Hi there. I hope to help you with the following information. Bedridden patients are prone to a number of problems, including increased chances of a Urinary tract infection and other infections. Increased Nitrites in urine are usually suggestive of that. Also when there is a bad Urinary Infection, it can spill over to the blood - called Urosepsis and when this happens it affects the mental status also either due to fever or due to a number of other causes. With age, the brain starts to shrink and on top of this when they have another problem like a infection, they go into altered consciousness or even unconscious state. One other problem commonly seen which can cause similar symptoms is Low Sodium content, Hyponatremia. Especially more common in the elderly, kidney disease and those with another co-existing disease. So Serum Sodium levels also need to be checked into and corrected if necessary. A CT scan or an MRI of the brain will tell us if he has had a Stroke or a bleed. So these are the few things you need to look for as a possible cause for your father s current condition. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Take care.