My 92 y/o Dad was doing fine; only some short term memory loss. But suddenly declined. Is it dementia or is something else going on?

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FargoDan Asked January 2021

My 92 y/o Dad was doing fine; only some short term memory loss. But suddenly declined. Is it dementia or is something else going on?

He lives on his own and up to now has not demonstrated any significant cognitive decline. He had some short term memory issues that I felt was age related. As recently as a early December (a month ago) he was still accurately managing his finances, going to the grocery store, etc. and kept on top of things. He does live alone and has bad hearing loss so I suspect he is depressed. I live out of town and noticed a decline over Christmas. He would say things not quite right and wasn’t taking care of his hygiene like normal. Last week he started getting very confused about things. An aunt that lives nearby told me about it. And then a couple days later he was in a car accident. Thank God no one was hurt but he doesn’t remember why he was out and denies it was his fault. I rushed to be with him. He is mostly fine. Very calm. But says odd things like wanting to go home when he is at home and getting wrapped up about stuff on TV and thinking it is happening in our town or that he might be blamed for it. I’ve called his doctor and we suspect it may be a UTI. A home nurse took a urine sample and his doctor went ahead and started him on an antibiotic. We visit the doctor tomorrow to have a more thorough exam. Has anyone experienced this? I am fearful it is dementia, but it seems to have progressed really fast. If not a UTI, any other ideas what may be going on? Would dementia progress that fast?

Alzheimer's & Dementia Cognitive Decline Senior Health

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score 0 · Answer 1

I'm glad the UTI is being treated and he is less confused. As you or others don't see him from day to day he may have some cognitive impairment but is able to cover up when he does have a visit. Or he may not. I think back to the first signs of dementia in my mother, who lived on her own till she was 96 and then lived another 10 years in facilities She was still able to look after her finances etc. but occasionally something was "off". I didn't think much of it at the time as she was very bright and capable in so many ways. It was another 4 years and some unsafe choices that got her into hospital for the beginnings of the process whereby she was diagnosed with vascular dementia.

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Thanks for the reply! Dad is finished with the antibiotics and continues to improve. His occupational therapist stopped by today and noted a positive improvement also. He occasionally still says something that is just a bit “off” but nothing too bad so far. Does anyone know how long it takes for UTI-caused confusion to completely clear up after antibiotics stop?

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score 0 · Answer 2

I’m a CNA and have seen elderly patients behave like this with UTI’s. Also dehydration can cause confusion too. It’s very likely he has some cognitive impairment at his age. But to decline this fast, 1 month, and to the degree he has, I think it highly unlikely to be the only cause in his sudden memory loss. I’ve also seen this with Med changes. I’m not a doctor, but I’ve been caring for the elderly for 25 years. Maybe get a blood work up done for any other underlying health conditions too. Good luck

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Thanks very much for the reply. I took Dad to the doctor today and they confirmed he did have some elevated WBC and bacteria in his urine from the urinalysis last Friday. By today it was clear but he’s been on Cipro since Friday. He has also been acting much better and not evidently confused or saying crazy things so hopefully that's the problem. They did a blood panel and we also scheduled an MRI for Thursday. So hopefully soon we can determine for sure what is going on. Thanks again for the support.

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score 0 · Answer 3

I manage care for an Aunt who is 98. I had to anonymously report her to the FL DMV and they sent a letter instructing her to come in to get tested to renew her license. She couldn't get there on her own and her license expired. He younger brother was driving at age 93, ran a red light and was t-boned which killed his own wife and injured the other people in the other car (thankfully, none seriously). So the driving privilege must come to an end asap. Do this by 1) reporting him to his DMV; 2) removing his keys; 3) disabling or removing his vehicle and telling him it's "in the shop". Make sure other family, friends and neighbors are told to not "lend" him their vehicle to drive him to renew his license. When I did this for my MIL I had to steal her address book so she couldn't call people. It doesn't feel good but neither will knowing your dad drove and injured someone (or himself) or caused property damage.

My Aunt watches only DVDs because when she sees news or commercials she thinks it's reality and becomes very agitated. Most likely your dad has a UTI, but it is intermingled with dementia. I wish you success in a diagnosis and peace in your heart.

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Thanks for the reply. This is a great forum for support. Yes, I plan to stop him from driving. I think the DMV will require it. His car will likely be totaled from the accident so that takes it out of the picture. He has a pickup but I’ve hidden the keys for now. I will wait to see what the medical diagnosis is, but really want him to stop driving for the reasons you mention. It will require us to figure out alternative transportation for him. And he won’t like it. He was a professional truck driver when younger and has always took pride in his driving ability. But the time comes for everyone. Any tips on how to convince him it is the right thing to do is appreciated.

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score 2 · Answer 4

It can progress quickly, but I think you did see signs of it coming. Normal aging "memory issues" are pretty insignificant. Real short term memory changes are often the beginning. Even if there is evidence of a UTI I hope you will be there long enough to see Dad assessed now; it's very important. In almost all states his license will now likely be revoked until he comes in for testing, which may include the driving exam itself. He clearly should not be on the road now. I didn't live in the same area as my brother when it all went very wrong as well. But at the same time he had an accident and law bleeding in the arms of his neighbor I got a letter completely wrongly addressed; changes can be sudden. Some dementias are a sort of come and go thing, but in retrospect I can see problems I should have seen, his complaints about the phone "not working" (I thought it WAS the phone; it was him). He also was alone, and became more anxious. With the anxiety his "probable early Lewy's" was made so much worse. Once in ALF with me taking on his financial things he was so very much better until his death of septicemia just over a year later.
I wish you good luck and hope you'll update us.

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Thank you for your reply. Yes, I talked to the police officer who was at the crash and he confirmed the DMV would likely require a medical review before he can keep his license. He is actually much more like his old self today, so maybe the antibiotics are helping. Perhaps he is just on the edge of slipping into these dementia like states if something goes wrong with his health. It also happened earlier this year with a new medicine, which was known to cause confusion in elderly as a potential side effect. When the underlying issue goes away he gets back to normal which is highly functioning. I don’t know if that means he has dementia and it stays hidden until something else complicates it? Either way, I believe he needs more consistent care. I feel selfish because I live out of town and don’t want to give up my job, so I am wanting to get him into an assisted living environment. He will resist it, but is lucky enough to be able to afford it. I’m not looking forward to the conversation. Thanks again for the input and for listening to my situation.

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My 92 y/o Dad was doing fine; only some short term memory loss. But suddenly declined. Is it dementia or is something else going on?

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