When ICU Delirium Leads To Symptoms Of Dementia After Discharge

When ICU Delirium Leads To Symptoms Of Dementia After Discharge

During his four-week stay in the hospital and the rehab that followed, Langford suffered from long spells of delirium. That's a state of muddled thought, confusion and even at times hallucinations in some patients. All Langford remembers is the sensation of a near-death experience.

"I saw green grass," Langford says, "and I saw, on the other side of the river, it looked like there was Elijah," the prophet whose miracles included resurrection.

Nearly a decade later, Richard Langford says he is still struggling to work his way out of a thicket of deficits that are physical, emotional and cognitive. Though he still subscribes to The New Yorker and remains active in political causes, he periodically feels like he's lost in what looks and seems to him — at least in those moments — to be a vast forest inside his mind.

"The water is big, there are waterfalls, and there are all kinds of animals around," he says. "That forest is kind of surrounding me and I can't get out. I don't know how to get out."

Langford also finds himself confused and distracted — lost in thought and losing track of basic tasks, such as when to take the medicines he
has been prescribed to treat his heart disease and other lingering health issues. His 89-year-old mother now has to help him with his medication schedule.