The serious medical condition, where people experience sudden changes in their thinking and memory, was affecting Ladene McKinnon's father when he was admitted to the Wodonga acute ward last year.

"He wasn't making a lot of sense - he woke up in the middle of the night looking for my mother, and thought someone was in bed next to him," she said.

"We identified this wasn't signs of his dementia, it was a medical emergency."

Randall 'Mac' McKinnon was experiencing delirium triggered by a urinary tract infection, identified by nurse unit manager Leanne Wegener.

"Some of the triggers are infection, or in young people it can be surgery or trauma," she said.

"Safer Care Victoria recognised it was a major issue, so they joined with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to run the delirium project.

"It was all about improving care for people ... trying to reduce their length of stay, and making sure they were screened using a tool."

Ms McKinnon watched how the staff at the unit were able to connect with her dad.

"They got him talking about being a truck driver in a previous life, and his kids - and that's when he made sense," she said.

"It was rather fascinating to watch dad on no medication, and how just treating the delirium meant he progressively got better."

Ms Wegener said as antibiotics were treating the infection, staff were focused on treating the delirium.

"It's trying to make a human connection while they're experiencing it, because in delirium there's lots of auditory and visual hallucinations," she said.

"One day he saw spiders, so we took in a can of insect spray and then he was fine.

"Sometimes it's safer for them to live in the delirium, but we try to re-orientate people and keep them focused.

"Past ways of managing it were with lots of medication - now the thought is that's not appropriate."

A one-to-one ratio was used for patients experiencing delirium at the 16-bed unit and Ms McKinnon said it was the best thing for her dad.

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"The nurses would sit playing cards with him - it got to the point where we were keeping score," she said.

"I'm so grateful.

"If you notice someone is not right, as a family member, don't ignore it."

Through the state government-funded project, half of patients with delirium at Wodonga were treated by the care plans.

The delirium project officially wraps up in March.