Dealing with Sudden Confusion in the Elderly

Aug. 11, 2013 - PRLog -- Seeing a parent in the throes of sudden confusion is scary; often this confusion is temporary and resolves itself when the underlying physiological cause is corrected.

My mom had to be taken to the hospital earlier this year because she very suddenly lost her mental bearings. She was diagnosed later as being delirious.  I called to say good morning and she told me it was night and wanted to know why no one was downstairs having dinner.  I thought she had been napping and was temporarily disoriented.

Yep, I too missed the boat when it comes to dealing with sudden confusion in the elderly.

I convinced her to have some breakfast and relax and I wasn't overly concerned since in the days prior, she was lucid and engaged.  Her typical forgetfulness, for months now, was limited to occasional names and forgetting to put the phone on the hook.  

I was wrong.

Later that day, I got a panicked phone call from my sister-in-law, who dropped in to check on her.  Mom was sitting in the dark, in a corner of the shower.  I had an ambulance take her to the hospital where she got tested for the cause of her sudden and total disorientation, from MRI's to blood tests.

Doctors say there can be several causes for sudden confusion in the elderly.  They include:

Low sodium in the blood
Low electrolyte level
Urinary tract infection
A fall or injury
Abuse of over the counter medications like Benadryl to induce sleep--which many seniors complain about not getting enough of.  It only takes a few more than the recommended dose to disorient an elderly person
Medications like trospium which is commonly prescribed for frequent urination (this can create confusion over a period of time)

If your parent is suddenly acting strangely, get them to a doctor or hospital to be tested.

It turns out my mom 's MRI was clear, but blood tests revealed low sodium, dehydration and low electrolytes--which her doctors said can easily cause this kind of acute delirium.  Doctors say a person will often bounce back to normal, or somewhere close to normal, once these levels are corrected.

Bottom line, if mom or dad is terribly disoriented, don't assume they've had a drink or just need a good night's sleep.  

Sudden confusion in the elderly is a symptom you need to follow up on. 

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