Expert: Paula Damgaard - 10/30/2009

Question
My mother-in-law will be 96 next month. In the last 6 - 9 months she has progressivley gone down hill with lapse of memory, etc. She is so proud and struggles to overcome her loss. Recently, overnite, she became progressively worse, unable to move her legs and we noticed slight slurred speech. She has become passive. We have moved her from a recliner chair to a hospital bed in her home. She complains of her legs and hips aching and tonight, her feet were burning badly. I think she has had a stroke as this change was sudden as far as her mobility. Last week she was able to go to her hairdresser and go to the bathroom with the aid of her walker. Suddenly, overnight, she is confined to a bed and unable to move her legs. She is complaining of severe burning in her feet.

Answer
Linda, have you checked her urine?  99.5% of the time when we see dementia patients turn that quickly it is because of a urinary tract infection.  Might not be but I would take a urine sample to her doctor and have it checked.  She would not have the symptoms that you know like burning on urination, back aches etc.  75% of elderly women walk around with UTIs and never know.

I hope that is the easy fix.  If not you may be right, question then is what is your next step?  At 96 are you really going to be very aggressive?  

Let me know how it works out.  Paula