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Q. My sister and I were very concerned about my 73-year-old aunt and the tremendous number of medications she was on. She was in a terrible nursing home and was continually strapped in a wheelchair. She was always agitated and often spoke to people who had been dead quite awhile.
The doctors said her hallucinations were caused by a stroke and dementia. Her family was in complete denial. My sister obtained your Guide to Drugs and Older People with the Drug Safety Questionnaire.
We moved her to a different facility. Two weeks after the medicines were stopped or the doses were lowered, she has become herself again. Thanks for helping us get our wonderful aunt back!
A. We are pleased to learn of your success. Overmedication with some common drugs, such as those prescribed for overactive bladder or insomnia, can contribute to confusion, cognitive decline or even hallucinations. Our Guide to Drugs and Older People has a list of drugs that may be inappropriate for seniors along with the Drug Safety Questionnaire.
This sounds like my mother who has Parkinson's and on numerous occasions became "toxic" (hallucinations, psychotic behavior, etc.) to the point of hospitalization due to constipation and a urinary tract infection. We now treat both problems, but more importantly, are aware of the symptoms before they get out of hand. I had NO idea how tragic a "simple" UTI could be.
I also had n idea how uti's can affect the elderly! My mum (aged 80) has been in hospital for nearly six weeks with Low Sodium and a uti which caused her to be so confused, she was great for her age just prior this. She recovered was on the point of being discharged, and now has another whopping uti which brought her sodium levels down again. She has had two days and nights of the most horrific hallucinations.