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Laura Zaurín Paniagua, Docente e investigadora Grado en Enfermería Universidad San Jorge, Universidad San Jorge

Delirium: this common and frightening syndrome looks like dementia, but comes on much faster

PeopleImages.com-Yuri A/Shutterstock

“During the day he’s completely calm, but at night he gets very agitated.”

“Tonight she hasn’t stopped calling out for her mother, who passed away many years ago. But she’s been asleep all day, and it was almost impossible to wake her up.”

These testimonies will be relatable to many relatives and caregivers of an elderly person who has to spend time in hospital. They attest to a situation that is all too common: an elderly person is hospitalised, and experiences a sudden deterioration in their health, mainly characterised by spatial and temporal disorientation and agitation.

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