I have found so many great discussions on this Forum and hoping to get some personal experience advice.
My mom, 88, lived independent living community taking care of herself for many years. She had no major health issues. Great memory. Two and a half weeks ago, she complained of severe lower back pain on either side. Made my sister take her to ER (it was Sun). She was diagnosed with a UTI. They put her on antibiotics and the next day she had no idea who we were. A couple days later she was okay but not 100%. Then they noticed her sodium was low (an issue she's had before). Long story short, she was in the hospital 2 weeks and in and out of a confused state. They discharged her because she was clinically better but thought it could be hospital delirium and being home would help.
She has been home 5 days now and yesterday, for instance, was SO much like her old self. She questions why she has been confused and the things she is saying so her brain is somehow remembering that. But then this morning confused again. (Sundowning as well). We have aides with her 24/7 for now but need to think about a long term plan as well if this continues(meeting with her Dr next week). They did MRI and CT in hospital (among a million other tests) and did not find anything else (all typical with 88 yr old). I know others mentioned there isn't a specific test for dementia but wanted to mention that.
Just curious if anyone has experienced this with the constant ups and downs with confusion/agitation and if their elderly parent ever fully recovered? We hoped after being home she would "reset" but not there yet. I know I read some people said it took a month or more but would like to know experiences on timing and if in fact they did see improvement on the confusion where they could go back living independently. Any information appreciated. Thank you.
That said, it IS common for this type of confusion and delirium to drag on for a while after a long hospitalization. I've seen it with my mother who was in the hospital with pneumonia for a week and then went onto rehab for 21 days. She was VERY OUT OF IT the entire time, then went back to her Memory Care AL and within a week or so, she was better. BUT, she was diagnosed with dementia at the time and living in Memory Care! So her 'normal' would be different than your mother's 'normal' who wasn't exhibiting signs of dementia before this whole UTI happened! What you have to make sure of is that mom's urine was cultured to find out what type of bacteria was causing her UTI to begin with. That the correct antibiotic was prescribed and that the UTI is completely GONE from her system after the meds are finished, or, if another round is required. Make sure you're all set on that, and then just give her time to 'reset'. If she isn't back to good within a month, THEN I would worry that she's going down the dementia highway, which is possible I suppose, at 88 and after being ill. Sometimes an elder will get sick which start off a chain of ugly events that never get them back to 'normal' again. That's not to say this is what's happening with your mom, but just a general statement. There is a tipping point for elders from which there IS no return, it seems to me.
Make sure mom is getting enough fluids, too. Did they say why she was low on sodium? And/or why it's been an issue for her in the past? That situation can sometimes mean an underlying health condition is at play or perhaps can be related to medication she takes. Here is a link to info from the Mayo Clinic on the subject:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373711
I hope your mom's confusion & delirium clears up completely. I know how horrible it can be to witness this in a parent. Wishing you the best of luck moving forward.