Delirium in older people
Episodes of delirium are most common among older patients
Episodes of delirium are most common among older patients. This resource provides information, guidance and tools to help you identify and manage episodes of delirium in older people.
Delirium is a state of heightened mental confusion that commonly affects older people admitted to hospital. The prevalence of delirium is 14 per cent in people over 85. In nursing homes or post-acute care settings, this figure can be up to 60 per cent.
When older people with dementia experience severe illness or trauma such as a hip fracture they are more at risk of delirium.
Delirium causes great distress to patients, families and carers and has potentially serious consequences, such as increased likelihood of admission to long-term care and increased mortality.
People who have delirium may need to stay longer in hospital or in critical care. They may have an increased incidence of dementia and have more hospital-acquired complications, such as falls and pressure ulcers.
Further delirium guidance and tools
Further delirium guidance and tools
British Geriatrics Society. Delirium
NHS inform. Delirium. NHS inform is Scotland’s national information service.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Delirium: prevention, diagnosis and management. This guideline covers diagnosing and treating delirium in people aged 18 and over in hospital and in long-term residential care or a nursing home. It also covers identifying people at risk of developing delirium in these settings and preventing onset. It aims to improve diagnosis of delirium and reduce hospital stays and complications.
NICE. Recognising and preventing delirium. A quick guide for care home managers.
Royal College of Psychiatrists. Delirium. This information is for anyone who has experienced delirium, knows someone with delirium or is looking after people with delirium.
SIGN (2019). Risk reduction and management of delirium. This guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for best practice in the detection, assessment, treatment and follow up of adults with delirium, as well as reducing the risk of delirium.
RCN publications
Commitment to Care of People living with Dementia - SPACE principles
This guidance sets out the five principles that form a shared commitment to improving care for people living with dementia and their families. The document is designed to be used in a wide range of health and social care settings and has included the most recent evidence and best practice.
Blog: Why does dementia sometimes destroy family relationships? How understanding can help
In September 2017 the RCN older people's forum launched a project to raise awareness of delirium and encourage all members of the nursing profession, from a variety of settings, to sign up to become a delirium champion. The role of a delirium champion is to provide staff and colleagues with the tools to recognise early delirium, and to emphasise the need to escalate concerns about delirium in order to prevent harm.
The process to sign up to become a delirium champion has now closed. However, to support delirium champions, the older people's forum produced a short animated film and delirium resource pack which is now available for use by all in continuing to raise awareness of delirium.
If you have any questions or feedback please contact the project co-coordinator nicola.mills@rcn.org.uk.
Find out what a selection of Delirium Champions have told us regarding the process of becoming a Delirium Champion and what motivated them to sign up.
Caroline Cuthbertson, Integrated Care Team Clinical Lead Nurse
Justine Irish, Intermediate Care Matron for Community In-Patient Beds
Kayleigh Mackie, Trainee Nursing Associate
Lauren Hanson, Dementia & Delirium Nurse Specialist
Delirium resource pack
Resources to support you as a Delirium Champion.
Delirium Champions
Delirium Champions are community based
My motivation to become a Delirium Champion was probably as a result of my late mother having the condition. It was masked by several other diagnostic possibilities so was largely overlooked.
The resources that were sent were useful and I did my sessions with both staff and patients on a one to one basis. I think it was a positive exercise and very useful for our service as we have a gentleman with dementia who suffers from delirium on a regular basis and it gave people a better insight into the condition.I would recommend becoming a Delirium Champion as it is useful being able to provide training to the very people that benefit from it the most which is those who work on the 'floor'.
Page last updated - 10/07/2025
