I think behavioral changes in very elderly women can be a symptom of a UTI -- sometimes the only symptom. My 96-year-old mother has dementia, but infrequently it suddenly becomes much worse -- a day with lots of agitation, attempting to step out of the bed (she cannot stand/walk). Invariably, this behavior concides with marked increase in urination -- very full pads. She takes 2 big cranberry pills (NatureMade) on these days, drinks a lot of water, and usually the next day it has passed; she is very tired the next day. There is no smell or cloudiness to the urine, and no fever. Her body seems to rid itself of the infection. When she was a bit younger and still able to sit on the toilet, she had more frequent UTIs (every 4-6 months) and more typical symptoms (odor, cloudiness), and her doctor often would treat with Cipro. But recently he explained to me the UTIs often are asymptomatic in very elderly, and you can't just keep giving them antibiotics because it only makes things worse.
My mother can no longer take antibiotics as they no longer work for her. I am giving her D-mannose and homeopathic prescribed dosage of Alumina as the D-mannose was not enough on its own. It's working!
A number of years ago I battled frequent UTI episodes. I was and still am suspect of antibiotics, over-prescribed and too many negative side effects if used frequently and/or longterm. I used home remedies to treat UTI's successfully. Then there came a UTI episode which I couldn't shake after weeks of using my usual home remedies. I was so miserable that I started to seriously consider using antibiotics until my daughter suggested that I try D-Mannose, a simple sugar. I went online to find more information regarding D-Mannose. It took a lot of searching to find information which wasn't coming from a manufacturer or a "sales person". I wanted legitmate study results. Because Big Pharma has such a chokehold on the U.S. medical industry I found no studies of D-Mannose in the U.S. I did find an eye-opener study from the UK. This study was to find a safe treatment for UTI's for people with spinal injuries who more than frequently have to deal with UTI's. Antibiotics were being used so often that the UK doctors were seriously concerned about long term use of antibiotics. D-Mannose was used in the study and came out on top as a successful and safe alternate treatment for UTI's. People confined to wheelchairs and beds, as well as women in general, self-infect when it comes to UTI's. This Care2 article covered well options to minimize self-infections yet there are times when those microscopic germs/bacteria are missed. After reading the UK study and being desperate I purchased D-Mannose. Four times a day, the first day, I added a heaping teaspoon of D-Mannose to 8 oz of water and drank it down. By the time to go to bed that first day I felt dramatically better. The second day, I took the D-Mannose solutions 3 times. By late afternoon I felt even better. On the third day and to be on the safe side, I took the D-Mannose 3 times again. The fourth and fifth day there were no UTI symptoms but I took 2 doses of the D-Mannose solution to make sure the Bug was gone. After weeks of UTI misery, the success of the D-Mannose felt like I had received a miracle.
Self-infected UTI's are caused by E-coli found in our own feces which invades our urinary tract. D-Mannose targets the E-coli. I still use my other UTI home remedies along with the D-Mannose just in case the UTI is caused by something other than E-coli. I now rarely have to deal with UTI's. I have also discovered that D-Mannose helps those 24 Hour flu episodes (food poisoning instead of influenza?) as well as intestinal gas.
After years of antibiotics and uti every couple weeks, my doctor suggested TheraCran, cranberry supplement, with 240g mg cranberry extract, twice a day. It's been 5 months now with no sign of a uti. I had to buy it through my urologist on line, but it's not a prescription. So far it works like a miracle!
It is very helpful. All home remedies are useful, I have been on antibiotics for 3 months and it took forever for them to work. My doctor suggested Cranberry softgels, all natural and really helping with a UTI... N. Steen
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Home Remedies for Treating and Preventing Elderly UTI
germs/bacteria are missed. After reading the UK study and being desperate I purchased D-Mannose. Four times a day, the first day, I added a heaping teaspoon of D-Mannose to 8 oz of water and drank it down. By the time to go to bed that first day I felt dramatically better. The second day, I took the D-Mannose solutions 3 times. By late afternoon I felt even better. On the third day and to be on the safe side, I took the D-Mannose 3 times again. The fourth and fifth day there were no UTI symptoms but I took 2 doses of the D-Mannose solution to make sure the Bug was gone. After weeks of UTI misery, the success of the D-Mannose felt like I had received a miracle.
Self-infected UTI's are caused by E-coli found in our own feces which invades our urinary tract. D-Mannose targets the E-coli. I still use my other UTI home remedies along with the D-Mannose just in case the UTI is caused by something other than E-coli. I now rarely have to deal with UTI's. I have also discovered that D-Mannose helps those 24 Hour flu episodes (food poisoning instead of influenza?) as well as intestinal gas.