Liz and Mike's story: living with dementia and experiencing a delirium

Health Innovation Manchester is supporting deployment of the Early Detection for Delirium Project, which provides clinicians with a digital assessment tool to quickly identify those with delirium and ensure they receive the best care.
Delirium is a serious clinical condition however it is often poorly recognised and under-diagnosed. It is recognised as a type of serious brain failure and symptoms include reduced awareness, a reduced ability to focus, disorientation and memory or language problems. It can cause distress to patients, family carers and also staff involved in their care.
Mike, who lives with vascular dementia in Rochdale, experienced an episode of delirium after rupturing his gall bladder.
His wife Liz, a retired nurse, said: “I was telling people constantly that he was delirious, because it was clear to me that the mental state he was experiencing at that time was very different to how he is normally at home. But all people saw on the ward was his dementia.”
Find out more at wearehinm.co.uk