Sudden Confusion

[JuliaD]

Hi there,
Please can someone help me. I recently visited my mum who is 73 and lives a way, and observed sudden changes in her behaviour which never happened before. She seems to remember conversation I have with her but then when it comes to afternoon she gets confused and tells me my sister told her something (which I told her not my sister). Then 2 h later she is herself then confusion starts again. Could please tell what is going on? I cannot sleep for the last 7 days as worry.

 

[TNJJ]

Hi there,
Please can someone help me. I recently visited my mum who is 73 and lives a way, and observed sudden changes in her behaviour which never happened before. She seems to remember conversation I have with her but then when it comes to afternoon she gets confused and tells me my sister told her something (which I told her not my sister). Then 2 h later she is herself then confusion starts again. Could please tell what is going on? I cannot sleep for the last 7 days as worry.

Hi. Has your mum been diagnosed with dementia?
Confusion in the late afternoon or early evening is called Sundowning. Every thing can get mixed up.
She could have a UTI which can cause confusion. I would arrange a doctors visit just to check. Do either of you have LPOA?

 

[JuliaD]

Hi. Has your mum been diagnosed with dementia?
Confusion in the late afternoon or early evening is called Sundowning. Every thing can get mixed up.
She could have a UTI which can cause confusion. I would arrange a doctors visit just to check. Do either of you have LPOA?

Thank you for your reply. She does not have uti, but she is anemic so not sure if that can be a cause. She takes blood pressure medication, iron tablets and aspirin. She hasn't been diagnosed yet. She lives far away and just moved to a country where she doesn't know the language and have no friends, she also lost her husband a year ago. So I am not sure what causes it. She seems OK in the mornings but a bit slow and confused in early evening. None of the relatives believe me what I observed and are not helping. So I am very worried.

 

[Hil76]

@JuliaD Hi there, you said your mum is on aspirin. It could be vascular, she could be having TIAs. Definitely get her to get checked, there’s something not right, better to know sooner rather than later. All the best

 

[Louise7]

Did the increased confusion happen at the same time as your Mum moved? A change in surroundings can cause increased confusion in those with dementia so to move to a country where she doesn't speak the language and has no friends is quite a big change, plus the death of her husband may also have had an impact on her confusion levels. Is there anyone living near to your Mum who can keep an eye on her and take her to the doctor for a check up?

 

[Hil76]

Did the increased confusion happen at the same time as your Mum moved? A change in surroundings can cause increased confusion in those with dementia so to move to a country where she doesn't speak the language and has no friends is quite a big change, plus the death of her husband may also have had an impact on her confusion levels. Is there anyone living near to your Mum who can keep an eye on her and take her to the doctor for a check up?

@JuliaD @Louise7 Has she got Dementia? If she has then the move, death etc would exacerbate confusion. Was she showing signs of forgetfulness or very mild confusion before this? It seems strange that there were no earlier symptoms.

 

[JuliaD]

@JuliaD @Louise7 Has she got Dementia? If she has then the move, death etc would exacerbate confusion. Was she showing signs of forgetfulness or very mild confusion before this? It seems strange that there were no earlier symptoms.

Thank you for your reply. I saw her in September and she was fine, no confusion, no signs of dementia. I speak to her on the phone every day and noticed nothing until mid December when I went to see her at Christmas. She started to forget for example what we bought in the shop, mixing up conversation, she seems a lot slower in the afternoon and looks tired too. There were no indication about signs of dementia until few weeks ago.
So I am stuck and not sure what to do as I am in UK, I work and have a child who goes to school so I can't leave everything and go to her. I am very worried.

 

[Shedrech]

hi @JuliaD
a warm welcome to DTP
sorry to hear of your concerns for your mum

would she agree to visit a doctor for a general health check and review of her medication, it may be she has a vitamin deficiency that can be found with a blood test, or her symptoms may be due to stress or depression, even grief
if you know her doctor's address, you might write to them outlining what you noticed and ask them to invite her to a 'well woman' type appointment to be able to check her over
tricky, I appreciate, if she has no grasp of the language

might you even discuss her moving back near you, telling her you and her grandchild miss her rather than you are worried about her

if you add the country your mum is in as your location on your profile, it may be there are members here with knowledge of the systems in that country

 

[JuliaD]

Thank you for your reply. I saw her in September and she was fine, no confusion, no signs of dementia. I speak to her on the phone every day and noticed nothing until mid December when I went to see her at Christmas. She started to forget for example what we bought in the shop, mixing up conversation, she seems a lot slower in the afternoon and looks tired too. There were no indication about signs of dementia until few weeks ago.
So I am stuck and not sure what to do as I am in UK, I work and have a child who goes to school so I can't leave everything and go to her. I am very worried.

hi @JuliaD
a warm welcome to DTP
sorry to hear of your concerns for your mum

would she agree to visit a doctor for a general health check and review of her medication, it may be she has a vitamin deficiency that can be found with a blood test, or her symptoms may be duecto stress or depression, even grief
if you know her doctor's address, you might write to them outlining what you noticed and ask them to invite her to a 'well woman' type appointment to be ablecto check her over
tricky, I appreciate, if she has no grasp of the language

might you even discuss her moving back near you, telling her you and her grandchild miss her rathervthan you are worried about her

if you add the country your mum is in as your location on your profile, it may be there are members here with knowledge of the systems in that country

hi @JuliaD
a warm welcome to DTP
sorry to hear of your concerns for your mum

would she agree to visit a doctor for a general health check and review of her medication, it may be she has a vitamin deficiency that can be found with a blood test, or her symptoms may be duecto stress or depression, even grief
if you know her doctor's address, you might write to them outlining what you noticed and ask them to invite her to a 'well woman' type appointment to be ablecto check her over
tricky, I appreciate, if she has no grasp of the language

might you even discuss her moving back near you, telling her you and her grandchild miss her rathervthan you are worried about her

if you add the country your mum is in as your location on your profile, it may be there are members here with knowledge of the systems in that country

Thank you for your reply. I will add the country to my profile.