Is diarrhea a natural thing with older people?

NO, it is not normal for older people to have chronic diarrhea!! Please call her primary care doctor immediately to let him know of the situation that's going on. She can easily become dehydrated so she needs to keep drinking fluids. If you can get a hold of Gatorade with electrolytes, that would be a good thing. But definitely call her doctor right away to get his/her guidance on what to do next, okay?

Best of luck!!

There are many causes of diarrhea.
If you have tried the OTC remedies for diarrhea and they have not worked you need to think of other causes.
From problems with food to food borne illness to a condition called C-Dif.
While not a great time you should contact her doctor and determine if there is a way that the cause can be determined. A fecal sample to the lab might be all that is needed.
The other problem that this can lead to is very sensitive skin, redness,rashes almost like a child would develop a "diaper rash" and the solution is the same. Gentle cleaning, drying the area and applying a light coating of a barrier cream. (pat it on do not rub as that can pull or tear the skin) If you apply more than is necessary it is difficult to clean off and you do not want it to build up.
It is important that you keep her clean and dry.
Please contact her doctor. if diarrhea continues for very long dehydration is a concern as is the fact that she is not getting proper nutrition and that leads to a whole other set of problems.

No, it's not natural for older people to have diarrhea.  Aging often does change the digestive system though.  Maybe she has an infection or something like IBS or stress.  Check with her dr. and any side effects of medications, supplements she takes, and what dr recommends that's ok to slow down diarrhea if needed (maybe a tiny piece of Imodium, not a full dose or it could cause worse problems). 

She may have lost her appetite or trying to avoid getting diarrhea by not eating.  

You know to keep her well hydrated with water and drinks like Gatorade, but be careful as sugary drinks/foods are usually not good to have with diarrhea.  Milk also may not be a good choice while she's got diarrhea (milk has sugar); skip caffeine, too. 

Cut back on solid food for a day or two until diarrhea lets up.  It gives the digestive system time to rest, recover.  Try clear, plain broths (chicken, beef) and look for those with no MSG or sugar, and sugar free jello. 

Add a little solid food once her diarrhea stops.  That solid food should be bland and small portions as she can tolerate.  Some starches are ok (like plain white rice) and help once she can eat solid food, but too many carbohydrates can bring on diarrhea or make it worse.   Good choices: eggs, plain saltines or other cracker (not buttery) or unbuttered toast ~ not wheat as it's harder to digest for her right now, plain skinless potato.

Get her some probiotics to help her digestive system, and aloe vera (non bitter) to drink to help heal her digestive system.

No it’s not normal. I noticed you said you give her “different foods”. That may be the problem.
Stick with what doesn’t give her diarrhea. Not knowing her history speak with her doctor about what sort of diet she should be on. Try a bland diet now to try to see if that improves her diarrhea.

My mom had a lifetime problem. One of the visits to her doc it was suggested to try a quality probiotic.

Guess what! It worked! Almost too well sometimes as mom had a faucet that she didnt even need to turn on.

Call her doc to clear it before you give it a try..

Don't give up, if her primary doctor can't help her, make an appointment with a Gastroenterologist.

My husband has had diarrhea for many years. I let him handle it himself. Now that he is sinking into Alzheimer's I can see the day I will have to change him myself. I mentioned it to the primary doctor, I got a rolling of the eyes and a "well if he has had it for that many years.....". I started crying, I told that ass that he was blowing me off and I didn't see how I could clean up poop off the toilet, walls, and floor all the time. My breakdown, and I don't do that easily, got his attention, he assured me he wasn't blowing me off, Yeah right! Anyway, we ended up with a NP in Gastroenterology that did a bunch of tests. It turns out that his problem is caused by the fact that since he had his gall bladder removed, his liver is dumping too much gall into his colon. Some powder in his orange juice every morning has pretty much stopped it.

Pleerink, as we age sometimes we can no longer tolerate milk.

My Dad was having issues and when I finally convinced my Mom to let Dad try "Lactaid" brand milk, and for her not to give Dad cottage cheese, ice cream, regular cheese, or anything containing dairy for two weeks. Sure enough it was the dairy.

Thank goodness for "Lactaid" brand. Both my sig other and I use this brand of milk and it taste the same as regular milk. Lactaid also makes lactose-free ice cream. If you wife loves cheese, she can still have it, as Lactaid also makes a pill one can take before eating dairy that helps the tummy not get upset.

Thus, stay away from all things dairy for 2 weeks. Then after 2 weeks add in the Lactaid milk, it taste just like regular milk, and it also comes in 2%.

No. May be c-diff or anything else. See a doctor.

She may need to see a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy or endoscopy to rule out gluten allergy or colitis or other issues that may be going on causing the diarrhea. She can have electrolyte imbalances that can further weaken her health and also skin breakdown from the diarrhea so it is good that you are addressing this problem.

You didn't mention what is wrong with your wife, other than diarrhea. If she has had her gall bladder removed, or has pancreatic cancer or other digestive issues, she might need to be taking pancreatic enzymes to help her digest her food. Creon is one brand, but there are several others (all are expensive, but there are programs that can help). You would think that all gastroenterologists or oncologists would recommend this to such patients, but in the three years since my fiance's diagnosis, NONE of his doctors ever did. I discovered these drugs existed by doing online research, and when I mentioned them to a gastro nurse practitioner, she said, "of course he should be taking them!" and immediately wrote a prescription. Goodby bloating and diarrhea!
The Hospice nurse also said that sometimes taking vitamin C can cause diarrhea, so we stopped that.
We stopped using lots of black pepper too. And milk, including most kinds of Boost, Ensure, etc., which contain milk solids. And overly acid foods. And anything with lots of sugar. It helps to keep a food diary for a week or two so you can try to identify the "triggers."
If someone has an overgrowth of yeast in their intestines, it can cause either diarrhea or constipation, or alternately, both! There are treatments for that, but most doctors don't even test unless you ask. Still, it is a very common condition, especially if someone has taken antibiotics that have killed off all of the competing bacteria (in its absence, the yeast fungus thrives).
Please make sure that your wife drinks copious amounts of water (I know ... I know, but do it anyway) because diarrhea can easily make her become severely dehydrated. If you use Gatorade or Pedialyte, mix it with at least half water. She will also lose lots of weight because she's going to the bathroom so fast that she's not absorbing enough nutrition. Malabsorption, which is what that is called, can kill people.
Last, use diapers or Depends pull-ups plus disposable bed pads under your wife at all times. I have 3 permanent quilted-fabric bedpads for the main ones (I rotate them: one underneath, one ready-to-use, another in the washer) and they really do save money. But whenever you change her, put either a disposable one or a small towel on top of it, just in case. And have a bedside commode WITH LINERS that can be tied off and simply thrown away. These last few things will change both of your lives for the better!

Diarrhea is NOT normal for anybody at any age. Please get her evaluated by a doctor. Cut back on any high fiber products or artificial sugar (usually the alcohol-derived ones that end in -ose), Usually a lower fat, bland diet is tolerated until you can get her evaluated: lean meats, bananas, rice, apple sauce, toast (BRAT diet) with some additional veggies and fruit. Avoid milk-based products, including supplement drinks since almost all are dairy based.

Please give her vitamins and calcium supplements. Pick good vitamins and calcium supplements - should dissolve in a glass of water in 24 hours or less.

Metamucil worked for my dad’s diarrhea - helped create bulk. Gastroenterologist recommended. Be sure to read directions - Must drink quickly before it thickens. Check with doctor before trying this regimen.

Ask her doctor if one of her meds has that side effect.

if so, ask if she can simply be taken off of it. It has been my experience that the frail elderly are often on a dozen or more meds and many of them fall under what I call the “ why not” category. The doctor prescribed them, not because they’re curative, but because they might possibly have some very minor benefit (which can be greatly outweighed by negative side effects - something that doctors don’t often give very much weight in their decision making). Seniors wind up on drugs for months and years that they aren’t truly deriving much of anything from.

My 93 yr old mother had the same issue. If she had diarrhea she wanted it to stop. Then it would be constipation and she wanted help with that. After a recent hospital stay (before Clovid-19) she has balanced out. She had a UTI and other issues. I put fiber on her oatmeal and give her iron with a stool softener with a banana every afternoon. I would suggest you have her checked for a UTI and give her diet more fiber. My mother’s bowels are now logs every third day.

Our 'guts' change as we age, The tissues in the bowels gets thinner and the chemicals needed to digest foods become different. (MY SIL is a gastroeneterologist) I used to be able to eat anything and get maybe mild heartburn. Now some foods will give me intractable heartburn, AND diarrhea and I'm lactose intolerant, and can't eat after 7 pm.

Chronic diarrhea are no fun, but can be managed. I'd have mom evaluated by a good GI and follow the instructions as to food management, etc. It's more common to occur in older folks, but no one should have it chronically.

If you can install a bidet attachment on toilet and teach her how to use it do it. Toileting with dignity may helpful.

1. The oldest remedy is the best - a bowl of white rice. You can mix in a pat of butter, some grated cheese and/or some cooked chopped carrots, minced parsley or broth to give it flavor and color.
2. Also, my family has had great results with Activated Charcoal capsules. They're pretty easy to swallow. Follow the directions on the label. They should work within a few hours. After the first week, try giving the charcoal to her just "as needed". Don't be alarmed because it will temporarily change the color of her stools to dark green. Charcoal is a very old detoxing remedy from the old days. It worked really well with my mother and also helps with gas and gas cramping. She doesn't need to take it too often anymore, but she does carry a bottle of the capsules with her every time we go out in case of an emergency. You can get them over-the-counter at any pharmacy. Make sure your wife drinks a full 8-oz. glass of water with them, not a little sip.
3. If she does not have kidney disease, you should also be giving her a small (4 to 6 oz.) juice glass of chilled Vita Coconut Water with Pineapple every day. It's a wonderful way of replenishing her electrolytes and will give her energy. It will keep her from becoming dehydrated from the diarrhea. There's no sugar or artificial flavors in it and it is flavored with pineapple puree. (It isn't recommended for kidney patients because it has potassium in it.)
4. Definitely keep her away from dairy until this gets under control; however, the grated cheese should not have an adverse effect on her, since it has such a low water content. It should also provide her with just the right amount of sodium without affecting her blood pressure, as she is losing sodium with the diarrhea.
5. If none of these suggested remedies help, then please have her evaluated by a GI specialist and a nutritionist.

I wouldn't be trusting the medical TREATMENT suggestions here (like drinking aloe vera!) but the advice to get a sample tested is a good start during this pandemic time. Please be sure if you take a sample to a medical bldg that you are adequately protected yourself, or maybe your doctor can order a visiting nurse to come out and advise ASAP..because dehydration is a concern. Does your wife have any favorite foods she eats lots of? I knew someone nearly addicted to chocolate kisses and that triggered it in them. Lastly, I had a temporary bout of my own a while back and was reminded of the coconut macaroon cure. Seriously, it's on line and people have reported "cure" (assuming no underlying cause) by eating one or two of these a day. For many it was the Archway coconut cookies; for me I discovered some big ones at a local Aldi's or there are recipes on line. Either my body was getting over it and it was coincidental, but it seemed to do the trick for me. Take care,

I found that both with my mom and dad that eating became quite the challenge. Snacks all day long and finger foods....back to the basic foods is what we ended up doing. Cheese (and cheese sticks), eggs, peanut-butter, fruit, crackers, snackpack puddings, bananas...almost all day long. Ask her doctor if she can take antidiareals (with caution) of course. But yes, she had diarrhea all the time. It did pass and come back. Usually didn't eat if she hadn't had a bowel movement. Her tummy may have hurt or something. I found that her drinking thru a straw was helpful as well. That way I knew she was swallowing.

The vet suggests white rice with boiled hamburger or chicken for the dog. I have found that rice works for me. Stay away from fried foods and sweets for a bit. Candy made my mother (and me) constipated. If your wife is sedentary, the waste builds up in her system. Then when you do get up, it comes quickly. If she can move around at all while standing a few times during the day, that helps keep a person regular as well as generating an appetite. My father was afraid to eat and drink after a bout of diarrhea, but you need to replenish the water in your system or you run the risk of dehydration which is a significant problem for older people.

Op you have not come back, nor have you filled out your profile. What other health concerns does your wife have?

If she is diabetic Metformin can cause diarrhea, as can sugar free sweets.

As some one who has suffered from IBS for many years, the FODMAP elimination diet was a godsend. It helped me to figure out what foods were triggers for me, which I can have in small quantities and which are 'safe' for me to eat. I did it under the guidance of a Dietician at my local hospital.

Before doing the diet, I knew cows milk dairy and wheat were issues. I have since learned that Brussels Sprouts and cauliflower are on the limited intake list. No more roasted sprouts or Aloo Gobi for me.

When things are bad for me, I have white rice with butter or olive oil and Soy Sauce (wheat free). I eat that for several meals. I also will eat Kettle potato chips in Salt and Vinegar flavour.

My husband has dementia and has diarrhea for several weeks. He was hospitalized in Jan with Aspiration Pneumonia, sepsis. Then sent to rehab for 3 weeks, I wonder if he could have gotten the C Dif while he was there. I will check with the dr about that. So you all have given me some good ideas.

His dr. wants him to go on to Viberzi, still waiting for the prescription. . I explained that I was having in a similar thing with my husband having to clean up poop off the toilet, walls, and floor several times a day. I started giving him imodium 1/day. It worked for a couple of days but diarrhea has come back . I am going to try the BRAT diet. He has difficulty swallowing pills. He has been using THICKET for liquids and they said to use pudding, for his pills. but since that has milk in it I will try using the applesauce for the pills.

I need to try to get this fixed asap because we are moving the end of May l have to drive from San Antonio to St. Augustine, Fl. I don.t have a clue how we will make it that far if this continues.

I think It's time for your wife to be evaluated by a gastroenterologist to determine the cause if her ongoing diarrhea. They will be able to evaluate her and order tests to determine the cause. I would contact her primary care physician to ask for the name of the specialist. The primary care physician may want to order some initial testing prior to visiting the specialist. If you feel more comfortable visiting the primary physician prior to seeing the specialist then by all means do so. Just get her seen as soon as possible. Ongoing diarrhea is not normal.

Check all her meds for side effects of diarrhea. The pharmacist may be able to quickly tell you which one(s). Change over to lactose free milk in case that may be the culprit. As a note, lactose free milk lasts a couple of months in the frig and I found there is no longer any wasted milk due to expiration.
Add 'binding' foods such as rice to her meals.

Make sure there are no "laxative stimulant" drugs among her medicines. Sometimes these are given for a specific problem and then not removed from the medication list. Or maybe some other medicine she is on is causing the diarrhea. If all the food and medicine culprits are eliminated, try some imodium. Sometimes an imodium each day can help break the cycle.

My late mother would be blocked up and then NOT in a big way. She would not take Immodium or something to UNblock her. That was a big argument. Imho, your wife needs to be seen by a gastroenterologist.

I know someone who had luck with a good probiotic.  They had that problem for years and the loose stool stopped after taking a good probiotic (not yogurt at the store) directed at this problem.  They only had to take one or two bottles before the chronic loose stools stopped.
I recently got my mother-in-law Saccharomyces Boulardii  (a yeast) and a probiotic for diarrhea (some are for constipation so be careful) at Whole foods and that stopped her soft stool after a round of antibiotics. 
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-know

It is absolutely NOT natural for older individuals to have diarrhea all the time. In fact, depending upon how long this has been going on, she should probably have her doctor send a stool sample to the lab for a condition called C. Difficile which is a highly contagious form of diarrhea and often quite difficult to treat. You should probably be tested as well. In fact, older folks are more prone to constipation. She needs to be worked up by her primary care doctor (PCP) and if he/she has already evaluated and treated her to no avail, then an infectious disease specialist should be consulted. It could be related to her diet, but I'd be very hesitant to make that assumption without ruling out several medical diagnoses first.

Put her on the brat diet just like you would for a toddler. That’s: bananas, rice, apples, and toast. Give her digestive system a rest.

Especially no milk products or spicy foods.

Also, I don’t see what conditions your wife has, but my mom was prescribed metformin for stage II diabetes.

Her insurance requires her to get generic medicines and I found volumes of testimonials saying the generic version of metformin gives people diarrhea no matter what the pharmacists say.

Some people said they went back to their name brand medicine and the diarrhea went away. Maybe there are other medicines like this.

One other thing: it’s recommended you give pedialyte rather than Gatorade if possible because it has more electrolytes. I found a powdered version that comes in packets you put in 16 oz. water bottle. That way I keep it on hand.

My mom still has diarrhea often, and constipation alternatively, but not uncontrollable blowouts like she used to. It’s difficult to keep her at an even keel. It is why she quit socializing long before she needed to.

Good luck,
charlotte

P.S. My mom has discovered, and confirmed with her doctor, that some of her sugarless candy and cough drops too, give her diarrhea because they contain sucralose, which is a laxative in other applications.

Not for sure if on same page but my mother-in-law gets diarrhea almost daily but the other days she is obviously not making even a slight effort to wipe properly. Which effectively means we (hubby and i) have to fight her to get in shower to clean up. Unfortunately she drinks diet soda alot of it. (Compare to that of a chain smoker) have tried winging her off of it but all that creates is another fight. We do keep imodium on stand by as we are at a loss....... they say with dementia/alzheimer to keep arguments at bay do this this or this. Idk ....