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Elderly parents
Original poster

Urgent advice needed-mum is delirious

117 replies

flygirl767 · 09/06/2020 14:28

My mum has been gong down hill rapidly, suffering from extreme anxiety and thinking there are people in the house/she's not in her own home. This has been sporadic and the GP could find nothing wrong initially. Over the last few days she has been particularly bad and today she is talking no sense at all. She usually comes round mid morning and is relatively ok but she is talking about being able to see a room full of people, saying she wants to go home etc.

I spoke to the GP this morning, he as already put in an urgent referral to the elderly care team with a view to getting her assessed and scanned but we are unsure how long that would take right now. He said the only other way of getting her assessed is to have her admitted to hospital which she would hate and probably make her even more confused.

I'm going over there now but can't stay over as I have my son at home (she is 30 mins away). Really not sure what to do? She sounds really bad and I wonder if any one has any advice? She is completely delirious at the moment but the GP says if she is a danger to herself I must call an ambulance. Seems extreme but not sure if she is ok on her own?

OP posts:
WokeUpSmeltTheCoffee · 10/06/2020 15:52

You have a legal right to be consulted about any detention under S2 as nearest relative (as long as she doesn't have a living spouse and you are the eldest child)

The AMPH (social worker arranging the assessment) should call you. You can query why not treat at home if you want to. They should look at less restrictive options before detaining. They may have very good reasons but they should explain to you

Wolfiefan · 10/06/2020 15:45

My mum is also on a section 2. She’s safe and monitored and under the care of a nurse, doctor and psych too. Hope there’s good news for you soon.

Apolloanddaphne · 10/06/2020 15:42

She is in the right place and hopefully they will be able to work out what is going on with her soon.

Original poster
flygirl767 · 10/06/2020 15:39

Well I've just spoken to the social care team. She's not on a MH ward yet, she is still on CDU. She's been seen by 2 psychiatrists today and they want to admit her. She has refused so she is being detained under section 2. They said she is actually ok in herself but they will not discharge her until they find out what is going on due to the severe confusion. They don't have a bed at the moment so no idea where she will end up. It is just so awful not being able to see her.

She just called me to ask me what time I was picking her up, they obviously haven't told her yet. I feel terrible, she will be so bewildered as she thought she would go home today. They said they can only treat and observe her as an in patient so this is how it has got to be. I feel sick with worry now.

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 10/06/2020 15:04

They took her straight in. No tests. No med reviews. The GP has written her off as psychotic. No psych assessment. No blood tests done before. I could understand if she had a clear psych history. But she doesn’t.
@TinnedPearsForPudding

TinnedPearsForPudding · 10/06/2020 14:48

@Wolfiefan psych won't (usually) accept anyone until a medical cause for their confusion / agitation has been found. In younger patients & patients with a psych history this can be relatively quick. In older patients this can take many hours as all physical causes of agitation must be excluded (and in an elderly pt, this is a very long list to be excluded). I hope your mum also recovers quickly x

Wolfiefan · 10/06/2020 13:43

@TinnedPearsForPudding my mum went to A and E over the weekend. Straight into (took hours) a psych hold. I’m not sure if that’s efficient though or just gets her out of A and E and into a place where eventually they may medically clear her and then approach the psych issue if there is one.
I have much negative experience of the NHS. I hope I’m wrong.

TinnedPearsForPudding · 10/06/2020 13:30

Just reread my post above & it sounds disbelieving - sorry. Didn't mean it to sound that way at all. Hope your mum gets better very soon xx

TinnedPearsForPudding · 10/06/2020 13:20

I'm surprised she was "medically cleared" quickly enough in A&E to be referred to & accepted by the psych team - this usually takes at least 24 hrs. Sounds like your hospital is a lot more efficient than mine!

Knocksomesense · 10/06/2020 11:00

In terms of hydration. My nan had too.much fluid which caused her sodium levels to drop. She became very confused

Dementeddotcom · 10/06/2020 10:41

Please keep her very hydrated

Original poster
flygirl767 · 10/06/2020 10:33

sorry I quoted the wrong post!

OP posts:
Original poster
flygirl767 · 10/06/2020 10:32

@Wolfiefan

I’m so glad she was coherent and able to engage with mental health services. My mum wasn’t. The crisis team struggled to get her to agree to a visit. She did. But then wouldn’t engage. She wasn’t safe and was completely paranoid and psychotic so she’s safer where she is. But it’s frustrating. They aren’t really cracking on and getting a diagnosis and starting treatment. Daily phone calls don’t reveal much more than she’s eating. Sad
Thanks @Bettysprocker that is interesting to know. Mum's anxiety has become extreme in the last few weeks which is when the delirium started to get worse. Hopefully they can help her on both issues.
OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 10/06/2020 09:23

I’m so glad she was coherent and able to engage with mental health services. My mum wasn’t. The crisis team struggled to get her to agree to a visit. She did. But then wouldn’t engage. She wasn’t safe and was completely paranoid and psychotic so she’s safer where she is.
But it’s frustrating. They aren’t really cracking on and getting a diagnosis and starting treatment. Daily phone calls don’t reveal much more than she’s eating. Sad

Bettysprocker · 10/06/2020 09:15

This happened to MIL. We had to really push the mental health team to get involved as they wanted to discharge her despite visual and audible hallucinations. They diagnosed extreme delirium. She saw some truly awful things and was convinced they were watching her, recording, just waiting to murder her in various ways.
It was a long slow recovery and she was prescribed antipsychotics. They said it was essentially health anxiety that got out of control. She is now back home.

Original poster
flygirl767 · 10/06/2020 09:06

@Wolfiefan

We are in the same situation. It’s awful. My mum has been sectioned. Offering a hand hold. Flowers
Thanks @Wolfiefan sorry to hear you too are in this stressful situation!
OP posts:
Original poster
flygirl767 · 10/06/2020 09:05

Thanks all, I spoke to the doctor at length late last night. CT scan clear so she was passed to a mental health worker who had a long chat with her. She was completely coherent and couldn't remember any episodes of confusion or hallucinations. I gave them a full run down of what has been going on.

She is having a full mental health assessment this morning which is good news. I spoke to her this morning, she's fed up but being well looked after.

OP posts:
WokeUpSmeltTheCoffee · 10/06/2020 08:51

Posted too soon

Visual hallucinations unlikely in anxiety or depression.

There are some kinds of dementia eg Lewy Body that feature hallucinations but dementia comes on slowly usually not suddenly

She needs to see an older people's MH specialist and they will be able to suggest appropriate medication

Hopefully they'll have access to a crisis team who can support her to stay at home. Last resort she might be admitted to a MH hospital but with Covid around she will be safer from that at home if possible

TARSCOUT · 10/06/2020 08:51

Oh OP it is so difficult but you did the right thing.

WokeUpSmeltTheCoffee · 10/06/2020 08:48

Even if the CT head is clear it can still be delirium as the mental effects last after the infection has passed

Don't want to be really scary but she should get Covid swabbed as it can present ole delirium in older people

Visual hallucinations are a psychotic feature which is very unlikely to ha

Wolfiefan · 10/06/2020 08:48

We are in the same situation. It’s awful. My mum has been sectioned. Offering a hand hold. Flowers

pinkazing · 10/06/2020 08:46

Hope you get some answers today

ImAncient · 10/06/2020 08:34

Gosh how worrying for you. It sounds like your mum is in the best place. Flowers

Knotaknitter · 10/06/2020 08:31

She's in the right place and I hope you got some sleep last night. I also hope that there's a simple solution that magically sets things back the way they were.

EKGEMS · 09/06/2020 21:28

I know this is horrendous but you absolutely did the right thing! She is in the care of experts and is safe