Tuesday, October 30, 2012

But....it's not always a UTI

Even though my previous post alerted you to the fact that confusion or unusual behavior may be a UTI, it isn't always.

Especially as my mom's dementia progressed, she was less able to communicate discomfort to us.  Usually discomfort manifested as confusion and agitation.

Some of the things that caused confusion for my mom:
1) UTI
2) heart attack --really, she had no chest pain, she just was really confused and "didn't feel good" and couldn't get out of bed.
3) medication interaction or side effect
4) excessive ear wax causing discomfort and difficulty hearing
5) a bad cold

I'm sure there are others, too.  But the main point of this post is that unusual confusion can signal a problem and should be checked.  

Don't be afraid to overrule the staff of the facility if you believe that your loved one needs medical care and they think it's just "natural progression".  Believe me, you'll feel better if you have some tests done and find out it's "nothing" than you will if your loved one's condition worsens because you didn't take action.

Sometimes the staff of assisted living facilities and nursing homes see so much dementia and so much confusion, that what you recognize as "abnormal" might look "normal" to them.  YOU ARE THE BEST JUDGE OF WHAT IS NORMAL FOR YOUR LOVED ONE! 

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