementia and no memory issues, very sharp, independent, driving, etc. I just had a p/t caregiver who cared for my mom thru cancer stay on and help him with things around the house, grocery shopping, meds etc. She is wonderful and this sudden cognitive change is distressing to her too. I have read it can get better but it may take weeks or may not get better till he gets home. But the dr also said sometimes it doesn't improve or it kicks off dementia that may have been underlying. My dad has Parkinson's (the kind that affects balance no shaking), Afib, T2 diabetes, previous stroke (he recovered completely from that), high BP, stage 3 kidney disease, so he has lots of issues but this latest episode has caused a severe decline and I am worried what will happen. I am worried this state of delirium won't get better. I am going to hire more caregivers for when he gets home but we'll run out of money for that in a year and he won't qualify for Medicaid b/c I didn't put his house in my name till 2.5 years ago. So worried about the future, if he makes it that long. And very worried about his quality of life, which for a month has been 0 and before this was wonderful. I am an only child btw and care for my dad just me and my p/t caregiver. Husband helps as he can but he has to help with my daughter when I am dealing with crises like this. It is taking its toll on me as well, I haven't slept a full night in weeks and I am stressed to the max. I am most worried about this delirium and if it will get better or what to do. Does anyone have any experience with their elder experiencing this type of delirium in the hospital? It happened very suddenly after the first few days and hasn't gotten better even though the sepsis is clearing and his WBC is back to normal. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
You are living through a hugely challenging time, and your Dad is blessed to have you in his corner. I can relate to what you are going through. Most of us who have elderly parents go through similar things. Keep doing what you can do and know it is your best. I also say "Keep the faith". Human life is amazing and can never be underestimated or discounted. Mom fell last April right before her 94th birthday and fractured her femur. (She has Parkinson's but with meds has no obvious signs.) After surgery and being told '6 months was all we could expect' to have left with her, she had hospital delirium that continued in the rehab center, started doing a lot of sundowning, which was very disturbing and went on until she left rehab in August. After the fall, she needed catheterization which led to retention issues whenever it was withdrawn. Lots of UTIs; some bacteria resistant, another hospitalization. At August discharge time, the therapists told me not to expect much more progress; she had become moderate and max assist for most activities. The social worker asked me if I wanted to call in hospice. (I said no.) At home, the sundowning started becoming more infrequent and then disappeared. Unfortunately (fortunately, actually, read on) she tested positive for type A flu and another UTI in October. That required a week in hospital and a month of rehab. Amazingly the month of therapy did miraculous things for Mom. She blossomed and by the time she left there, she could walk 50 feet on her walker with min assist. She was helping herself with transfers. She was doing puzzles and I could tell her mind was much clearer. My life at home became much easier. The retention issue has disappeared. UTIs, too (3 knocks on wood). Best of all, although she can get a little confused if she is extremely tired, her mind is very sharp. She is reading her paper, circling events she wants to attend, circling groceries on sale that she wants me to consider buying, wants to get out of the house and see things from the car window, talks about her parents and events from her past, etc. So, while every story is different, and everyone is different, none of us knows what the future holds. I lived through months of massive stress and dire predictions and people telling me to prepare for the worst. Well, here I am today, feeling like everything is OK at the moment, and feeling blessed. So many prayers have been answered. As Jethro Gibbs of NCIS once said, "When you are going through hell, all you can do is keep on going". Even in his current weakened state, your Dad's mind and body can have a say in all this. If he is fighting and has you fighting for him, don't let anyone discount him or your efforts.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

Thank you so much everyone for all your replies! Just hearing that other's LOs have experienced this and mostly come through is comforting. But it's also maddening in that it seems in most cases, doctors and hospital staff have done little to explain what was happening or how to help. My dad has been at rehab again for about 5 days and is doing better. After the first day, the delusions seem to have stopped but he is still having some memory issues and is also really grumpy and argumentative - is that part of it too? That is my new frustration.

This particular rehab is in now is wonderful. He and my mom were here together 3 years ago when they both had strokes at the same time - it was nuts but the staff and rehab staff are all wonderful. I really have confidence in this place and we are so lucky to be there - unlike the last one, which was horribly neglectful and in part I blame them for him going in to sepsis and having to be rehospitalized. I don't think the flushed or emptied the gallbladder bag as they were supposed to and that led to further infection.

I do worry about my dad's Parkinson's and wonder if this could've kicked off some of the dementia associated with that. Once my dad was at this rehab, I made sure to tell all staff this was NOT his baseline and asked the doctor there to call me. This dr was wonderful - he was the first one to really explain the hospital delirium and what to expect. He did explain that it should mostly clear once he's home, but it could take time, as in weeks. And also explained that it can mean he would develop some dementia down the road. So I am prepared and aware to look for that.

I plan to hire a second caregiver to help him once he gets home at least for a while. I still don't know if they will do surgery to remove his gallbladder or not, so worried we are in for more hospitalizations. I am just praying he does not catch the flu or c-diff from antibiotics, because that will probably be it, his body couldn't take another infection. They are monitoring him though and did more bloodwork this morning to check how infection is clearing and to check for c-diff because he has had some diarreah but it doesn't seem to be c-diff at this point. They won't let me give him probiotics there but I am trying to get him to eat yogurt every day - he has one wonderful CNA, a lovely fellow who he loves and who helped him 3 years ago, that brings him yogurt every day. Once home I am going to get him on a probiotic.

I have checked all his meds and the only one he's on that can cause delirium is Lipitor, but he has been on that for 5+ years and never had problems before, so I do think it is just from the trauma of the illness/infection and multiple hospitalizations.

Than you all for your encouragement. I am trying to take some time for myself and doing everything I can to keep my family healthy from this flu that is scary. I hope you all stay healthy too, it's so scary!
Helpful Answer (3)
Report

My 76 yr. old Dad had a stroke two years ago which affected speach and some cognition. He developed urosepsis this past summer due to a large kidney stone that currently cannot be removed. He was in the hospital for 3 weeks where he had hallucinations and overall delerium the whole time, and I was told he would never recover enough to live on his own again because of what the Hospitalist saw on his CT scan of his brain. Anyone who visited while he was going through and recovering from Sepsis was shocked by his mental state and surprised by his fluctuating levels of exhaustion and delerium (it would upset them mostly because he would be awake and “seem” normal one moment, and then you would realize he thought it was 20 years ago and he was at work or a restaurant- and there was nothing about his location/the people/anything else that could account for that except hallucinations). He started to show cognitive progress about 4 days after the worst of his sepsis symptoms passed. And, while he had some continued symptoms into his 1.5 week rehab stay, he has mostly recovered- but he still has lingering effects from that bout. It has affected our relationship because I tell him his hallucinations (which I have found the hallucinations with sepsis can be so real to the patient that some people get therapy for PTSD) were not real - because recalling them upsets him so much. It has also led him to have some recurring fears and nightmares. My Dad still lives on his own for the most part, so I try to talk him through his fears/out of his nightmares over the phone when I can. I don’t think he will ever be quite the same after this latest hospitalization though. Being patient and as “constant” as I can has been the best I can do for him (and that my Dad will allow me to do) at this time. I wish you, your Dad and your family the best. Maybe check ot the following link:
sepsis.org/life-after-sepsis/
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

A few decades ago we had the opposite experience with my 80 y/o grandfather. He was retaining fluid, so his PCP prescribed an ambitious course of treatment with a diuretic ("fluid pill"). He became extremely photosensitive, and after a few days started having hallucinations. He went to the hospital, and a dermatologist (not the usual kind of physician to deal with such a patient!) recognized this as a reaction to the diuretic, so he took him off it. Within a day my grandfather started recovering and was able to leave the hospital within a week. Early in the process my grandmother asked the doctor if my grandfather's mind would come back and the doctor, who hadn't known him before, replied that he didn't know, and asked what his mind was like before this all happened, and the answer was "he had a keen mind". He recovered completely, and was able to resume all normal activities, including driving. We gave the doctor credit for recognizing the need to STOP the medication, which probably saved his life and allowed him to live another 9 years (but develop some dementia during his final year). I can't recall if another diuretic was eventually prescribed.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

I experienced this with my Mom who was overdosed with pain meds at a rehab for a broken foot. They were tired of her endless trips to the bathroom and just wanted to keep her quiet. While there she also developed a UTI which added to the delirium.
I immediately took her out of there and got her off All meds and she recovered with no problems. We treated her UTI with colloidal silver and olive leaf extract. As for her foot I became her physical therapist.
Hospitals kill the elderly! You got too many docs and too many meds and no one communicates with each other, all prescribing drugs that the patient does not need! and cause serious unwanted sometimes deadly reactions.
My advice to anyone is the less you see doctors and hospitals the longer you’ll live. People need to take care of themselves and stop relying on pills and allopathic docs who simply treat symptoms but never get to the root cause and cure. It is amazing what good nutrition and pure clean water will do for the body. There are many natural supplements, oils and herbs that cure without side effects. The hard part is taking the time to learn about them and implement them. I thank my Mom because if I had not experienced this horrid care, I would not know what I know today and how to avoid docs and hospitals. Never are pharmaceuticals the answer.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

same thing with my dad; they called it ICU delirium, they said just from being in there, all the noise and confusion, they did say if/when he got back in his usual routine, he'd probably come out of it, although others there were wanting us to place but they finally let us bring him home "on trial" they said, saying we'd have 30 days to still place him under that hospitalization but by then it had cleared up; he never knew anything about it
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

My dad had ICU delirium after a severe allergic reaction to lysinopril. I was advised to get him back on his routine and to keep telling him, today is whatever day it was, the time is ... and you are in Gina’s house in Houston each time he said something delusional. He was living with us at the time because his house was damaged in Hurricane Sandy. He was functioning fine before the stay in the ICU. His delirium resolved in a few days with the constant reminders of what was going on in the real world around him. Once he was better, he could remember having the delusions.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

Sorry about your troubles.

Yes, I've had experience with this sort of thing. My fiance's mother had a UTI. Unfortunately, his father is 86 and has mild to moderate dementia. My fiance's father has difficulty making decisions and didn't take her to the hospital when she started having trouble communicating. It wasn't until a few days to a week later when my fiance's father could no longer understand her that he called my fiance and my fiance told him to take her to the hospital immediately.

By then, the UTI had gone septic. She was given an antibiotic. But not understanding what was going on, she refused the IV. Because she refused the IV, my fiance's father mistakenly believed she wanted to die. So the hospital staff advised him to transfer her to comfort care (the hospice ward), and he agreed.

The hospital staff did not give her any food and water while she was in hospice. They told us that her organs were shutting down which meant that she was dying. They told us that they knew this because her blood pressure and oxygen levels were low. I questioned this because only a year ago, I was hospitalized and my blood pressure and oxygen levels were low and I wasn't dying. They said nothing.

While in hospice, the only medication they would give her was for pain and she was in a LOT of pain. They called it comfort care. Starving someone and not giving them an antibiotic when they are in a lot of pain from an infection is NOT what I call comfort care. Anyway, they starved her for four days, at which point she woke up and asked for water. They gave her water, and the next day, they fed her and put her back on the antibiotic.

She was lucky because she had been retaining water so she survived the four days of starvation. She recovered to the point where she could communicate with us once again. But the antibiotic wasn't enough to stop the infection. She lived for about another month. Then she got worse again and died.

My belief is that many healthcare workers have seen many deaths and have become immune to the pain of others. These healthcare workers give up on the elderly. Instead, they put the elderly in so-called comfort care where they starve the elderly to death while giving them pain killers to ease their pain. However, the pain killers aren't enough to stop the pain. It may be called comfort care, but in reality it's a horrific way to die.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

It’s my opinion anesthesia kills the mind. My friend that I am POA fell and broke his femur in April. Prior to that he lived in AL and scored a 14 on the memory test. I could take him out and to FL for the winter with no problems. After surgery and rehab he scored a 6 and ended up now living in skilled care. When he was recovering they gave him Narco and he went ballistics. I stopped that and put him on Tramodol and he is ok with that. Sadly memory never comes back. It’s a catch 22, you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. All you can do is your best and challenge everything that you have a question on or disagree with. You are his advocate. Best of luck!
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Have they Checked for UTI? That can bring on delerium. Other than that some meds can also have that effect. Both my parents have had episodes...mom with Ambien....dad has it's and sepsis that caused delirium. I now give him d-mannose daily and he hasn't had UTI since. Also a lot of pain meds can have that effect too. Hope things are better soon.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

My 90 year old Papa has Parkinson’s too. Hallucinations are part of the disease for some. Papa started having them at home, thought someone broke into his house and he heard music all the time. He fell and was in the hospital and then they came on stronger. New and different location could have tripped them. Went to Rehab just as Hurricane Irma came to town, so they had to evacuate. They really had problems with him for those 3 days. Back to Rehab, they continued for around a week. His doctor started him on Aricept and they went away. They discontinued the Aricept and there have been no new ones since. But his doctor said they will return. Aricept worked amazingly well and there were no side effects.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

Seeing all of these issues, I'm just mad. Why doesn't the Health Care industry be up front and address these with caretakers.!!! My Mom is prone to UTI's and after her heart attack she has become mentally deficient. She has good days and very bad ones and my 84 year old Dad is her caretaker. I need to read these to him! I am so sorry you are going thru this. When my Mom had her heart attack she swore the staff had raped her! They put a camera in her room and she doesn't remember a thing. Now at home with Dad she says that he is cheating on her with someone at the mailbox. And that people knock on her window. Then she sleeps hard and she is better. Get a list of his meds and look each one up. Then I suggest you take him off one at a time to see if he improves. Praying for you.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report

My 83 year old dad first got delirium after open heart surgery 4 years ago. Freaked us out, too, having never really heard of it/experienced it. Cleared up about a month after we got him home (me and my 3 siblings took turn watching him 24/7). It was a nightmare. He's gotten it a couple times since (during hospital visits), but duration was shorter cuz we knew more what we were doing. Getting him home helps immensely, so we have pulled him out of hospital Against Medical Advice once. During the latter episodes, we found it comforting to remember - he will have no memory of it once it clears - cuz he's so angry and upset during the episodes! Hope you're finding comfort at hearing a lot of us go through it. Crazy nights (and days)!
Helpful Answer (3)
Report

My 81 year old father has had mild dementia for 7 years. ( some days he is very confused). He has lived with us these past 7 years. He needed prostate surgery and came out of surgery with ‘Hospital Delerium’. But we didn’t know this when they released him. They sent him home with us and we returned to the ER twice within a week! He threatened to kill Dr’s, Nurses and was pulling at his IV, catheter and didn’t sleep for days. Proclaiming ‘We gotta escape, the ship is picking us up’ packing his bags to leave on and on. We finally put him in a nursing home while they put him on Pychotic meds and have 24 hr nurses. It took weeks but he is back to normal now and back home. It was exhausting and expensive as the nursing home didn’t take any of my dads three insurances. (You have to deplete all assets before it kicks in). Over $11,000. We had never heard of Hospital Delerium and it is very common in the elderly. Surprised not one Dr mentioned this could happen. Caregivers and families need a heads up on this. And it was so dangerous that they released him to us in this condition. He was physically like a super hero running around the house ‘seeing baby’s in the Xmas tree’ talking to people out loud who weren’t there with my poor husband holding his catheter bag as he moved endlessly from room to room.
Give a few weeks after the Sepsis clears and I expect it will get better. Did they put him on Phyc meds?
Helpful Answer (3)
Report

First, you are under so much pressure and stress. Please make sure you are eating well, and doing all you can to take care of yourself. If you go down there will be no one to look after any one you love, and you only get one you. There is a reason flight attendants tell passengers to put on their own air masks before helping anyone else in cases of emergencies.
You have already gotten much good advice from folks in this group. I only have two things to add. My father had a rather extreme bout of post-operative delirium, even becoming combative. He was treated with haldol briefly, and it got him through the worst of it till he was well enough for discharge. Like your father, he has a number of health issues, and several years after the delirium he now has the beginnings of dementia (Mom has full blown Alzheimer’s disease and they are in assisted living together). It is hard to know what caused his dementia, the constellation of health issues or the delirium, but it really doesn’t matter. We just have to accommodate it.
The second thing I wanted to mention is related to your mention that your father has Parkinson’s Disease. I’ve recently noticed commercials for a new medication intended to treat the delusions that can accompany PD. It is possible that your father’s hospital delirium has helped bring forth PD delusions. We never know exactly what causes the mind to get all mixed up, and it is often a combination of factors, so it never hurts to try anything that might help. At the same time, being prepared to accommodate what IS, without making your own mind crazy trying to figure out why or what if, is key to finding your own stability.
Wishing you peace and strength for the journey ahead.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

Yes, from personal experience with my sister, hospitalization can cause confusion. She had surgery (anesthesia) which added to the confusion. Rehab (SNF) wanted to keep her 20 days because insurance covered it, but confusion increased being out of her more active routine at the AL. She was discharged from SNF in 14 days and upon returning to her AL-Independent living, couldn't remember to take her once daily meds. For 1 month I went to AL to "retrain" her...but it didn't work. So now she is on Med. management for $450. a month. Interrupting any routine with any level of dementia is a crisis.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

Cdriver,

First, let me say I’m sorry you and your Dad are dealing with this. I too am an only child, with no husband or other family to assist me. I was a primary caregiver for my Dad in my own home with some part-time caregivers. Take a deep breath, I got through this, and you can get through it too.

Overnight, my 72 yr old Dad went from being a hospital volunteer strong enough to help push people in wheelchairs - - to suddenly being a delirious patient.

He had been 100% independent with no known heart issues. That day he’d had a cold, so before bed he took Nyquil. An hour later, we were in the hospital where he was diagnosed with CHF.

He became delirious, and it was truly frightening as it was so unexpected. The hospital called it ICU delirium, and said can clear up once the patient’s brain chemistry improves and/or the patient goes home.

In this case, the delirium made him happy—he thought he was at a friend’s house for Thanksgiving. It so happened the hospital was serving turkey for dinner, which made him even happier. That made it a little more bearable for me to witness.

Thankfully, this first bout of delirium cleared up overnight, but he could no longer walk. They reviewed his few meds and said they were ok, forbid him from ever taking any kind of cold medicine, Advil, Aleve, or other NSAID pain reliever ever again (Tylenol ok), and gave him a staggering number of heart medicines to start on.

He recovered after months of home/outpatient PT, but a few months later suffered a stroke during an unrelated procedure. More delirium, and this time he wasn't happy and it did not clear up quickly.

The delirium eventually subsided, but not until he was back at home, where the surroundings were familiar. He went back to being himself, but now had memory/cognitive issues.

I am not a doctor, but I learned a lot about this, some of which echoes what others have said:

- As people age, people can function fine but the brain can start to shrink behind the scenes as a part of the aging process. Older people may do fine going to everyday places doing everyday things, but a sudden illness which takes them to unfamiliar surroundings can bring out age-diminished cognitive ability

- sepsis and other infections can contribute, as you already found out

-ICU delirium can take a while improve. If its not improving, keep digging for the reason (as you have been doing). Sometimes hospitals will see an older person and assume they were congitively impaired before. Keep telling them this is not normal for him, and get a neurologist involved to get a brain scan so you can better know what you are dealing with.

- if medically possible, bring him to his home or to a familiar place. The 2nd round, that helped pop my Dad out of it after a few weeks in the hospital. Eventually, I figured out ways to get him help at home from visiting nurses without going to hospitals...hospitals only sped his decline. 

- review all medicines with a doctor, many can contribute to delirium or memory issues. Cold meds, sleeping pills, melatonin were all off the list for my Dad. Some heart meds may require balancing the dosage.

-certain vitamin/mineral deficiencies can contribute to weakness and confusion considerably. Again, pay attention to what they are giving him and why.

At the risk of sounding like a Hallmark card, I have one parting thought: 
You seem like a very caring person who loves her Dad. Trust your instincts, and do the best you can for him. 
Yes it may get hard, the money may get tight, and you may not know the right thing to do. Just let your love for him continue to guide you, and you will find it helps you both. 
Helpful Answer (9)
Report

Cdrive, I was hospitalized for about a week in November, and was mentally out of it the whole time. I was still foggy for a few days after they moved me to rehab. I'm 74. My family was very worried that I might not come all the way back, although the medical staff told them that "almost" all patients came out of it. (That "almost" scared them silly.) I'm still recovering random memories of the hospital stay and it has been nearly three months. Anyway, what I'm saying is that it can take a while to get back to normal. That being said, there's good advice in the letters above because each situation is different. My best wishes to you and your father.
Helpful Answer (7)
Report

I think hospital is the worst thing for an eldery. Both o f my parents develop delirium and confusión while being at the hospital, and it´s truly frifhtening, besides it is unmanageable for the hospital staff. I have noticed that when my parents come back from hospital, they never recover totaly, their dementia goes increasing, besides they come back with some kind of trauma disorder.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

Delerium is frightening. My dad had moderate dementia and a little less than a year ago we finally talked him into assisted living. About 4 months ago he contracted a UTI & pneumonia and was hospitalized for 10 days before moving into rehab. Even in rehab he had boughts of severe delerium and the doctor told me how infections can wreak havoc in a compromised body. That's when I first heard the term "baseline". They told me that we'd have to see where his new "baseline" was after he recovered. He never really bounced back to where he was before and became increasingly unstable. Due to the fact he was no longer able to do his insulin injections (he's a diabetic) we had to find a long-term care facility and he has been in a memory unit for a couple months now. He's adjusting OK. He has good days and bad. It sounds like your dad was in pretty good shape before this set back, so my hope for you is that he recovers and can return home and have some more good years. Sending good thoughts and prayers out to you and your dad. Hang in there.
Helpful Answer (6)
Report

Does your father have a living will? Because the trend these days under Obamacare is to secretly euthanize the elderly with different medications. If they have a living will that gives them the excuse to write a secret DNR, which is supposed to mean "do not resuscitate" but these days hospitals often euthanize elderly with DNR's, under Obamacare. They might be deliberately killing your father in the hospital or in rehab because, as the doctor told me when the hospital killed my father, "I guess the hospital needed the bed." My 3 siblings kept telling the hospital "He has a DNR" which is the hospital's excuse for killing elderly. First they give sedatives to make them confused and appear to be "dying" of old age. Then they use morphine to kill them, and attach a bogus reason for dying. Get your father out of the hospital, rehab is just as bad, hospice is the worst of all. Read this: https://www.agingcare.com/questions/dnr-s-not-banned-148252.htm
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

Years ago my mother-in-law had  major delirium problems. A local psychiatrist friend came to the house and promptly threw away 14 of the 15 medications she was taking. The only one she was left was the digitalis that she was taking for her heart. A few days past, and there was no improvement. We were in the process of selecting a long term care facility when our daughter looked up digitalis in the pharmacopeia (Every physician and pharmacist has one) . Among the side effects was listed "delirium". Her primary care doctor had never heard of it. In any case, she was temporarily taken off the digitalis and in less than 24 hours her delirium was completely gone! Another MD she had seen told us that he had heard of "digitalis delirium" but had never before seen it. They were able to successfully substitute an alternative medication.

In the case of your Dad, I suggest you get the name of every medication he is taking or has been taking, and then go on line and look them up for yourself and see if you find anything that causes delirium.

If you find nothing there get the physician to temporarily take off one medication at a time and see if there is any improvement. One would think that that type of experiment would happen as a matter of course. Well, its not. You are the only hope your father has and you have to ride herd of them to see if that testing is being followed.

These days patients like your father have an almost impossible additional problem to contend with. In many facilities the staff is just not adequately equipped to handle English speaking patients. So when for father has a lucid period and something relevant to say, he is either misunderstood or ignored because that's much easier than trying to make sense out of words spoken in a language you don't always understand, by a sick old man, who doesn't really know what he's saying most of the time. As I say, its an additional problem most patients, particularly in rehab facilities, have to deal with.
Helpful Answer (6)
Report

My FIL was 88 and had only the mildest signs of dementia (he was “forgetful”) when he needed his gallbladder removed because gallstones had caused pancreatitis and other problems. After surgery he went nuts. He saw people in his room, thought the TV and remote were his “work” and he had to fix them, people were stealing from him (he was in a hospital room, nothing to steal), the “girls” (the Get Well balloons were gave him) were dancing. And so on. He became mean and nasty, made threats... totally was not himself. The surgeon and a neurologist who was called in explained it as a consequence of him being elderly, in early dementia (until then we had not thought he had it), and a C. Dif infection.

They cleared the infection. He got less crazy, and he went home to his apartment. Someone saw him every day for a month. He eventually got better. The hallucinations had stopped before he left the hospital, but he still had more severe signs of dementia. Those did not go away entirely. After a year or so, the dementia began to get worse and we moved him into our house where all sorts of other problems arose. Again, this was still the dementia which he apparently had all along.

The surgery and hospitalization probably speeded up his decline. His brain just couldn’t compensate for the incredible changes and stress of those events: medical, physical, emotional, situational... everything was too much for him. If he hadn’t had the surgery, he would have died, so that needed to happen. But we had never guessed that he also had dementia. Looking back, we realize many signs were there. He was in early dementia going in. The hospitalization just brought it out more.

Your father may get better, maybe even completely, but he also might not recover completely. My FIL went on two more cruises with us (he stayed in our cabin) and we had a few more good years. I hope your father has a complete recovery and can continue living independently and happily for a long time.
Helpful Answer (8)
Report

I am so sorry for what you are going through and understand the shock, fear and confusion when this happens to a parent. I never did get any straight answers as to what was going on! My Mom was 91 when she fell, broke her arm, and was hospitalized. She was formerly very independent and sharp though had quit driving and I did her shopping and cleaning for her. This fall changed everything. The third night in the hospital I received a call from the nurses saying she was very confused and had fallen out of bed but did not hurt herself. She was somewhat argumentative and different when I went to see her, then ok again. She was released to a rehab where she went into delirium and rushed once more to the hospital. A UTI. The delirium was frightening, thrashing and talking and pointing at the ceiling for 10 hours before she finally crashed and fell asleep for a day. They had given her halidol and had a camera on her to make sure she didn't try to climb out of the bed. I didn't understand what happened to my Mom as she was always so intelligent and logical. This was the start of a year and a half of in and out of delirium, and losing the ability to walk. When she snapped out of the delirium she would sleep for a day or two, then be completely normal again and not remember a thing! She had many issues with UTI's as her bladder was scarred from radiation she received 12 years before. I never got any straight answers as to what was happening to my poor Mom. I have lost faith in the medical profession.
I finally took her to my home on hospice after nearly a year of in and out of delirium and hospitals and rehabs. I would wake up several times each night and listen. It was so scary when she would tell me she saw men looking in the window, (impossible), that the doorbell rang at 3 am, and a woman sitting on the TV with her head rotating around. She would have episodes of scary hallucinations on and off a few times for 8 months before she began sleeping nearly all the time, eating little. I don't know what I would have done without the great hospice staff that came into our home. My Mom was in her 90's but some people in their 80's sometimes bounce back from delirium, and I am hoping this is the case for your Dad. Please remember to take care of yourself too at this time...even little things help keep you strong.
Helpful Answer (7)
Report

If it helps, my mom had in and out memory issues, due to a UTI at 85, as it cleared, and she was back in her home, her memory returned completely, so keep the Faith. .
Helpful Answer (7)
Report

Another thought is to monitor his meds. What pain meds is he on? Mom started hallucinating and after treating 2 UTIs ( which is a huge cause of hallucination in the elderly) I read that 2 of her pain meds could interact and cause hallucinations. We took her off one of them and they stopped. In my opinion there is nothing worse than watching hallucinations.
Helpful Answer (8)
Report

So sorry for what you are all going through. My mom (92) was very mild first stage of dementia but doing well in independent living with a 2 hour/day caregiver, when she developed diverticulitis and needed a bowel resection almost 2 years ago. She definitely had "hospital fuzzies" from the anesthesia when she was discharged to rehab. We didn’t know how long it would last or if she would ever get back to normal. We were warned her dementia could progress from the hospital stay. They were correct. She couldn’t go back to her independent living apartment and was in rehab for 6 months, couldn’t walk good enough for assisted living, so now is in Long term care. I don’t mean to scare you, and your Dad may bounce back but you need to start to make plans in case he doesn’t. Line up more caregivers and perhaps start to at least investigate assisted living, memory care and long term care facilities in your area. I don’t believe having the house still in his name will preclude Medicaid, but there will be a spend down. That’s another investigation with Medicaid. Good luck. This is a process. My life changed 2 years ago, but I’m so fortunate to have supportive husband, and still a very appreciative mother.
Helpful Answer (5)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter