…An elderly family member, was affected by one.
So here is my disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, you may already know the info I am about to share and if you think some of these things are happening to you or a family member, make an appointment with a doctor.
For the past several weeks, I (and my brother) have been tending to medical issues, our mom has been having. They revolve around memory and cognitive health. At her age (mid 80’s) some memory loss and confusion is expected, but she had a few episodes involving hallucinations…not knowing where she was (in the moment or in general - what state/city/neighborhood) or details about her children/grand children (didn’t remember that my brother had a daughter). Over the past 10 years, we’d seen the expected memory loss develop (“where are my keys, purse, phone?”), but these episodes seemed extreme and sudden.
Luckily we have healthcare professionals in the extended family and our individual research pointed toward possible culprits. One was UTIs.
UTIs were the last road I’d have thought could lead to any type of cognitive issues, but it appears in the elderly, they can…and what’s worse…they may not even know they have one.
From https://pathwayshealth.org/home-health-topics/link-uti-dementia-older-adults/
According to Alzheimers.net, if a senior patient already has dementia, a urinary tract infection (UTIs) may cause behavior changes instead of the physical symptoms that may plague a younger person. Whereas most otherwise healthy people display physical symptoms like burning when urinating, elderly patients may not complain of such pain. However, they may start to behave erratically, which is usually what tips off health care providers. If not detected early, infection can lead to serious health problems.
Additionally from https://www.scrmemorycare.com/dementia/5-conditions-mimic-dementia/
This is one of the most common conditions that mimic dementia in elderly folks. A UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) can be a common occurrence in the elderly. The symptoms, however, are very different from the same type of infection in a younger person. Elderly people often do not experience frequent urination, fever or burning when urinating. Symptoms that are common include confusion and anxiety. Additionally, mood swings or behavior changes and sometimes hallucinations may be noticed.
Both my brother and I (stupid men) had never even given UTI’s a second thought in daily life, much less elder care. Of course just about every female relative we spoke to said, “oh yea, when you get older, it stops burning and is harder to tell if you have a UTI”. I looked at him and said…so we are the last to know…typical…lol.
While this did not explain away, the typical 80 year old forgetfulness of our mother (although we were hoping), it did help explain the extreme, “pop-up” symptoms she had experienced. Additionally, it was only in the course of a typical check-up, that a routine UA found microscopic evidence of blood, which led to a UTI diagnosis. She was given antibiotics and the cognitive symptoms cleared, as the UTI symptoms did.
The takeaways were
She could have had a UTI for months, and exhibited behavioral symptoms, that everyone (to include doctors) missed/didn’t recognize.
Extreme, out of the ordinary behaviors, are now red flags for undetected UTIs, where my mother is concerned. We are in the process of ordering home test kits (who knew they were a thing), to avoid making calls/appointments with her doctor, for false alarms…maybe she is just really agitated or confused verses having a UTI.
Lastly, she knew something was wrong, but because she was in the middle of the storm, could not help herself. She said, she felt like she was loosing her mind, when the hallucinations hit her.
So there is my PSA. Do your own reading and research, but this may be a good tool to have in your kit, when caring for an elderly parent/spouse/friend.
Happy thanksgiving and God Bless you all!!
Good advice - thanks.
And, good detective work! Well done.
Hope you and yours are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Connecting The Dots!! Oh no wait I’m really late to this par-tay, aren’t I lol. But it’s almost next Thanksgiving so maybe I can be your first Thanksgiving wish for that one.😂
Anyway😄, I was scrolling through your past posts and this one caught my eye. I lived through the “already had dementia and the UTI caused behavioral changes” with my mom. My mom had Alzheimer’s for 11 years and I was her caregiver and living with her. The caregiving takes a toll and at the end of it I wasn’t sure if I was coming out of it mentally or physically well. I did come out well by the grace of God (after a bit of a physical and mental breakdown), but it was so difficult. I remember thinking “I’m in my forties and felt like I almost didn’t survive, I don’t know how the eighty year olds taking care of their spouses are doing it!” I will also say though that there were some huge and unexpected blessings in the midst of that long journey and I came out so different than when I went in.
When my mom had the UTI, her behavior went off the chain and I walked into an urgent care with her and said to myself “ONE of us is leaving this place medicated, either her or me.” (😳😂) She was screaming and agitated and it was terrible. But she was the one who ended up with the meds (not me :)) and it worked fast!!
I’m sorry you’re going through this with your mom and I will keep you guys in my prayers. The distance must make it very difficult. You and your brother are very good sons to take care of her like you are. I hope she’s doing well now.🙏🏻
I disagree with one thing you said in here….. you AIN’T a stupid man! I can’t vouch for your brother but I’ve heard enough from you to know that is definitely not so lol!!!😄
Have a great night and I hope your work trip is going well!