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She could have a urinary track infection. That causes this type of behavior in an other wise healthy older person. You can buy a test kit at most Walmarts, Kroger, and Walgreens. This can avoid trying to get her to the Dr. to be checked but she will have to take antibotics if it shows postive. If left untreated she could get seriously sick. I won't go into all the details but, if she does have 1 and you get her on antibotics, test her again after she completes the meds to make sure it did clear it up. I didn't realize I should have done this and my MIL seemed to get them over and over. She got really sick. She has been in the hosp now for 3 weeks. Good luck and may GOD bless you.
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I agree with all of the replies above ~ so much valuable information. On a personal note, I was in a similar situation with my Mom and her doctor. I finally wrote him a letter. In it, I told him that I understood doctor/patient confidentiality laws but that I wanted him to be aware of what I was seeing since I knew he only saw my Mom a few times a year ~ and when he did she was fairly capable of masking many of the symptoms. I asked him to keep my letter confidential (and in your case you can explain why since your Mom has threatened to no longer interact with you). He and I never spoke about the letter but he did perform memory/cognition tests on my mother the next time he saw her which ultimately led to determining she was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Of course she denied it and flushed the Aricept down the toilet...but that's a story for another day. Good luck ~ and keep reaching out to others for advice and support. It will sustain you in the days/months ahead. Warm hugs ~
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caregiver 63, If you've never heard of a UTI making an older person behave this way then you must have not been around any that had 1. My MIL went "WILD" kicking doors biting my husband, trying to hit me with a hammer etc. because we wouldn't let her out of the house when everthing was icy. She also would hide things and accuse someone of stealing from her (minor things like can biscuits). She would refuse her meds because she said we were trying to kill her. I could go on and on but I'll stop here and tell you, when her infections cleared up--she loved and appreciated us taking such good care of her. And btw--it's then that I'm 'better than any of her kids to her and she loves me as much as her own kids.' I have a support group at church and this seems to be a very common problem with older people when they have a UTI. The geriatric Dr. will tell you this also.
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caregiver63, I'm sorry if I came across as nasty. I truely did NOT mean to. Please don't take this as an attack. I was just trying to say that a UTI could cause alot of different personality changes. truce????
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Whatever.......you needn't be so nasty.......
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thank you for your apology.
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MOM NEEDS TO BE DIAGNOSED BY A MD, NURSE PRACTICTIONER, PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT,ETC IN THIS LIFETIME ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY GET 2 TO 3 OPINIONS
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Those were the symptoms we first noticed with my father who eventually died with Alz.
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Dementia is more common. She needs to be diagnosed by her Dr. My grandmother has symptoms similar to your moms. Dehydration can cause mental symptoms. Push water, juice fruits and veggies if possible. You can't MAKE them drink or eat more, but you can certainly try. My grandmother refused to drink enough and ended up in the hospital with some dehydration and a mild urinary tract infection. She has some dementia but functions pretty well overall, but I can't make her do something she doesn't want to do. The hospital staff kind of gave me the side-eye, like I wasn't taking proper care of her or something. At some point, it goes beyond just taking care of them and becomes a matter of protecting yourself legally from the backwash of dementia related issues. Best of luck.
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horselover im with hevnbnd i would check her for a U.T.I them seems the signs for that but if you do not go to the dr with your mother i would make a appt witht the dr yourself and talk to him and let him know what is going on. sounds like a mixture of both to me but a U.T.I. could set it off more
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