Overview
These factors rarely explain everything, but they often explain part of the picture — and they are the parts that can be fixed.
Common symptoms
- Untreated sleep apnea and chronic poor sleep
- Sedating or anticholinergic medications
- Depression and anxiety
- Thyroid disease and B12 deficiency
- Untreated hearing and vision loss
- Alcohol use
- Chronic pain and dehydration
How it progresses
Improvement, when it occurs, usually appears within weeks to a few months of addressing the contributor.
How it is diagnosed
Medication review, targeted blood tests, sleep study, mood screening, and hearing testing.
Treatment
Deprescribing where possible, treating sleep apnea, treating depression, correcting deficiencies, and fitting hearing aids.
What families should know
- Hearing aids are one of the highest-value interventions available
- Never stop prescribed medications without medical guidance
Questions to ask your doctor
- Can any of my medications be reduced or stopped?
- Should I be tested for sleep apnea?
- Is a hearing evaluation appropriate?
Related resources
Medically reviewed. Last reviewed August 2026. This page is educational information, not individualized medical advice.