How can UTI's be stopped?

Can you get her to the restroom at all to sit on the pot? You need help. It is a lot to handle, but keeping her clean. Do you have a shower seat? Calmoseptin, is an ointment, you have to ask the pharmacist, but it is overcounter. You do not need a prescription for it, but you have to ask pharmicist. Ask her doctor and pharmacist for more answers.. Look on this websit elder care, etc....

Think about getting some sort of bidet for the home toilet. If she can't reach her backside properly, at least she could spray it clean. I got the Aquaus faucet bidet for my sister and she loved it.

Cleanliness is the key, changing early and often. besides the bidet, you can get a peritoneal bottle (amazon sells them) which would allow you to rinse well. Is she going to a skilled nursing facility for the IV antibiotics? I know when my mom became septic, that was one of the requirements as medicare would not pay for IV antibiotics at home. Did they put in a PIC line? Makes things much simpler.
Sounds like you might need more assistance with caregiving yourself. Do you have a plan for what happens next? God Bless

I have been using AZO tablets on mom for several months now. They promote cleanliness in the urinary tract and equal to 1 glass cranberry juice per tablet. Mom has not had a UTI since. They can be found in the woman's section of most stores. Of course, cleanliness is a must. Hope it helps.

Getting to the bathroom ,cranberry juice, changing and staying clean, if using any type of incontinence product changing it when wet or otherwise, using those wipes after using the bathroom and wiping in the right direction..all key to keeping uti's away...good luck and hope this helps

My mom has neurogenic bowel/bladder. Very susceptible to UTIs. She takes an herbal supplement called Dmannos. It comes in a capsule or powder. The powder works best for her. She hasn't had a UTI since she started taking it.

In addition to all of the other suggestions, if you can get your wife to drink more water to flush out her system, that would be helpful as well as the cranberry juice. My mom always told me to "wipe from front to back" and not the other way around as it leads to contamination of the vaginal area.

I get my MIL D-Manose tablets and she has not had a UTI since she starting taking it over 9 months ago.

I order it via Amazon online for the best price.

She used to have UTIs constantly.

But be warned that the tablet is quite big so the powder form might be a better plan.

Good luck!

if you use a liner inside the pad around the anal area it should contain the fecal matter, so it doesn't spread to the virgina. Have used them as a nurse. They work really well. Not sure where you would buy them for adults. I purchased the ones in baby's section near disposable pads.They are thin like a chuck but softer. It may be the best time to also give her a shower or better still bath (after cleaning worst off). otherwise using wipes is the best thing with a little soap (or alternate). Be sure to clean front area to back until completely clean. The process should be attended to as soon as you are aware of the bowel motion. If she has a regular routine for bowels (most people in morning) try to toilet her at that time allowing time for her to 'sit'.

tinyurl/ll3t9qy bidet for the home toilet

Wow, what great suggestions! I'll have to look up the pad liner to keep the fecal matter separate - that sounds like a great contribution! I have to add in my vote, for the use of flushable wet wipes. I've learned how bad those are for the environment (blocking up sewer systems), so I don't recommend them as enthusiastically as I used to. And, reminders of the peritoneal cleanser, that I've used as nurses aide, makes me think now, maybe keep a bottle near the toilet, and use toilet paper dipped in that, to do a final cleanse. I find with elder women I'm always reminding them to wipe the front first - one assumes they would remember that, but maybe it's that arm flexibility and memory decline in old age, and I so often see them wiping all from the front perspective (sorry folks, for graphic images - but as anyone doing such care for fragile people knows, the delicacies have to go out the window, for the risks matter).

If one thinks there may have been an overlap, then do an extra thorough clean by any and all the methods in these answers. I've had it happen to me, when I was ill and using a commode where self care from behind can be more difficult. I delayed, and didn't get it checked - but when I got chills and pains, I ran to the MD, who got rid of it through 10 days of antibiotics - so the next time I feared an accident, I added several versions of the extra care after the fact as described above, also drank the cranberry juice (superb mixed with orange juice), extra water and ate yogurt, and the attack from all fronts over a number of days, meant that I did not get re-infected. Like any area that needs deliberate focus, it all gets more automatic and easier as time goes and you keep doing it! Good luck! It's just another area where men have better chances in life than women, since the risk is not so immediately nearby.. .. :)

Start recording as accurately as possible the times your wife has a bowel movement so she can be cleaned as soon as it happends. If shes in bed her laying on her side will help keep the feces away from that area. You may want to have her checked for urine retention as well and I know it sounds funny because shes incontinet but I have had patients incontinet and have urine rentention which caused the u.t.i's. A home and natural remendy for u.t.i is 2 cups of yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar add fresh fruit for taste and sided with a glass of 100% cranberry juice . To get rid of a u.t.i eat this once a day for 7 days and to keep a healthy bladder do this a least 3 days a week.

HOMECARE1 continued,
Movement will help too. If all your wife can do is stand up and sit back down then have her do a few reps three or four times a day, any movement is better than none and can make a world of differance. Good luck and bless you

I agree with the cranberry tablets (from CVS). also have a bottle of DMannos but never used it. 89 year old Mom has not had a UTI in 8 months now, was having them every month for a while. I stopped pushing mega glasses of water and a bath every day--just caused a lot of stress--also getting her off some bad drugs changed her to where the doctor says he sees no dementia. Her last UTI went septic and was in the hospital for several days and then a nursing home for several weeks, which was a break for me, but doctor there was not very in to natural remedies or even encouraging, I suppose he sees too many .

Michell13, can you give more information on the liners.....are they disposable, what are they made of, what shape are they, etc.
Thanks to all for the ideas. This site is so helpful.

Change her panties/diaper more frequently. For urine protection, you can often use a menstrual pad and just replace that. Have a nurse show you how to change for a BM. If your patient has very loose stool, tell the doc to prescribe something to firm it up. Start that med slowly so as not to swing to constipation.

1st - on topic, yes - use pads if she wears underwear - change often as needed. Thin ones are fine, just check regularly, and change and show her also.

2nd major issue: MD in Nursing Home not attuned to Natural Interventions. This to me is the major reason for unintended but inevitable damage in healthcare, and I struggle to figure out how and where to write about it. It is prejudice and bias on the part of the MDs and academically trained and licenced professionals. Yes, some caregivers who use natural remedies don't know technical names, nor internal body processes - but some pay attention, take notes in natural language, note small signals of change and continue what led to those, and even more importantly, if a risk area becomes apparent, they know this must be addressed promptly, to preserve many key elements, not just the health of the frail individual, but their sanity, for they benefit when immediate needs are addressed, and lose confidence and ties to relationships around them, when requests and needs go unattended. MDs prescribe meds, which can help immediate symptoms, but exacerbate side issues, like creating cravings or adding the very anxiety they are supposed to fix. Good, competent, respectful relationships among clients and all care parties - that must include the voice of those doing direct care, not just supervising them - natural language and remedies matter, and the people who see needs and address them matter. Unfortunately in healthcare, those people are not invited to meetings, no one asks to listen to their reports and sift through for key risks that arise - their reports are simply filed, saved in case of later legal challenge. Many natural caregivers, like midwives or alert home care aides, are the first to see new risks, but if they complain that the supervisors are not addressing them promptly enough, they are branded as troublemakers and are removed or quit. Waste and demoralization of all natural carers - including the family members at home - all insights need attention and tracking, not just those described in numbers.

All of the above I agree with. However, one final thing to add - try to ensure that your wife doesn't touch herself when she's being changed, and if she does, ensure that her hands are cleaned immediately as they are likely to go into her mouth. My mum who is 89 and has dementia, is often very unco-operative at changing time and can fight tooth and nail with her carers and/or me to remove our hands from what she believes is her private area. Inevitably, her hands touch the wet knickers or her own vagina, and then she will touch her face. This is a sure way to transfer germs of one sort or another - so keeping her fingers away from the source of germs is a good tip. Good luck.

All excellent advice. Your wife is unable to stand so you must be changing and cleaning her in bed. as you have heard proper cleaning is the key to all this. Have her on her back and undo the diaper at the sides. Cut if using pull ups. clean her from front to back using one wipe for each swipe, never repeat till you have removed as much as possible. Turn her on her side, whichever is most convenient, and bend her upper leg up. Support on a pillow if more comfortable. Continue to wipe from front to back. When she appears clean seperate the labia and clean the vaginal area thoroughly again using one swipe. Clean the outer lips first and the final wipe goes down the center. Lay the clean diaper under and roll her back and secure the front. Rather graphic I am afraid but you are her husband. If you have help in the future make very sure the aides are using the same technique and doing it properly. Explain to the aides exactly what you want done before they start and tell them ahead of time you will be supervising the first time. They may not like it and feel it is inappropriate for you to be there but be firm. As you have found these infections can become systemic and life threatening.

Many elderly don't know when they have a UTI, as I've discovered this past week, when my was taken to the ER from the nursing home three times before they discovered the UTI. Once the UTI is present, the only way to get rid of it is antibiotics.

As you well know, it's better to prevent them ... have you asked the doctor for preventative measures? In my younger days, I was given preventive measures. Bactrim was the drug of choice. I can't see why a low dose of this wouldn't help, but I'm not a doctor. I did so well on this, I can't imagine why a doctor wouldn't offer a low dose in this age group who is most often sitting in what causes the problem.

Last year, I had a series of no less than six. In January, I decided to try what I never thought would work...AZO Cranberry Tablets. These are available in larger quantities online. It's been almost five months since my last UTI. They are easily swallowed small capsules.

Also, Google '100% Cranberry Juice'. You need the cold pressed variety with no sugar. I used to drink a shot of this twice a day from an actual shot glass (the stuff is nasty and needs to be taken quickly). While you can dilute it in water, I believe it's best taken in one shot. It's not cheap, with the price being anywhere from $10-30 dollars. My urologist suggested the $30 bottle, but I believe he may have owned stock in the stuff :) I chose the $10 bottle. Some supermarkets have it. I'm sure whole foods has it, along with other 'organic' products.

So, it's either the cranberry drink or the tablets. I'd go with the tablets.

Also, look on WebMD (just saw this when I googled Cranberry Juice) and can't post the url here. They have an explanation as to why this may work.

All I know is their fairly common in elderly women. What I didn't know is they can cause delirium and the patient could act incoherent , so the first thing I do is have the dr. Run a urinalysis 9 times out of ten, it's a UTI . Drink plenty of cranberry juice and lots of water maybe antibiotics too.

Baths, too, can cause UTI's. When a person is bathed, always make sure you don't use the facecloth to wipe the back then the front. Always, always make sure you do the front and everything else before the back.

Improper wiping can cause them...just one 'slip' and you're cooked. Another thought I'm having some of our elders have prolapsed colons, i.e., the interior lining of the colon turns inside out, and this, too, could cause a transfer of bacteria which can make it's way up the vaginal area.

These are serious infections if not controlled. Temperature goes up, which may be one of the causes as to why dementia patients seem to act out more when they have one.

Once again, you cannot just drink regular cranberry juice because of the sugar content. The point of the cranberry tablets, unadulterated and the unadulterated cranberry juice that's pricier is found in this explanation from WEBMD...I've also read the clinical research paper re the pros/cons. It's still up for grabs whether or not it really 'works', but I can tell you it's worked for me.

"Researchers now believe that cranberries contain substances that prevent infection-causing bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract walls. There are a couple of different theories about how exactly cranberries do this. Some studies show that certain antioxidants in cranberries change the bacteria so that they can't stick to the urinary tract. Another idea is that cranberries create a Teflon-like slippery coating on the urinary tract walls that prevents E. coli from getting a good grip.these will line the bladder, urethra, and whatever else with the necessary "

There is not much cranberry product in plain old cranberry juice. As far as I'm concerned, a person might as well just drink water (which I do, copiously) but I realize the oldest of the older people don't like drinking water. I also realize they may not want to drink the real stuff from a shot glass, quickly. That's why I'm recommending the cranberry tablets. These infections cannot be taken lightly. They are painful, they are dangerous.

Can you put a shot of some "good stuff' in with Cranbery juice that might make it more palatable. Oh I forgot I take coumadin and the two don't mix. Life is no fun when you get old

Great points...and well put, dear Castle... but there are a couple of points that have to be amended...
1]... it depends on the toilet paper,... when made wet with liquid cleansers... some toilet paper will tear at once...then ou have the mess on your fingers...
I have always used 1/2 paper-towel, which allows a stronger more cleansing wipe motion and can be folded to use twice +tossed into a plastic bag lined wastebasket... [the plastic bags from grocery shopping] which can be twisted shut to keep the smell at bay during the day]
And if you see Hydrogen peroxide in large bottles [As I did at Walmart] that is the least expensive item with which to wet those 1/2 paper towels and affect a stronger bacteria killing clean wipe, than any soap and water use.
HP is like water in that it takes a bit to dry on the skin, but that is what you want... Applying the liner or a folded papertowel while the skin is still damp, prolongs the bacteria-killing effect... which is also what you want.... HP wipes are available, [good for traveling] but more expensive...!!!
and ...oooh... the body part to be protected from the E-coli critters always present in stool - is the Urethra, not the vagina as much, The urethra is short, leads up to the bladder sphincter , which is no longer closing tightly, which makes one "incontinent" [leaking out], and at the same time allows those e-coli bacteria to crawl up [leaking in] more easily into the bladder, settling in at the bladder wall and causing continuous low-to high grade UTIs... , meaning UTIs keep flaring up... depending on the acidity level [pH] in your bladder... and here is another often misunderstood item.... Folks think that citrus fruit is acidifying, when actually during digestion turns your pH alkaline, which does not help kill bladder critters... I am sorry, wish it did... google it !
So if you drink cranberry, the acid of which is helpful, mixed with alkalinity producing OJ, they cancel each other out... depending on the ratio of each used in that drink... it will certainly weaken it's effect. I think you own immune system came to your rescue, thank goodness.
What is a good idea and has worked for me... is Cranberry Juice with a few drops of 5% Applecider vinegar... up to 30cc [2Tbsp], if you can stand it in juice or water or use it in salads, dressings, stews other food items.... Applecider
Vinegar is a natural , not a distilled product... it will form a vinegar-mother floating in the bottom of the bottle if older... like a foggy cloud.
If that was put into Apple juice it will turn it to vinegar also after a time... So you do NOT want to use white distilled Vinegar. There are books available on the benefits of Applecider Vinegar...... I never got one...I just use it as told above !!!
Hope this regimen of utter cleanliness and pH care helps some folks to get and stay rid of UTIs... wishing you all well !!!

Dear Litldogtoo ... just re-read your text... you are so right about the cranberry facts... I also wonder about Cranberry and all juices... they have to be heated to kill bacteria or they would spoil sitting on a grocery shelf... so that heating process alone, kills nutrients...etc... Hense about the only benefit I can see for Cranberry juice is it's scientifically tested pH level, that E-coli critters don't like, and the bladder loves... The only other item my family has used for eons... mostly to counteract intestinal upsets/viruses... with much success, is Applecider Vinegar...
That it also worked for UTIs I found out 50 years ago..... It takes some time to get used to, yet in my case I can't stand plain water anymore, it causes me nausea, if I have to drink a lot of it as one does when UTIs cramp one's style...
but Applecider-Vinegar is a taste one can get used to, and none of my grandkids now mind an occassional sip from my water bottle with a 1/2 tsp in it when it's really hot outside... One additional point is that water treated that way will stay fresher and more bacteria free in hot weather, than plain old tap or flitered water sitting around for hours..... I wish you well..!!!

#1: HAVE HER DRINK LOTS OF WATER. The more that's going out of her bladder & urethra to flush the bacteria out, the less that's going to get in.

#2: Regular cleaning. Bathe her perineal area either with a shower or a bath twice a day. Make sure it is dry after cleaning.

#3: As soon as she has a bowel movement, change her diaper & clean her up. Do not let her sit in it.

Are the doctors sure that she has bacterial endocarditis (infection of the heart muscle) due to this UTI? If she has bacterial endocarditis, she should not be discharged from the hospital.

It sounds like you need some help. Look into getting an aide into the home to help you out with bathing & other tasks.

Well, just had the time to include my story here. Read it if you have time , as it contains more suggestions + warnings, etc...
I have suffered from UTI's since childhood off and on, which at one point called for a bladder irrigation to clear out all bladder infective residue... that worked for years until recently... when UTIs started bothering me again related to incontinence...to the point of having to consult a Urologist... who Rxed a strong $45.-- copay broad spectrum Antibiotic Cefdinir - which I researched before going to the drugstore - finding a slew of side-effects. I then asked the druggist if we could wait until the culture results are in on Monday.. {of course, dumb stuff always happens on weekends} ...but on that Monday the dear Walgreen Pharmacist called and said the Doc stated the infection proved to be E-coli, which is treatable with a $5.-- copay antibiotic - Keflex -, with much fewer side-effects... The untreated weekend I spent drinking lots of vinegar water 1000c filtered water to 30cc 5% Applecider Vinegar - the urinary bleeding stopped, required only 2 doses of "Prodium", same as "AZO" =[ Phenazopiridine Hydrochloride 95mg tablets] which turns your Urin orange and kills the burning pain.... Can’t find it now, but read that one dear blogger gives AZO to their loved one daily... hmmm,
In my experience I've been told and IT STATES IN THE LIERATURE ... NOT TO USE AZO or PRODIUM [both are phenazopyridine Hidrochloride] for LONG-TERM, { i.e. daily} !!! !!! I THINK THAT OFTEN FOLKS THINK IF IT IS JUST AN -OTC- [over the counter] ITEM , IT CAN BE GIVEN WITHOUT Dr. o.k. !!!... AZO is just a pain-pill for the bladder with some nasty side-effects if given long term. ...So please check this out with your Mom’s Doc. It will not kill bacteria !!!
I have long included in daily drinks that Mayonaise Glass Jar-full of 30cc-5% Vinegar to almost 1000cc Water. I also religiously use the Hydrogen peroxide soaked 1/4 to 1/2 papertowel after each void... I also use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol at times... which tends to burn a bit, but dries so fast.. and gives me the feeling of total cleanliness....It and HP also kill the Urin-ODOR. ... I had one small flare-up, that I fought off by drinking 3 Jars Vin-water/day for 3 days... and I have remained UTI free for this past year. The pH in your bladder is one of the most important items to maintain and citrus fruit is not on my menu very often.... Vitamin C can be gotten from other than citrus fruits. When you are UTI prone, that is just one of the foods to cut back on... and like many meds. the elderly take, require one to stay off Grapefruit also. !!!
Also I saw and liked one suggestion, which is to use the bedside commode for sitting purposes, that way the whole area stays cleaner... and can be better monitored... The seat on Bedside Commodes, can be changed from a hard one to a soft material, to increase comfort while sitting. It is a hard road at the end of life... and I appreciate this site to help us with it......... I do wish you all well !!!

my husband gets uti often. Since i put a drop od betaine in the wash bucket. I use several wash cloths. One time wiping for each wash cloth. Never ever rince a dirty cloth in the wash bucket and reuse. I use wipes first then wash down w wash cloths. I javent had problems since doung all this.

One other thing i do is change linen n pillow cases every morning after bm. For some reason its helped. No more bed sores. Also i pulled the briefs and use reusable cotton briefs. Big difference.

Taking a daily cranberry pill ended my Mom's constant problems with UTI's.