Sepsis is the body's life-threatening runaway response to an infection, and elders — with their frequent UTIs, pneumonias, and skin wounds — are its most common victims. Warning signs include fever or an abnormally low temperature, shivering, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, new confusion or extreme sleepiness, clammy or mottled skin, and a caregiver's gut sense that the person is deteriorating fast. In older adults sepsis can present with confusion alone, without fever, which is why any abrupt decline during a known infection demands urgent action. Sepsis kills within hours to days; call emergency services rather than waiting for a next-day appointment when these signs appear.
Sepsis is the body's dangerous overreaction to an infection, and older adults — often already dealing with a UTI, pneumonia, or wound — are its most common victims. Warning signs include fever or an …