My dad suffers from either Alzheimer's disease or age-related dementia. He is wheelchair-bound and in the advanced stages of mental deterioration. He seldom shows recognition of family members, and when he speaks it is almost always a meaningless jumble of sounds. But when he is hospitalized for recurring Urinary Tract Infections, caused by his pulling on his suprapubic catheter, he becomes almost lucid. He recognizes me and my sister. He still babbles, but he speaks a few complete sentences.

My sister and I think the strong antibiotics counteract the Alzheimer's or dementia. When his UTI is cured and he is removed from the antibiotics, he quickly returns to his pitiful mental state. If you know an Alzheimer's or dementia researcher, inform that person of this fact.