Hi everyone. I’m looking for insight/support because the past few months — especially the last few days — have been overwhelming.
My mom is 73 and has dementia that we believe is probably in the mid-to-late stages. Over the last ~6 months she has declined significantly. She has lost a large amount of weight, her appetite had already been steadily declining, she sleeps much more, has become progressively weaker, and overall just hasn’t seemed like herself anymore.
She is no longer walking and had already progressed to needing a Hoyer lift for transfers prior to this hospitalization.
Recently, my brother went to see her and noticed she looked visibly smaller and exhausted. She was holding food in her hand but not really eating it, and at one point didn’t recognize my brother’s voice immediately. That moment really scared us because it felt like a major cognitive shift.
A home aide found her confused and less responsive a couple days ago after she had apparently been down overnight. EMS found her blood pressure dangerously low, and she ended up admitted to the ICU with septic shock caused by a severe UTI (possibly gallbladder involvement too, still being evaluated).
Since admission she has developed kidney injury, abnormal liver labs, malnutrition/low protein levels, anemia, and low urine output. She’s being treated with IV antibiotics, fluids, warming measures, and close ICU monitoring.
What’s hard is that her cognition fluctuates. Sometimes she seems alert and oriented and other times she seems disconnected, delayed, confused, withdrawn, or mentally “not there.”
I know dementia patients can decline dramatically during infections/sepsis, but I’m struggling to understand:
- how much of this could be temporary delirium from sepsis,
- how much may be progression of dementia,
- whether this sounds like end-stage decline/failure to thrive,
- or if this combination is something others have experienced.
Has anyone had a parent with dementia go through severe sepsis/UTI and recover mentally at least somewhat back to baseline? Or did it become a turning point where things never fully recovered?
I’m trying to stay realistic while still advocating for her and hoping for the best. Any insight or experiences would really help. ❤️