Woohoo! Being diligent seems to have paid off. After 3 rounds of antibiotics (I don't think the first 2 got rid of it!), mom is finally able to have a relatively normal (for her) conversation this afternoon. She kept her eyes open and responded. A week ago, she would just listen, maybe, then go off on some tangent I couldn't even understand.
It sure was refreshing. She still has dementia but it's back to the pleasantly confused type, not the let's-go-visit-dead-people type.
Thanks for all your support. I'm sure I'll be back with another issue at some point soon but for today I am happy!
You rock!