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I have talked about my 94-year-old mom before for different reasons. Her dementia has gotten worse over the last year, but still recognizes everyone, remembers things, etc.


Saturday, I went to her AL and she was on the ground babbling. We (me and aides) got her up and they did all her vitals and tested her mobility and she seemed okay, but just mumbling nonstop. Probably should have taken her into the ER then.


Sunday, they checked on her and she was again on the floor babbling. They had paramedics come and bring her to the ER. She has been in hospital for a full day now, just babbling in bed. They say it's delirium, but don't know the causes.


They're wondering if a recent change to her meds (upping the Seroquel) is the cause. I talked with the station nurse now and they don't seem to be actively doing anything. I don't know if this just goes on forever or she snaps out of it or what?


Anyone had experience like this? Thanks.

My husband (age 83) had emergency surgery for an aortic dissection on 12/20. The surgery was successful, but 3 days afterward he got delirium. I had never heard of it before. They said they thought it might clear up in a few days, but here we are 9 weeks later and he’s still in delirium. It waxes and wanes and he has good days and bad. He sleeps most of the day and seems to get agitated at night. He’s had to have a monitor 24/7 because he tries to pull his feeding tube or picc line out. Now the hospital is recommending comfort care because I know he wouldn’t want to end up with a feeding tube and in a nursing home the rest of his life. It’s just him and me (his family lives about 800 miles away) and the hospital is asking if I think I could take care of him at home. I am 67, but have a lot of osteoarthritis in my knees, shoulder, neck & spine. I am very worried about how I could handle it. One thing I can tell you about delirium is they can’t say when, or even if, it will go away. I have read that elderly people with dementia are more likely to get it. In my husband’s case I think it was caused by being under anesthesia for a 10 hour surgery. It is a very sad condition for which there is no definitive answer.
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Reply to MJmojo000
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I worry that your mom's babbling is not delirium. She may be suffering from a UTI, another infection, drug side effects or interaction, or some other problem not related to her dementia.

Just to make sure I cover all the bases regarding delirium, I will copy paste a section of my book "Dementia Care Companion" which is available from Amazon at the following address that deals with delirium.



Delirium

Grandpa spent the early hours of the evening with family. But a couple of hours later, he has a fever and is lying in bed. He whines and talks incoherently. We don’t know what he sees or says; he doesn’t know either. He is half awake and half asleep.

Delirium is not a symptom of dementia. Rather, delirium signals a potentially serious medical condition such as infection, kidney or liver problems, or prescription drug interactions or side effects. It is usually accompanied by fever, sweating, changes in heart rate (increase or decrease), and changes in sleep patterns.
Unlike behavioral changes that are caused by dementia, delirium appears abruptly. It is marked by dramatic and rapid changes in the patient’s perception, attention, mood, speech, and ability to move or perform tasks. It appears within a few hours to several days of an underlying condition, and generally disappears if the underlying condition is properly treated.
Delirium is easily confused with behavioral issues such as hallucination, especially in patients who are no longer able to express themselves clearly. As a result, caregivers may fail to take action quickly enough, thereby delaying treatment and allowing the underlying condition to get worse.
·        Delirium is a symptom of potentially serious medical conditions that need medical attention right away.
·        Delirium may not be accompanied by fever all the time. Therefore in all cases of delirium, consult a doctor.
·        People with delirium may do things that are quite dangerous, without realizing the danger, or even remembering doing them afterwards. Do not leave the patient alone. 
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Reply to Samad1
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graygrammie Feb 15, 2025
Her mother passed. It was mentioned in a previous reply.
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Karsten's mom has passed away.
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Reply to BarbBrooklyn
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graygrammie Feb 14, 2025
Thank you for providing that information.
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Karsten: Pose your question to the hospitalist.
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Reply to Llamalover47
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Before reading other COMMENTS, my Mom has gone through the same bizarre reactions to UTI, Tramadol, and low blood sodium. It DOES get better, with changing meds, or short-term treatments.
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Reply to schaefcm
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Sadly I think this happens. My 90 yr old Mum. suddenly began babbling. Yesterday she talked non stop about diabetes. The day before it was people and events linked in a non-sensical way. They speech therapy as they also work on focusing a persons thoughts and memory. Good luck.
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Reply to Rrieger1
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My dad caught an infection in hospital- needed antibiotics and that triggered delirium
i looked it up at the time and other causes were side effects of medication
changes to environment causing temp delirium
it said ‘most’ cases disappear
my fathers did as soon as his infection cleared up
please get her checked out for any infection/medical issues
common cases dehydration / blood sugar/ reactions to medications / even vit deficiencies
check she’s actually drinking
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Reply to Geaton777
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Karsten, I just saw your update on another thread.

Yes, the waiting is the worst. If you need something to do, you might start looking at nursing facilities that will accept her with hospice services.

My mom was in a NH for 4 1/2 years after a stroke and hip fracture. She got hospice services for the last few days of her life after a fall. In truth, she was "hospice eligible" for almost the entire stay, due to CHF and pulmonary issues.
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Reply to BarbBrooklyn
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Karsten, did they test her for a UTI?

Has she dropped any weight recently? It's my understanding that thyroid meds are dosed based on weight and could cause problems if out of synch with current weight.

I agree with others that she needs to have her meds administered to her correctly and not rely on herself anymore.

At 94, maybe consider having her assessed for hospice. She could be having other medical issues but the testing for this may be too much for her...

If you are not her MPoA or Medical Representative (you assigned by her on a HIPAA form) then this can be a problem in getting her docs to talk to you: they legally cannot if you don't have at least one of those authorities.

If you are her MPoA then make sure to take the paperwork with you when you go to the hospital or facility.

Hope it's going better for her today!
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Reply to Geaton777
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Karsten, is your mom any better today?
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Reply to BarbBrooklyn
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One more thing to add in case anyone is knowledgeable about it. I try to talk to her MDs at hospital but its impossible

Another issue my mom does not have a thyroid. They removed it years ago as they thought it was cancerous but it wasnt

Since then shes been on levothyroxine . Was told it was very important not to take this at same time of food and other meds.

Just this past week when she transferred from taking pills from pill box I set up, to having them administered by AL staff, they started giving these at same time as other morning meds. Nurses at AL didnt think this was problematic But if one reads, it is suggested this can prevent absorption of levothyroxine. And further reading suggests that suspension of thyroid treatment can trigger delirium. Again, I know this is a question for the MDs, but it seems impossible to know when they will be with my mom at hospital and they dont call back
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SnoopyLove Feb 12, 2025
This is so rough, Karsten. Sorry you’re going through this. One thought— would it be at all possible to try to be at the hospital one morning during morning rounds? Maybe you could ask the head nurse when that tends to take place?
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How much Seroquel was/is she on?
My wife has a daily 50mg long acting tab,
and her fast acting Seroquel dose was just increased from 50mg up to 75mg and the Dr wrote the script that I can go to 100mg if needed. The side effect he warned me about was watching for excessive tiredness during the day. I understand some people are on much higher doses.
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Karsten Feb 11, 2025
she had been on 25 (half pill) and if that as she was taking pills herself and often didnt take them, Just prior to this delerium, she began to have meds administered and they did 100 this was day or two ahead of herr delirium so I was just curious
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Karsten, so sorry to hear this. I hope the doctors at the hospital figure something out soon. Thinking of you and your mom.
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Reply to SnoopyLove
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oh, and the ativan calmed down the squirming and babbling but she is more or less just half comotose laying there with oxygen in her nost and IV
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Reply to Karsten
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Ask pharmacist to check her medications to see if this is a side effect. If not a problem with medications, ask for referrals/consults with neurology and psychology.
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Reply to Taarna
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Thanks all. They are not sure what it is, no signs of stroke, no signs of UTI or pneumonia, they had thought she may be aspirating but didnt appear though they may still treat it for that anyway. Urine seemed to be OK

They are weaning her off psych meds but added Ativan which really seemed to calm down the delirium so she can at least get rest .

Also earlier today her oxygen was down, which made them suspect pneumonia, and other vitals were down as well ,but they put her on oxygen and that seems to make other things better

Anyway, they dont know and say it may be a while before they do know
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JuliaH Feb 10, 2025
I'm sorry for mom and you. I wouldn't want to see my mom in that condition, you poor dear. As long as she's hospitalized, get some rest. Any changes in prescriptions can have adverse effects, they'll get it sorted out.
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If she is on any psychotropics I think they should be titrated off her, and perhaps new one's tried. I am assuming U/A is clear?
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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It may be the aweful affect of dementia and a change in meds might be necessary. Or, it may be an infection that is inducing the delerium. Do you know what test have been ordered and what the results are?

Also, be aware that elderly are prone to hospital induced delerium because of the change of environment, harsh lighting and vital checks at all hours preventing adequate rest. The deleriums may continue for weeks once the underlying cause is found and treated.

Good luck.
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Reply to AMZebbC
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Omg, this sounds terrible! My mother was the absolute queen of medication side effects and there was only one thing that had her babbling and seeing this t's too.....a Scopolamine patch for vertigo. As soon as I told the doctor to discontinue it, she was a lot better but the vertigo was worse. 😑

The likely culprit seems to be an increase in Seroquel. She could have had a stroke or TIAs but a CT scan would be needed to determine that.

Good luck figuring out the latest round of craziness.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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Karsten Feb 11, 2025
so Lealonnie, when your mom had side effects from her was it the babbling/delirium? Well I guess you said that, sorry

Did she have reactions to other meds other than the vertigo patch. And how long to get better after patch removed?

I have been on these boards complaining about my mom in the past but right now I cant sleep fearing a dreaded call
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I would say a med adjustment, recently, maybe the cause. Has the hospital lowered the dose to see if that makes a change. If not, why not.
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