Follow
Share

What can I do to help my Dad? Last September my Dad was fine. Little to no evidence of dementia. Then in late Sept/Early October he was hit with a UTI that took a while to identify. The UTI battle continued until February when they finally killed the sucker and gave him pills to keep it away. During this time frame he began to have dementia that continue to progress significantly over the months. In August he had no problem managing his IPad, now I have to do it for him, he doesn't remember the day of the week and asks me constantly what day it is. That sort of thing. I'd hoped when the UTI went away his cognitive ability would improve but 2 weeks later he's still the same. Any suggestions on what I can do to help him?

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing

34 Answers

Most
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
1 2
Have him rechecked for recurrent UTI. Make appt with dr for full medical and mental evaluation. Write dr in advance and share your observations and concerns regarding dads behavior and possible impairment. That way dr will,have some background.
It could be another UTI, meds interaction or something else. Regardless, knowing the truth will help you and dad prepare for next steps.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report
Is it possible that the uti and dementia are simply coincidental? I've often wondered if my dads dementia is related to surgery and anesthesia a few years ago, but I'm just guessing. In any event his dementia is getting worse and I suspect your father will also go downhill. Be prepared for it.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
In taking care of my dad(89) for the last 2 years or so, I have noticed a decline in his cognitive abilities after every time he is hospitalized. After an 8 day hospitalization in October 2014 for a UTI and other issues, he was no longer able to be in charge of his checkbook and medication. He stopped reading the sports section of the newspaper for a few months, but has gone back to that recently From my experience I would say that 2 weeks is too short a time to see any improvement. My dad's age related decline is greatly affected by the medical issues he is dealing with. I have had to learn to cope with each successive loss of function.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
This is interesting to me because the same thing is happening to my Mom. UTI then Dementia which the hospital doctor said is common. I would guess that it is a reacurring UTI that your Dad has. Better get him back to the Doctor for a urinalisis to be sure. Hope this helps, it's hard when there are no other symptoms.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
My Mom had 1 strange episode where a UTI caused confusion and 2 more UTIs that sent her to the hospital in full delirium that started with confusion. She came out of the delirium after 3 days and slept a lot and then was back to her normal self mentally and cognitively within a few days. The hospital nurses told me this delirium or confusion could even last several months in some people.
The first nursing home she was in for rehab for a broken bone did not seem to understand that UTIs can cause huge behavioral changes in older people. Some doctors seem to not understand this either and yet it is so common. The first thing I would look for is a UTI and then proceed with tests for a stroke or dementia...but with my Mom is always has been a UTI and it has been such a battle getting doctors to even understand this happens. Her current doctor won't even prescribe antibiotics if the home nurse gets the urine to the lab and the test results positive for a UTI because he wants her to go to a urologist first because he " can't handle" her having a catheter that the last hospital sent her home with due to a back wound that happened in that awful nursing home for rehab.She is pretty much bedridden. By the time she gets in to see a urologist she could be in delirium again. Make sure you have a cooperative doctor on board that will prescribe antibiotics if the urinalysis is positive, which most doctors would do.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report
See if you can pin his doctor down and have a good conversation to thrash this one out. It's comparatively unusual for a man just to "get" a uti (on account of their lengthier plumbing, hem-hem) - he doesn't have a catheter or anything, does he? - so I'd be looking around to see what else could be going on. I hope you get some satisfactory answers, best of luck with it.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
UTI can be caused by multiple things with the elderly it often is associated with lack of fluid intake or incontinence. Even with the male anatomy when they are incontinent in as brief/diaper the bacteria can travel back up the penis and into the bladder. It is often more prevalent in females but does happen in males as well.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
Prostate issues often cause male UTIs, but I'm assuming the doctor addressed this. If not, your dad could have repeated problems without surgery though that's often done with a laser. However, if your dad has been hospitalized with any of this, the chance of a mental decline is increased, especially if he has the beginning's of dementia anyway. The only thing you can do is keep trying to find out what's wrong. Another medical opinion may be a good idea.

Please let us know how you are doing.
Carol
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
Thanks for all your your comments. Dad has been through several rounds of antibiotics (I think 8) until a few weeks ago when he finally got the clean bill of health from the urologist. They have put him on a medication that changes the urine in the bladder to be inhospitable to the bacteria. Unfortunately it's been about 4 weeks since he's been UTI free and his cognitive ability has not returned. I am hoping and praying it will return but given that he had the UTIs for most of the fall it might take that long or longer for his brain to return.

Does anyone know if UTIs do permanent damage to the brain?
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
One thing to check is side effects from this new medication. It's amazing how many of them can cause dementia-like symptoms. A friend of mine's mother was being treated for Alzheimer's for over a year until the neurologist took her off her incontinence meds. She completely recovered. Just a thought, but we have to watch everything.

As for UTIs causing permanent damage, infections in the elderly can cause huge issues, so I suppose that's not impossible. Do check out all possible side effects for the new meds, though. A pharmacist is your friend when you need to do this.
Carol
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
My mom (94 years old) shows a significant cognitive decline each time she has any kind of a health issue, even though some are quite minor; confusion, anxiety, and a new level of dependence on
me. All the best to you and your dad!
me.
Helpful Answer (3)
Report
Hi...also have your doctor check all of his medicines. My mom had a rapid onset dementia due to prescribed tranquilizers...ativan...similar to xanax, which doctors give very commonly to patients with other illnesses or in the hospital. Also you may want to make an appointment with a geriatric psychiatrist so he can review and monitor the situation. Good luck, try to stay calm, I know how hard this is. Also --my mom took Hiprex several pills daily, to keep her urine acid and to prevent UTI. It was a blessing. That may be what your doctors just prescribed but just wanted to let you know.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
I haven't ever heard that a UTI can cause brain damage, but simply adding a new medication can alter anyones ability to think clearly. It is possible that the dose may be a little too much for him on a daily basis. Personally, antibiotics have always left me feeling groggy and sleepy, often up until almost two weeks after the perscription runs out. I would keep an eye on that though, because when I was in my early twenties ( a long time ago) I managed to get a pretty bad UTI with expelling a bladder full of blood every few minutes. It was so bad, the physician in the walk in emergency clinic thought that I was on my period! Maybe that is a tad too much information but anyway, the doctor overcompensated by doling out a high dose of a certain antibiotic. Two days later, I called my family Dr. because I had been groggy, sleepy and I thought I had gotten into a patch of poison ivy because I was covered in red, itchy spots from head to toe. As soon as he walked into the room, he asked me, what medications I was taking, how often etc. From that moment forward, I no longer can take this antibiotic or any others in that family of medications.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
In my Mother's case it was a uti, she was 87 and incontinent. She died from sepsis. I dont know how the nursing home missed that. Stay on the doctors about uti. If it becomes septic you have no idea of who you are or what is happening to you. I know personally. My children told me how i got and i still don't remember any of it. I was more fortunate than Mother, i was home being looked in more often. Stay on doctors re uti first, that requires treatment kf antibiotics.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
Google "hospital delusions" (not to be confused with "dementia"). I went through similar to what you are describing a few months ago with my Dad, and it is really frightening to sit by and watch. His "delusions" went on for about 2 months, then he almost literally switched right back to his normal self.

Definitely keep hounding his doctor and telling them over and over and over that this is NOT usual for him -- that this is NOT how your dad was before. Have they done an MRI on his brain?
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
Mezmar- I am so sorry to hear about what happened to your Mom especially when UTIs are so treatable when caught in time. Generally, when a UTI becomes severe, there is blood in the urine, So how did they miss that? I am afraid that most nursing homes are so understaffed and rarely have the time or the opportunity to know their clients well enough to comprehend when a senior is acting differently until it is time to call an ambulance or it is too late. I would think that would be nursing home neglect, I would talk to an attorney about the situation that happened to your Mom.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
A UTI is an infection. Anything is possible, but for the majority of people, it's not probable. Just to be sure, why don't you have him tested, both physically, asap, to see if the infection has come back, and cognitively, (later on) to assess how far he's declined cognitively. .


Also, try Googling 'Do UTI's in elderly cause permanent damage'

As a person in relatively good health who has experienced many UTI's I can tell you they are not only painful, but for me they are 'scratch your fingernails across a blackboard' annoying painful. After only ten days of antibiotics, I'm exhausted.

Was he on any other medications to help with the pain of the UTI? When I have one, I'm given perydium.

Another possibility is he's just tired. You don't say how old he is, but it takes time for the older body to recuperate. Four weeks may seem long to us, but his body is telling him to rest.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
My mother had a UTI that required her to be in a rehab for a month after it was cleared up. Since that time she has gotten 2 more. She walks really bad, and the weather is -20 degrees, so this week when I noticed she might have another UTI I tested her with a kit from the drugstore. I don't know how accurate they are, but it came back positive twice, I called the doctor and he prescribed antibiotics over the phone. Maybe you should keep testing at home to make sure the UTI doesn't come back.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
@Addison-I forgot about the OTC testing kits! Great idea especially in this situation! If this man's doctor doesn't want to see him in the office, it will save him a lot of anxiety of having to go back to the doctor. Hopefully, his doctor will accept this after having done that back in September.

Unfortunately, my doctor won't do that over the phone because she wants to culture the sample to prescribe the 'right' antibiotic.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
My mom had uti's every 4 weeks it seemed last year. Confusion, hallucinations, etc. Last one in July went septic and the hospital put her in a nursing home for rehab for 6 weeks. My sister and I did research on natural remedies (we had concerns about the medicines she was taking). The nursing home was not receptive to even a cranberry tablet, the doctor was not communicating, said her confusion was the dementia progressing. The director of the nursing home was concerned about me bringing her home. It's been 7 months now. We go to a holistic (and also traditional) doctor. He sees no dementia. We took her off trazadone, risperdol (just awful), xanax. In the past was on Olanzapine and namenda. We were told water, water, water, which was a real struggle. She does take effexor and blood pressure medicine and we get cranberry tablets and Doctor's Best Phosphayidyl serine from the health food store. It's worth a try to see if you have any improvement. We don't go overboard on water and gets a shower once a week. I used to make her bathe every day and she still had the uti's with that. I do live with her now, she is legally blind and can't do much for herself. She is about to turn 89. She is bored, just listens to the radio, but hopefully with baseball season about to start, and Spring, she will have something more in her life to be interested in. But not UTI's, no confusion. it's worth a try.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
Contact his physician right away. Don't wait.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
You are probably not going to do anything to help your father who is starting dementia. There is no cure, there is only a decline until death. This disease not only robs the person of memory, it is terribly painful for those who care for their loved one(s). Keep trying to help as much as you can.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
My mother 90 is in ALF and has had several reoccurring UTI's which does bring on much more confusion, etc. I notice it right away --- the staff on the other hand will eventually figure it out..however I treat her UTI's myself quickly, effectively and safely with 100% pure essential oils with great success. Essential OIls are very powerful and potent but not all essential oils are equal..you do not want an inferior one. Essential oils have been a Godsend for me with my mom and my own health. In the meantime I might suggest you get some natural cranberry juice (NOT the sugar-laden ones from the grocery..you will need to get it at a health food store) and have him drink that. It tastes bad but helps. Good luck to you.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
This topic is quite interesting, for about six years ago, my husband had an enlarged prostate and urinary tract infection. He has had trouble ever since, and now has dementia. (for about three years, but the signs were there earlier) Could it be possible that he doen't have Alzheimers? Could all of this be due to the urinary tract infections he has quite often? He take an antibiotic for seven days and the a sulfer pill for seven days. This is permanently administered. I notice redness on the toilet lid, but the urologist gave no information as to a problem. He is supposed to cath two times a day..He won't and there is no use forcing it. But would that help determine more? Let me know...marymember
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
Oh, yes, I wanted to add that my husband takes high blood pressure medicines, cholesterol medicine, Plavix, Aspirin, and three other medicines for enlarged prostate. I am not quite sure how sulfur helps. He hates taking medicines and I don't want to overdo them. He also takes Namenda xr and Aricept......marymember
Helpful Answer (1)
Report
It was a severe urinary tract infection that led to delirium and ultimately a nearly deadly case of sepsis that led my mom to now be in a nursing home.

She had been showing signs of mild dementia previously but I think this episode caused it to escalate dramatically. She now has good days and bad days depending on a lot of factors: how much sleep she has had, how well she ate that day, what pain medication she is on etc. etc.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
You need to make sure the UTI check they did is a complete test. There are more than one way to do a UTI test. Ask them to do it again and this time make sure they run the full test (I'm sorry I don't know the correct medical terms). My mom's UTI test was done and came back negative until we insisted they recheck and sure enough, she had a UTI.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
It may be your dad had dementia prior to, but has been able to keep it more or less hidden until he became ill with a UTI. Generally if there is a sudden change in behavior or cognitive function you would look for a medical reason. I find the older we get, the more difficult it is to recover from illness and that includes the confusion that can go along with illness. Call your local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, they may be better able to answer your questions and help you to understand what is happening. Good luck.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
So very sad that our loved one are dealing with all this and for us could be in our future. My thoughts: meds that are described usually have worse side effects than the problem. Personally i will not take any prescribed medicine without trying alternative meds first. Way too many people have neurological disorders. Now on tv lawyers are representing people having infants with problems due to a nauseau medicine they used while pregnant... How awful! Especially since smelling rubbing alcohol is somthing that COULD Help. Listen i just think we trust drugs too much and we are the ones taking the medications to test them for long term effects. My mother has parkinsons, dementia and alzheimers she has it all and i trully believe her meds dont alway help. New findings are showing 4 of the pills she takes regularly actually can cause dementia. God Bless you all and these decisions are so hard to make on our own. Thank you all for your support!
If you go online they have a list of medicines that can cause dementia. Alergy meds and many anti parkinsons medications
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
I have heard for many years that dementia and alzheimer;s patients get frequent UTI's although my mother didn't. It would be worth going back to have tests run again to make sure it is truly gone.

When my mom died several months ago my cousin was unable to attend the funeral. We found out that she had all the sudden developed dementia over the summer according to her grown children. From what we were hearing it sounded like she had actually had a stroke during the summer and showed no signs other than mental decline. She is 74, heavyset, and has diabetes. The decline was almost overnight but her kids had never considered it. Perhaps you should ask you doctor about this possibility as well.

You will find that this entire illness winds up to be a constant guessing game.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report
1 2
This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.

Recent Questions


Popular Questions


Related Questions

Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter