I am a married empty nester. My parents are in their mid-80’s, living in a nearby retirement home. A few weeks ago, I received an agitated, early morning, call from my father that my mother was in agony, shaking and very confused. I rushed over to their apartment to find my mom shaking so hard that she couldn’t hold a drinking glass and complaining that she needed to urinate every ten minutes. We rushed her to the emergency room, where, after several tests, they found her sodium level to be dangerously low – almost at convulsion level. It took 9 days of hospitalization to bring it up to low normal levels, with rises and dips almost every day along the way. The cause could have been one of several things: her new anti-depressant is venlafaxine, which in rare cases can cause sodium loss; she and my father are careful to eat salt-free or low-salt foods as they have read many articles on the bad effects of salt on the elderly. My mom consumes very little salt; she is not much of a liquid drinker and dehydration could have played a role (coffee is not a hydrater!). I share this because I was told that dangerously low sodium (hyponatremia) can be fatal if not caught. Watch for headaches, confusion, weakness and/or tiredness. Your input?
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“It is so difficult to keep bored and dementia related patients content. Many have had busy full lives and here they are with nothing to do and confused about it all.” This is the beginning of an article from all nurses.com There are things to learn here. “One thing we’ve found that works with almost everyone and costs nothing is singing. Even people who can’t remember the day of the week can remember songs from years ago. Not only is it free, not only can everyone participate, singing is great for expanding the lungs and keeping healthy.” What other ideas can you share?
