Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Suggest Treatment For Forgetfulness, Delusions And Disorientation
Question: My mother is living in an assisted living facility. Twice last month she was taken to the emergency room. The 1st time was for what they thought was Pneumonia, but realized that she had aspirated and the fluid in her lungs wasn't dangerous.. A week later she fell and hit her head. It wasn't serious, at least no concussion, but the Dr thought she had fractured her pelvis. After closer examination he decided that there was no fracture.
Her whole routine was upset and she changed. She doesn't finish a sentence most of the time and she forgets a lot of things, like how to put in her hearing aids. She was panicky in the hospital and told me she had been kidnapped for 3 days when she had in reality only been there overnight.
She's dehydrated and now has started skipping breakfast, but when questioned she denies it. Her doctor says next she will stop talking.
When her routine was upset it had a serious effect on her and to make matters worse the assisted living place had to cancel the Saturday morning bus trip because they had no one to drive the bus. That was the only reason she looked forward to Saturday morning.
It's difficult for me to take her anywhere, but I did take her out for Mother's Day and part of that day she spent at my house. I had recent knee surgery and I really pushed myself to the limit that day.
I'm surprised how quickly she deteriorated. What should I expect next and is there anything I can do?
Her whole routine was upset and she changed. She doesn't finish a sentence most of the time and she forgets a lot of things, like how to put in her hearing aids. She was panicky in the hospital and told me she had been kidnapped for 3 days when she had in reality only been there overnight.
She's dehydrated and now has started skipping breakfast, but when questioned she denies it. Her doctor says next she will stop talking.
When her routine was upset it had a serious effect on her and to make matters worse the assisted living place had to cancel the Saturday morning bus trip because they had no one to drive the bus. That was the only reason she looked forward to Saturday morning.
It's difficult for me to take her anywhere, but I did take her out for Mother's Day and part of that day she spent at my house. I had recent knee surgery and I really pushed myself to the limit that day.
I'm surprised how quickly she deteriorated. What should I expect next and is there anything I can do?
Brief Answer:
dementia
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
it seems that your mother has dementia. Dementia causes various problems starting with forgetfulness but may end up to complete inability to carry out ordinary every day tasks or communicate. Sometimes a sudden unexpected event brings the problems to the surface. Hospitalization is a common inciting factor for delusions and disorientation of patients with dementia. Perhaps that's what happened during her last visit to the hospital...
The best thing you can do for her is to take her to a neurologist with experience in dementia to assess her condition and perhaps suggest treatment. There are some treatments for it but do not expect miracles. Besides that keep in mind that any kind of medical disorder may cause serious problems to her. For example a low grade fever may cause delusions or disorientation like (or worse than) her recent stay in the hospital.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
dementia
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
it seems that your mother has dementia. Dementia causes various problems starting with forgetfulness but may end up to complete inability to carry out ordinary every day tasks or communicate. Sometimes a sudden unexpected event brings the problems to the surface. Hospitalization is a common inciting factor for delusions and disorientation of patients with dementia. Perhaps that's what happened during her last visit to the hospital...
The best thing you can do for her is to take her to a neurologist with experience in dementia to assess her condition and perhaps suggest treatment. There are some treatments for it but do not expect miracles. Besides that keep in mind that any kind of medical disorder may cause serious problems to her. For example a low grade fever may cause delusions or disorientation like (or worse than) her recent stay in the hospital.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
