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Hi, my nan is 91 and is currently in hospital with a UTI. This is her 8th time she has now been in hospital with a UTI and she displays the symptoms of being confused and tired/weak no energy or talking wierd. Just wondering if anyone has had same experience or knows any ideas on what to do? Without a UTi, she is really healthy. Mum took her to local doctor when she had a UTI and he gave her a course of antibiotics and she was fine, then 3 days after she finished them she got an infection again. Doctor won't prescribe a daily antibiotic because it will affect the kidneys and liver but they are already damaged due to age and the medication she already takes. Just wondering whether seeing urologist will actually help and find solutions for her or if she is just at the age now where she will constantly get them? Without a UTI she is really healthy, she is currently in hospital and doctors are meeting with the family to discuss possiblity of nursing home which she is 100% against. Do the doctors have the right to force her into a nursing home against her will? What can a urologist do for an eldery patient with recurrent UTI's? Thank you in advance, really want to try get some answers from other people who have been through the same thing with close family or friends.

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Your Grandmother needs to drink a lot of water.... yes, it will make her run to the bathroom many more times during the day. I noticed on your profile it is mentioned that she has incontinence, thus having her change frequently during the day will help. Too many times an elder will hold in the urine, and that can cause issues.

I have heard that drinking cranberry juice will help. I never tired it. Right now I am dealing with a mild UTI due to plumbing issues in my house where the only working toilet was on the main level, at night didn't want to walk downstairs to use the bathroom so I just didn't go.... [sigh], so now I am using an over-the-counter med AZO and I just started the pills this morning and have noticed a difference :)

Does Grandmother live alone at 91? It doesn't sound like she needs to go into a nursing home unless she is having memory issues that are now becoming unsafe for her to live at home, or she is now falling a lot.

Grandmother could hire caregivers to help her during the day, if that is within her budget.... or she can sell her house [if she owns one] and use the equity to pay for Assisted Living where she would be around people her own age that she can talk to, enjoy the activities, have meals in the common dining room, etc. It all depends on what kind of housing is available in your area.
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Dear hunnybub,

Glad to see you asking all these questions on behalf of your nan. If the family can provide adequate care at home, I don't think a doctor can force your nan into a nursing home. After my dad's stroke, the social worker was concerned about whether my dad would have enough care at home. But I implemented every suggestion and he was able to come home. I know things change over time so please try to keep all options on the table.

About the UTIs, I know that is very hard. Try the cranberry tablets and see if that will help. It is more difficult as we get older.
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Cranberry juice has sugar in it. The tablets are good. The last one mom had they catherized her to get it all.
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I used to get regular UTIs myself, until a doctor remarked almost casually to me that they were always caused by cross-infection from faeces at the anus. The line for younger women used to be that they were the result of abrasion during sex! Not quite the same thing! I started to be much more careful, washing myself before sex (lucky I always wanted a bidet), and washing myself if I had diarrhoea or even after flatulence. I haven’t had a UTI for years now, and I am amazed that the information wasn’t easier to find. Implementing this is difficult for an elderly person, particularly a woman who has always wiped from ‘back to front’. However the knowledge of the problem might help all concerned.
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D-Mannose powder or tablets - its a food supplement (a simple sugar which is not actually used by the human body but is excreted by the kidneys and affects the bacteria by making them unable to stick to the lining of the bladder). It's not a medicine, but it works. Look it up online. I can personally recommend it as I had three UTI's in a row last year, antibiotics worked but unpleasant side-effects. At the first sign of another infection, I took D-Mannose for a couple of days, and hey presto, the infection vanished and I haven't had one since. You do need to take it with lots of water to flush out the bladder, and there are some types of UTI it doesn't help, but well worth trying. I also use urine testing strips to check periodically for the presence of any infection - also available to order online.
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It's crucial to change the wet Depends asap. That's a big cause of UTI's. Also in many cases if you ask her if she is wet she will say no because she can't feel it. Also when they are incontinent they don't always realize they are or have peed. So don't rely on that answer. Change every 2 hours. Another issue will be when she is discharged from the hospital she will probably need rehab to rebuild her walking skills and gain strength back.
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D mannose powder is the answer.
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Never hurts to see an urologist. My mom kept having reoccurring UTIs and we found out she had bladder cancer. Has she been tested for anything else? Never hurts to check.
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Unfortunately for women, the urethra is significantly shorter than a man's and with age, membranes thin out, the immune system declines, and the risk of an infection increases. Make sure she wears cotton underwear and wipes from front to back and takes other proper hygiene measures. You can reduce the risk but not eliminate it.
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A great supplement for to prevent UTI's is Olive leaf extract. Taken daily this will ward off any UTI infections plus it is great for immune support and a healthy heart. Make sure that it has 25% oleuropein.
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