What can you do to help?
If you think someone may have delirium you should let a healthcare professional know, whether that is their GP or healthcare team if they are in hospital. There are a few things you could do to try and make the situation more comfortable for them while they wait for treatment.
- Keep calm and reassure the person.
- Use short simple sentences when talking.
- Observe the person to see if they are in any pain.
- Make sure there’s nothing obscuring their senses, and have their glasses and hearing aid to hand if they use them.
- Use familiar photos and objects to distract the person and provide familiarity.
- Help ground the person by making sure they know the time and date.
- Help the person to find the toilet if needed.
- Avoid too much stimulation and having too many people around if possible.
- Keep a low light on at night.
- Avoid disagreeing with the person too much; change the subject if they express ideas that seem odd to you.
- Offer them drinks to maintain hydration.
Delirium can be prevented and treated
Suspect it.
- Age 75+.
- Cognitive impairment.
- Visual or hearing loss.
- Infection or dehydration.
- Pain or trauma.
Spot it.
- Acute confusion.
- Poor concentration.
- Poor communication.
- Change in behaviour.
- Hallucinations.
- Fluctuations.
Stop it.
- Treat cause.
- Explain and reassure.
- Environment.
- Physical needs.
- Psychological needs.
- Social needs.
Final message about delirium awareness
Watch the following video about being delirium ready. It contains some good examples of how to detect, manage and prevent delirium.
If you are unable to watch the embedded video, click the following link – Delirium ready? (YouTube)