Is your senior exhibiting signs of confusion more often than usual? There might be a reason she’s doing so and it isn’t necessarily the scariest thing that she or you fear. Confusion as a symptom can show up for a variety of different reasons. Taking a closer look helps.

Her Medications Have Side Effects She Doesn’t Expect

One of the tools that your senior relies on to help her the most, her medication, could be causing her to experience confusion and possibly other side effects, too. Talk to your elderly family member’s doctor about what side effects she should experience so that you know what to expect. If you do notice something new, like confusion, bring it up with her doctor right away.

She’s Not Eating Well

When your elderly family member doesn’t eat well or doesn’t eat consistently, her body may not be getting what it needs in order to keep functioning. That might mean that she’s tired more often or even that she starts to appear confused. Changing her diet so that she is eating healthy meals on a regular basis may be exactly what she needs to resolve that issue.

She’s Depressed or Dealing with Other Health Issues

Depression and other mood issues can cause your senior to become or to appear confused, too. She may find that she’s so busy dealing with her mood that she doesn’t have a lot of brain power or energy left to use for processing, which appears externally as confusion. Some health issues, like urinary tract infections, have different symptoms as your senior ages. She may experience confusion as part of the illness itself, which resolves once the UTI is treated.

She’s Experiencing Cognitive Changes

The reason that might scare both you and your senior the most is cognitive changes. This can be so scary because dementia and other cognitive illnesses mean big changes in how your senior experiences her life and the world around her. If you or your senior suspect she’s dealing with cognitive changes, talk to her doctor and have the proper tests done so that you can know for sure what she’s up against.

No matter why your senior is experiencing confusion, whether it’s temporary or more permanent in nature, it can help to have elderly care providers on hand with her. They can help her to manage her confusion in kind ways and ensure that she’s safe as well.

For Elderly Care Services in Germantown TN, please contact the caring staff at Personal Care Services MidSouth today!