I have been purchasing the at-home test kits for UTI infections at CVS and they seem to work quite well. If the test is negative, when would you suggest testing again, to be sure there is no infection starting? In addition, once an elderly person gets a UTI infection how long does it take before the infection can become serious?
1. Make sure they drink plenty of fluids (not just 'while' they have an infection).
2. Pay attention to 'how' your elder, especially women, are 'wiping' after they pee.
Get a squirt bottle to use when they have a BM and fill it with warm water, to wash off after that, FRONT TO BACK. My mother would wipe herself then would 'check' to see if she got herself clean, "dragging" the soiled paper back to front, which no doubt caused contamination. The bottle helped and I constantly 'harped' on her to stop doing this. (old habits=hard to break).
3. Try to help them control diarrhea if they get it frequently, because diarrhea or loose BMs, and improper 'wiping' are the leading causes of UTI. You may need to modify their diet so they don't keep eating foods that cause them to get 'the runs'. In our case, this meant much less sweets.
4. A good thing I learned from a rehab nurse was to give Mom daily cranberry supplements which help prevent UTI by making the urine (?more acidic?) less hospitable to the UTI bacteria. It might not help everyone but since we started it, we have not had another UTI to deal with in over a year. Worth a try!
Also vitamin C was recommended.
My Mother became very confused and it became very serious before we realized that it was a UTI that was causing it and resulted in a long hospital and rehab stay. If your parent has dementia and the signs are hard to tell I started taking her temp and anything above normal was reason to take action since many elderly run low. Also her face will turn "reddish" also. May older people never really stop having them after they start and stay on antibiotics indefinitely.
After several days in the hospital they wanted to release my Mother and I knew she was not ready. The SA doctor said " Well what do you think is causing the confusion?" I stated that the confusion was more likely to be caused by the higher temp than the higher temp being caused by the confusion" She dismissed my concerns and said that if I didnt take her home they would send her in the med van. I signed the release forms and put "under deres". I got her home and her temp was right back up to 102, called the ambulance and handed the release papers to the ambulance medic to give to the emergence admittance and he said " These arent even her release papers" I followed shortly in the car and my sister showed who has a medical billing back ground (and to stop me from going to jail when I got my hands on this doctor)
Here to find out they had been giving Mother the wrong anti biotic for the 3-4 days she was in the hospital and not one that took care of Septicemia. Please remember folks that these doctors dont give a rats ass about our elderly loved ones and we have to assume that they are incompetent unfortunately.
The doctor ran when she saw me and knew that she had messed up. Mom was taken to a different floor and had her own private nurse till she was moved to the rehab needless to say. They knew they had really messed up.
You do have to be careful about antibiotics. Antibiotic use can cause c diff and also many super bugs that kill. Follow what she tells you they do help. If you think they may have UTI you need to have a C&S to check the person is on the correct antibiotics. Most doctors today will give something but within 24 hours you should have the culture answers and know if it's the right medication for that infection.
Prevention is the best because once a person gets UTI's them seem to get them on stop. If they have a Foley Cath you will have non stop infection... don't put in catheters in unless they is NO choice. Hospitals and nursing homes place them way to often and they shouldn't. Foley's and you will have non stop infections..
If your loved one ends up in a hospital it will become another major problem.. There are to many other infection that your loved one can get, bedsores because there is limited or no staffing. Keep you loved one out of the hospital if at all possible..Start with the lightest antibiotic possible and make sure once on finish the complete course. Most people see the loved one get better and they stop the antibiotic don't finish them completely and get another C&S and make sure it's gone. Someone on a foley will always have infections, careful with antibiotics...C&S is the only answers and most doctors don't do this...It's important to know the bug your treating.. But be careful with using to strong of antibiotic.. Infections become resistant because of over use of antibiotics.
Years ago I had huge fights with my child's doctor. Increase temp, ear pain and she was put on antibiotics...I started to wait and normally found it was a tooth coming thru.. The ear pain stopped and the temp went down.. Just watch....
C&S is a must but you also need to know how to do them correctly because you can infect the result yourself...Increase fluids it's the major problem...Then health food stores for natural cures....Antibiotic cause major issues and are way over used...Use them with total care....
Increase fluids, cranberry and talk to a health food store there are a lot of
But you want to use the smallest amount of antibiotics as possible.. They can cause more problems then you might understand. Light on the antibiotics get the C&S back as soon as possible these over the counter don't tell you much...The super bugs kill and yes we have a major problem from the over use of antibiotics...
Watch for signs you'll know them if you know your family member.
I agree with you comment, but many UTI's are being treated with the wrong antibiotic and way to strong of ones. Antibiotic are way over used and causing major issues. Water as I stated is super important and can be the major cause, Cranberry juice and pills (many can't take) helps, go to the health food stores they also have other natural treatments.
I would like to get those cranberry supplements, how much do you take, one a day? Can you crush them? I always give 2-3 yogurts a day to Mom, more when on antibiotics and puree them with a muffin.
Doctorno... isnt that bidet water cold? I use hair dye bottles on mom and always wanted an actually hose with warm water too. good luck, they say sometimes you just cant cure a uti in the elderly, so stay right on top of it if you even suspect one.
As a child growing up in the 1950's and 1960's, all we had were bar soaps, such as Ivory.... now a days there are all these scented soaps and body washes. I picked up the body wash that I've been using and was surprised there was about 30 different ingredients including dyes.... hello, shouldn't this be just soap? Now I am wondering if all these unnecessary ingredients might be adding to the UTI's? Just a thought.
Most importantly, don't assume your loved one will have a fever. The elderly don't exhibit the hallmark sign of fever because their immune system is unable to mount a response to infection due to the effects of aging. A UTI is not going to go away on its own. If left untreated, it will damage the kidneys. Basically, one will develop sepsis, it will enter the bloodstream & ultimately cause death. A UTI is a minor infection that is easily treated. In the elderly, it's major. It really takes its toll & drains them of their strength.
As far as testing goes, you collect a urine sample. The doctor's office will exam the specimen for crystals. If it's bad, they will usually start antibiotics right away. They will probably also order a culture to be done in a lab which will take 24-48 hours. That just confirms the right antibiotic.
It's easy to preach about hygiene. You are probably keeping your loved one way more cleaner than in a nursing home & hospital. Incontinence, especially in females, pretty much makes the person susceptible to this infection. As far as prevention goes & magically stopping any fecal matter from entering the urethra, make sure they drink lots of water to flush their system out. Also, try cranberry juice which makes the urine acidic. To me, I would never drink juice that has "cocktail" in the name. It's basically glorified apple juice with other flavors added. How much cranberries are actually in 8 oz? I just wouldn't subject my loved one to standards that I wouldn't keep for myself. However, cranberries are very tart. You could try to water down the juice or making your own blend. That way you know how much cranberries are in it & add apple juice to just sweeten the taste. There are capsules to take which may be easier. Also 100% cranberry juice for 32 oz can run out about $10.99.
Some people get UTIs & that's it. In others, it becomes chronic. One can only take antibiotics for so long until they build a tolerance to them. You can keep them clean as humanly possible. It is just going to happen. Just don't let a doctor tell you "we can let it (UTI) run its course." Ask questions & don't back down. Ever. You, as the caregiver, will be the greatest advocate for your loved one. Just as long as you know their wishes, you may be their only voice.