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My grandmother recently suffered a bad fall resulting in a broken neck and back. She was recovering well until she suffered from a UTI hospitalizing her for a week. Since then, her mind has still not came back fully. She was starting to show early signs of dementia, just telling you the same thing 4 or 5 times in a discussion, but it has become increasingly worse. She can't tell the difference between a phone and a tv remote. When she is told or asked a simple question, she seems to always answer with "I don't know" or "I forgot about that". I asked her dr about it and he said very rarely does a UTI create permanent deficits like this. Has anyone else expireanced something like this with a loved one? How long have you seen the effects of a bad UTI continue to take control over a mind? It's been almost 2 weeks since she has been treated and returned to "normal ". What should my next step be?

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Markedly worse in the past 3 days - my first guess would be that that nasty uti is back with a vengeance. But better not guess: call her GP for advice.
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Your grandma? Have her primary doctor refer her to a neurologist that specializes in dementia. Did grandma have surgery asa result of the fall?
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When an elderly person with dementia suffers a significant injury it often causes an exacerbation in the dementia. Add a UTI on top of that and it's not surprising your grandma's dementia has gotten worse.

Talk with her Dr. about her symptoms. I'm also curious as to whether your grandma had surgery as a result of her fall. Anesthesia can wreak havoc on dementia.
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Did you withdraw the Ativan gradually or just stop it? Is it possible she's suffering from withdrawal symptoms?

Ultimately, I think CM is correct, that it's another UTI. Call her doctor to discuss. And find out about home testing for UTIs, going forward.
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One thing I noticed with my very elderly parents is that any change in routine would cause memory issues to increase. Even visits to the ER, stays in the hospital, any meds given at the hospital, and especially falls.

But with UTI's it caused strange effects... such as my Dad seeing ants on the walls and in his food. Once the antibiotics kicked in, the ants started to go away.

Falls were the main culprit for my parents memory issues increasing.
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Read up on them on WebMD. They are accurate if you use them according to directions.
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Never surgery. Did she have a brain scan, MRI or other to confirm there is not a brain bleed? Was she checked for a concussion?
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Lori, I remember back when my Mom had her first major fall [that I knew about, my parents were so very hush hush about falls when it concerned my Mom] Mom had a brain bleed.

After she came home from the hospital she was quickly back to normal, doing all the housework, etc. The doctor recommended caregivers to which Mom shooed out of the house on day 3.

Then a week or two later, another fall where Mom had once again hit her head. Thus another brain bleed, plus a blood clot elsewhere, but this time it took a fair sharp person who was 98 years old, it put her into the last stages of dementia, and she wasn't able to walk or even stand ever again.
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There are a number of things that could be causing this, but, I might get a consult with a Neurologist. I'd try to rule out Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus or Rapidly Advancing Dementia.
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I dont beleive it is the UTI. The effects on her were definatly more hallucinations and complete delirium with that...not just confusion. Remembers things from 30 years ago just fine, but her short term is definitely where the deficit is. Are those home testing strips for UTI accurate?
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