Non sleep and fidgeting?

Dussing

My mother, aged 94 with fairly advanced dementia, recently and fairly quickly went bonkers.  She hasn't been sleeping at night (3 nights in a row now) fidgets incessantly, and has been agitated which is totally out of character.

We have put her on an antibiotic for a UTI, because she fits all the symptoms.  I hope to get the results of those tests tomorrow.  She's been on the antibiotic just over 48 hours, and whilst she is a bit more lucid and "easier" to move around (she was dead weight in the throughs of losing her mind), she's still exhibiting excessive fidgeting (playing with her blankets, her teddy bears, talking a lot, and often agitated).

I'm considering hospice care but want to see what the UTI test shows.

I'm going to give her a norco tonight (rather a half) to see if that can sedate her enough to sleep as she has her days and nights messed up now.  Melatonin doesn't seem to have any effect.

She's very sensitive to meds, I'm looking for some tips on what may be her issue, other than general end of life behaviour.  She is eating some, has lost some weight over the past few months but this change has been really stark.

How long does it take for the antibiotics to work (she's better since taking them but still pretty confused)?  What is with the fidgeting?  How can we get her sleep cycle back on track.

I take care of her (I'm her daughter and she lives with me) but with her unsteadiness and confusion about how to walk, plus being weak from not eating much, I need 2 people to transfer her and take her to the bathroom now.

Any help is greatly appreciated.  Thank you so much!

​fesk

Sorry to hear you and your mom are going through this. Have you been able to have your mom examined by a doctor or have bloodwork done? That may provide some answers.

If a UTI is undetected for a while, it may take several weeks to resolve and behaviors to return to baseline - sometimes they may not. It usually does not take that long; however, I did experience this once with my mother when we thought her behaviors were caused by something else and the UTI wasn't treated immediately. Her behaviors did return to baseline but it took much longer than it ever had in the past.

As for the fidgeting, I believe it is common. If she was used to being active and can no longer be active, it may be her way of using up some of that energy. 

The sleep issue is very difficult to resolve. Try to keep a regular schedule, using aromatherapy (lavender) and having a routine at night to wind down. 

If you haven't already, I recommend having her examined by a doctor if possible who can then review meds and help you resolve these issues.

Phoenix1966

You might want to read the threads on terminal restless( https://www.alzconnected.org/discussion.aspx?g=posts&t=2147559228) and terminal agitation( https://www.alzconnected.org/discussion.aspx?g=posts&t=2147546614).

My 95-year-old grandmother exhibited these behaviors(insomnia, weird bursts of strength and endless fidgeting) about 4 weeks before she passed away. 

Definitely reach out to hospice. My experience with them was good and I was sorry I didn’t reach out sooner. They provided medical equipment(hospital bed), a weekly nurse visit, a bath aide twice a week, a chaplain and other volunteers. They also covered her meds, incontinence supplies and provided wound care when needed. They also tweaked her meds and made her comfortable in the end.