There was a sudden increase in deaths in my mum’s nursing home unit – all in one week early on in lockdown - and during this period I was informed that mum was being treated for symptoms of a UTI (which she hasn’t had in over 2 years). She’s fine now but I’ve been wondering if she might have been displaying covid-19 symptoms that were overlooked, and I found this interesting article about how the elderly are not always displaying the 'typical' covid-19 symptoms of fever/cough because older bodies react differently to illness & infection. Symptoms identified have included - not acting themselves, sleeping more than usual, stopping eating, being unusually confused or apathetic, delirium & falls. These symptoms might be overlooked initially, or not considered as potentially covid-19 related, particularly in those with dementia or nursing home residents, leading to poorer outcomes.
The article explains that there may be a variety of reasons for these symptoms but doctors should also consider if the person could have been exposed to covid-19 during the previous 2 weeks. Mum’s GP did call to ask about any symptoms I’d noticed but I couldn’t say because I hadn’t been visiting due to the lockdown: https://khn.org/news/seniors-with-covid-19-show-unusual-symptoms-doctors-say/view/republish/
The article explains that there may be a variety of reasons for these symptoms but doctors should also consider if the person could have been exposed to covid-19 during the previous 2 weeks. Mum’s GP did call to ask about any symptoms I’d noticed but I couldn’t say because I hadn’t been visiting due to the lockdown: https://khn.org/news/seniors-with-covid-19-show-unusual-symptoms-doctors-say/view/republish/