Dad was admitted to hosital a few days ago as his 'rocking' was getting worse not better. Found out yesterday he had a urinary tract infection. The doctor was a bit vague on why this happened. I keep him and his surroundings very clean. Any ideas waht I may have done wrong and how to prevent this in the future?
UTI - why?
- Thread starter Jenny24/7
- Start date
He may have a medical condition which prevents him from completely emptying his bladder, this enables any bacteria present to multiply. The medics may find a cause for this and be able to treat it. Your best action is to try and get him to drink as much fluid as you can to increase the flow through his bladder.
I also think it has something to do with aging and being less fit - muscle tone goes, gravity has an effect on dragging everything down, and general health and immunity are not as good as they once were.
Irregular emptying of a bladder, sitting a lot, a bit less fresh air all round (!), and it doesn't take much for an infection to get going.
Don't worry that you aren't doing enough, and not being clean enough, it just seems to happen. Indeed, given how previous standards of personal hygiene also deteriorate with dementia, that there aren't more unpleasant infections is amazing!
Irregular emptying of a bladder, sitting a lot, a bit less fresh air all round (!), and it doesn't take much for an infection to get going.
Don't worry that you aren't doing enough, and not being clean enough, it just seems to happen. Indeed, given how previous standards of personal hygiene also deteriorate with dementia, that there aren't more unpleasant infections is amazing!
My GP seems less concerned about UTI. He said that he doesn't always treat with antibiotics anyway. I don't know if his attitude is because GP's have been told to stop using antibiotics as much. But I'm just left confused.
I do know that in hospital they throw everything at UTI's (but hospital doctors are very enthusiastic & thorough!). But they do sometimes have to match the antibiotic to the infection....something the GP is less likely to do.
I bought some test strips (Combur 7) but to be honest I don't really understand what I am looking at. The colour changes aren't easy to spot and there are lots of different indicators on the strip and not all of then relate to UTI. So I'm left wondering when to get the doctor involved.
Last year mum fell in the house and broke her hip. In hospital they said she had UTI, I felt bad I hadn't spotted it. So I'm left waiting for the next UTI, hoping I notice the symptoms before she falls and breaks something else....or even the hip she broke last time.
BTW what happens when someone fractures the same hip twice....can they keep on repairing it? (I think I already know the answer!!)
my mum went through a phase of UTI's - they have a dreadful effect (as with all infections) on dementia sufferers. (she is also incontinent I must add). On a visit to the continence clinic I was told to remove caffeine from her diet as caffeine is an irritant to the bladder.
I put her on de-caffeinated tea and coffee and amazingly (and I suppose this could be coincidence) she hasn't had one since April 2016.
I put her on de-caffeinated tea and coffee and amazingly (and I suppose this could be coincidence) she hasn't had one since April 2016.
Funnily enough the same question went through my mind this morning.
My husband showers daily and has clean underwear daily, he drinks plenty - yet still he gets UTIs. All we can do is know the signs and get them treated quickly.
I was interested in nitram's explanation. I think this might apply to my husband and go someway to explaining things to some degree. Most of the time I am 100% sure he has emptied his bladder but there are definitely times when he hasn't - not necessarily because of a medical condition but more because he gets distracted and forgets what he is meant to be doing.
I think another factor might be the frequency at which folk go for a wee. My husband has good bladder control (except when he is poorly) and I've known him to go to the loo at 7am but not again until 7pm (despite lots to drink and regular asking if he needs to go).
I am sure urine retention to that degree is doing him no favours.
My husband showers daily and has clean underwear daily, he drinks plenty - yet still he gets UTIs. All we can do is know the signs and get them treated quickly.
I was interested in nitram's explanation. I think this might apply to my husband and go someway to explaining things to some degree. Most of the time I am 100% sure he has emptied his bladder but there are definitely times when he hasn't - not necessarily because of a medical condition but more because he gets distracted and forgets what he is meant to be doing.
I think another factor might be the frequency at which folk go for a wee. My husband has good bladder control (except when he is poorly) and I've known him to go to the loo at 7am but not again until 7pm (despite lots to drink and regular asking if he needs to go).
I am sure urine retention to that degree is doing him no favours.
My husband is the same Lynne so I think of things to persuade him like "We'll just go to the toilet now so I don't have to disturb you when you're having lunch" and walk him into the toilet before he knows what's happening.
If I didn't remind him he wouldn't go.
If I didn't remind him he wouldn't go.
I know several people who have had the same hip done more than once, one lady had it redone 3 times, before dementia (which in her case did later take hold and she passed away in 2003).
In all cases these were active cyclists who returned to cycling after the hip replacement. The majority of the breaks were caused by cycling crashes.
I don't suppose this will be of any help, other than anecdotal.
My mother had frequents UTIs for years, when she lived in her own Home. I got very good at spotting the symptoms early.
Yet since she's moved into the NH and become doubly incontinent, she hasn't had a single infection?
You'd think there'd be more danger of having a UTI, as carers are not always going to 'spot' when she's 'been' straight away and have the manpower to change her. So I don't think hygiene is always necessarily the reason why they suffer UTIs.
My mother had frequents UTIs for years, when she lived in her own Home. I got very good at spotting the symptoms early.
Yet since she's moved into the NH and become doubly incontinent, she hasn't had a single infection? You'd think there'd be more danger of having a UTI, as carers are not always going to 'spot' when she's 'been' straight away and have the manpower to change her. So I don't think hygiene is always necessarily the reason why they suffer UTIs.
nitram
Your post follows very much the same as my explanation in the current thread Incontinence
jimbo
I do not have AD ( I hope ) but I do have severe urine incontinence , mainly due to old age
I suffer regularly with UTI ‘s
after many examinations tests etc the Urologists conclude that I have a problem with my bladder walls not ‘working ‘
jimbo
Your bladder is the hollow muscular organ that stores your urine.
It's a bit like a floppy balloon – as your bladder fills, it expands to store the urine.
On average, your bladder can hold 400 to 600ml of urine for up to about five hours.
The muscle in your bladder wall is called the detrusor muscle. The detrusor muscle relaxes to allow your bladder to fill. When you go to the toilet, it contracts to squeeze out urine.
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditio...y-system/a11629/the-bladder-and-how-it-works/
The idea of my mother having a bubble bath is so funny. That would have been a total waste of time, in her opinion!
Plus she's always used the same soap her entire life.
OH has had prostate problems and hernia problems both requiring surgery for years and has been taking a drug call oxybutynin on a regular basis for a long time. This drug has some kind of strengthening effect on the spasm of the bladder walls that regulates frequency and can help with incontinence.
He doesn't have to get up so often during the night to go to the toilet, his flow seems good and so far we have been fortunate that we haven't as yet had all the trials of dealing with incontinence or UTIs. A urologist also prescribed amitryptiline which is some sort of antidepressant though in his case it is used to help him sleep longer before needing to get up to go to the toilet.
I get a little scared when I read about all these PWD having UTIs knowing the day will come when we are going to have to deal with it but I am grateful for the years that We haven't had it as an issue.
Jenny, you may not have done anything "wrong" at all. Sometimes infections (and other illnesses) happen.
I am not sure why, but UTIs can be very common in PWDs (persons with dementia). It could simply have to do with getting older making us more vulnerable to all sorts of medical issues, which you can't do anything about, or it could be something else. Not a medical expert! All you can do is what others here have said: try to keep the person hydrated (if they don't want to drink enough, try liquid-heavy foods as well), try to get them to go to the toilet regularly, use good hygiene, you know all that stuff.
Maybe he won't ever have another UTI and you won't need to worry about it.
Or maybe he will, and you will learn to spot the signs earlier. They can include dizziness, problems with walking, sudden change in behaviour and personality, burning/pain on urination, confusion, delirium, fatigue, or there can be no discernible symptoms. If you feel something is off, or just not quite right with your dad, don't hesitate to get it checked out.
Sometimes a UTI can be difficult to clear, or can recur quickly, and need more than one course of antibiotics. If that happens, I'd ask for a urine sample to be cultured to make sure the best possible choice of antibiotic is being used.
Some PWDs are so prone to UTIs or other infections, that they are on a low maintenance dose of antibiotics all the time.
Something here may be of help: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20029/daily_living/13/toilet_problems_and_continence
Or here: https://www.unforgettable.org/blog/why-do-urinary-tract-infections-utis-affect-dementia/
A lot of us have PWDs who don't want to drink enough fluids, for whatever reason. There might be something helpful here: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20029/daily_living/10/eating_and_drinking
Sometimes you have to find the right beverage, sometimes the right container, sometimes you just have to sit and eat/drink with them (my mother went through a phase where she would not eat anything at all, unless seated at a table across from someone who was eating), sometimes nothing works.
You can also include more fluid rich foods in the meals: broth, soup, jelly, fruits and veggies, applesauce, et cetera.
Hope your dad recovers well and best wishes to you.
I am not sure why, but UTIs can be very common in PWDs (persons with dementia). It could simply have to do with getting older making us more vulnerable to all sorts of medical issues, which you can't do anything about, or it could be something else. Not a medical expert! All you can do is what others here have said: try to keep the person hydrated (if they don't want to drink enough, try liquid-heavy foods as well), try to get them to go to the toilet regularly, use good hygiene, you know all that stuff.
Maybe he won't ever have another UTI and you won't need to worry about it.
Or maybe he will, and you will learn to spot the signs earlier. They can include dizziness, problems with walking, sudden change in behaviour and personality, burning/pain on urination, confusion, delirium, fatigue, or there can be no discernible symptoms. If you feel something is off, or just not quite right with your dad, don't hesitate to get it checked out.
Sometimes a UTI can be difficult to clear, or can recur quickly, and need more than one course of antibiotics. If that happens, I'd ask for a urine sample to be cultured to make sure the best possible choice of antibiotic is being used.
Some PWDs are so prone to UTIs or other infections, that they are on a low maintenance dose of antibiotics all the time.
Something here may be of help: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20029/daily_living/13/toilet_problems_and_continence
Or here: https://www.unforgettable.org/blog/why-do-urinary-tract-infections-utis-affect-dementia/
A lot of us have PWDs who don't want to drink enough fluids, for whatever reason. There might be something helpful here: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20029/daily_living/10/eating_and_drinking
Sometimes you have to find the right beverage, sometimes the right container, sometimes you just have to sit and eat/drink with them (my mother went through a phase where she would not eat anything at all, unless seated at a table across from someone who was eating), sometimes nothing works.
You can also include more fluid rich foods in the meals: broth, soup, jelly, fruits and veggies, applesauce, et cetera.
Hope your dad recovers well and best wishes to you.
Thanks for all your comments as these have given me encouragement. Picking Dad up from hospital today - he did seem much better in himself yesterday when we visited and even asked when he could come home and told the nurse about our garden, so at least he knew where he was returning to. Jen.
Hi Jenny , my mum used to be prone to uti's and after a few courses of antibiotics I was told by a urologist about a compound called D Mannose . I used it regularly for a couple of weeks and my mum has fortunately not had any further uti . I'm not advocating that you purchase this but if you research it and feel it's worth a try then I hope your dad benefits . I hope your dad got home okay from hospital and he's settled into his own environment again . Best wishes . Lou
Various studies seem to suggest our immune systems become less efficient as we move beyond middle age ... which presumably is also the explanation why it takes longer to get over an illness as we get older ....
"Various studies seem to suggest our immune systems become less efficient as we move beyond middle age ... "
Have a read through:-
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publ...n-your-immune-system-still-defend-you-you-age
Also antibiotics can temporally damage the immune system.
Have a read through:-
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publ...n-your-immune-system-still-defend-you-you-age
Also antibiotics can temporally damage the immune system.
