Mom (93) gets chronic UTIs. Any advice?

I use a probiotic they are a miracle they have the probiotics for womens urinary tract health . The antibiotics do their job so good that the antibiotics kill ALL THE BACTERIA but everyone needs what is called GOOD BACTERIA so after all the antibiotics are gone even the GOOD BACTERIA is gone therefore letting in the BAD BACTERIA ....which causes infections like U.T.I. or even C.DIF.my Doctor explained this to me! also my mothers Doctor has her takeing probiotics everyday and we all drink Activa and take cranberry supplements drink WATER my mom is on WATER restriction PER ..C.H.F . but we get her slowley to consume more water from popsicles ...And italian ice cups too funny moms like a kid with her popsicles haha but her dr. Approves of this as most popsicles have little to NO sodium and there are sugar free tooo ....just to suggest ideas for you GOOD LUCK!!!

My Mom was on Cranberry pills and a probiotic. Probiotic because antibiotics cause yeast infections and probiotic fights against them.

Some people have mentioned being allergic to the Depends material they use. Which sounds good to me since I cannot use any Kodex products.

Its also been said that a culture needs to be done to make sure antibiotic is for that particular infection. Also, make sure she is catherized to get all the infected urine.

I sympathize and understand your concern. My mom is almost 96 and had a bunch of UTIs in 2017 after breaking a leg and winding up in hospital and rehab. She now takes everything everyone else has mentioned here: Methenamine 1/2 GM twice daily (she started out at 1 GM twice daily), 1 tsp of D-Mannose powder in her water each day, 500 mg Vitamin C daily, Cranberry extract capsule daily, and 1 probiotic capsule daily. She has not had a UTI since October 2017. The wiping is a big deal of course, and I don't know what to suggest there. My mom lives with me and I do all the wiping. I also make sure she has a full container of water she can drink from and remind her to drink throughout the day. That helps, too. Hopefully others here can give you ideas on the wiping issue. Let us know if you implement some of these things and how it goes. Everyone here knows what you are going through and how worried you are.

My Mom was also having UTI’s frequently. A lady who worked in the Drs office told me to try D-Mannose cranactin. My mom never had another one.

My 82 year old husband was getting continual UTIs, caused by an inability to fully empty his bladder thus causing bacteria buildup. He had radiation for prostate cancer 12 years ago which eventually compromised his bladder function. In December, 2017 his urologist prescribed Methenamim-E HIPP 1 gram tablet to be taken 2 times a day “forever”. The UTIs stopped for over a year until he refused medication of any kind, at which point the UTIs have recurred. He has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but has been deemed by his physicians as competent to make his own decisions so he, for the time being, (and ultimately I as his primary caregiver), live with the consequences of his “bad decisions” which, by the way, are many. There’s lots more about my story, but this reply primarily addreees the UTI question.

Hi there....
Our doctor said, some elders live for years with infections...
Eventually, there will be nothing you can do. The body is breaking down...
Treatments for my relative no longer work, and she is just living with it (it's been nearly 2 years now). And surprisingly, she's doing ok.
Even if you do the treatments, sometimes they cause side effects that aren't worth it (for my relative, it was months of off-and-on diarrhea that made her totally miserable until her gut recovered from the medication).

All the best to you and your mom!

I used to get lots of UTI’s & started taking OTC Acidophilus (recommended by nurse practitioner)—1xday & that was 5 years ago & no UTIS since

In general about UTI's. I'm almost 80 and, although I've never had a UTI, I know elders are vulnerable so I eat some dried cranberries every day... about 2 tablespoons. (If you're near a Costco, they sell a giant bag which keeps without refrigeration.) In texture, dried cranberries are like raisins. To prevent them from getting stuck in my teeth and contributing to dental cavities, I put them into a tea strainer and drop it in my morning green tea to soften, then add them to my hot cereal (or you can add them to hot soup or vegetables. then let them cool to taste.) I've been doing this for at least six years. I've still never had a UTI and I'm not up to your level of meticulous about hand-scrubbing. (No dental problems either.)
I think you could do this as a preventive measure with any elder who eats solid food. (My husband drinks a jigger of unsweetened cranberry juice every day and doesn't have UTI's either. He says you get accustomed to the lack of sweetness, but I suppose some sugar or stevia could be added.)

My Mother was in the hospital 4 times for the UTI also. It turned out to be an infection in her gallbladder. After treatment for the infection in her gallbladder( she had to wear a bottle and drain it for 6 weeks). Hasn't had another UTI. I would have her gallbladder checked.

I'm in the same boat right now, my mom has had 3 since march 7th.. it keeps coming back and im worred about resistance.

When she gets delirium The things she says are : deeply insulting and hurtful...