The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

by Nancy L. Mace

The term delirium describes a set of symptoms in which a changed level of concentration and alertness occurs in addition to difficulty thinking. Like the person who has dementia, the person who has delirium may be forgetful, disoriented, or unable to care for himself, but unlike a person who has dementia, the person with delirium is less alert and more drowsy, inattentive, and easily distracted than is usual for him. One important distinguishing feature between dementia and delirium is that delirium usually begins suddenly, while dementia usually develops gradually over months or years. Other symptoms of delirium include misinterpretations of reality, false ideas, or hallucinations; incoherent speech; sleepiness in the daytime or wakefulness at night; and increased or decreased physical (motor) activity. The symptoms of delirium tend to fluctuate throughout the day.