MY FATHER IS 80 YEARS OLD. TOOK HIM TO ER FOR GOUT WAS GIVING GOUT MEDS AND PERCADIN. HE ALSO IS ON PLOVEX, HIGH BLOOD PRUSSER MEDS AND HE TAKES OMEGA 3 FISH OIL. THE NEXT DAY HE BECAME CONFUSED AND HAD TO BE ADMITTED INTO HOSPITAL. NOW HE IS IN ICU AND WE CANT FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG. BUT HE DONT EVEN KNOW ME. WHAT CAN THIS BE?
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Q: MY FATHER IS SEEING DEAD PEOPLE. BECAME CONFUSED, HE IS 80. HAD GOUT WAS TREATED. IN ICU NOW WHAT
Answers (2)
1/ 2/09 3:21pm
Lisa - I am not a medical doctor but I do get called to the local general hospital to assess what medical professionals refer to as changes in mental status. Older patients like your father often suffer from delirium. This is a fluctuation or change in the persons level of awareness of what's going on around them. Sometimes that takes the form of confusion, perceptual changes (like hallucinations of dead people), disorientation (not knowing who or where you are), etc. It is usually related to infection or medication changes but can sometimes be caused by other medical problems. Typically this clears up in people who are otherwise pretty healthy. Hopefully your father will become a little clearer as his condition improves.
Rick Wirtz
Rick Wirtz is a Psychologist, not a Psychiatrist. Although the majority of Psychologists are not authorized to prescribe medications or give you specific advice about them, they typically have experience working with patients who take a variety of medications. The response above is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or mental disorder. Any information given in a post about medication is for educational purposes only and primarily to aid you in having an informed discussion with your own physician.
1/ 2/09 12:39pm
Hello, Lisa:
This sounds familiar to some issues we faced with my 85 y/o grandmother this year. The visions and such may seem odd, but we found that after an evaluation at an Alzheimer's unit, that my grandmother was suffering from delusions. Not Alzheimer's, but another type of delusion that showed up from time to time. Otherwise, my grandmother was really quite healthy, alert and lucid.
We were told that delusions can have many causes, some psychological, some physical, some medical...medications can play a role but also can loneliness, depression and the simple issues that arise when our brains age.
The other issue that arose for us is that we were trying to treat her based on each individual symptom that arose instead of looking at the whole picture. In other words, we were chasing each issue as it reared its head when in fact we needed to have someone evaluate her in a comprehensive way so that all of the issues could be managed. It also helped us to anticipate things instead of being surprised and perplexed when a new symptom arose.
I would consider having your father have a comprehensive work-up by someone specializing in geriatric medicine. We went to Duke University in Durham, NC, but I am sure that there are other similar centers around the country. Ask your primary care physician. A place that treats the whole person i.e. physically, socially, mentally worked best for my grandmother.
Doing this sooner than later is best as what we found was that not treated, her symptoms got worse and she actually started sleep walking and felt unsafe. There was to some degree a sense of denial in the family about her condition and we have moved her into a higher level of care aftger everyone finally realized that she was at risk. She actually had the presence of mind to ask to be moved to a great assisted living facility to help us monitor her and keep her safe.
I did want to say that I sympathize with you as it can be difficult when our parents/grandparents start going through some of these issues. I would encourage you to seek help and support which includes reading up on the issues that the doctors identify as impacting your father.
I wish you the best and trust that my feedback helps ! 
Sincerely,
Melanie
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By LISA— Last Modified: 12/07/10, First Published: 12/30/08
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