My Mom has had constant UTIs for many years. She will get off one antibiotic, then a few days later, another UTI. Any suggestions?

A bidet would be a good idea. She need to wash after every bowel movement and use a small clean towel every time.

Please find a good urologist, one who is committed to prevention, rather than waiting for a crisis. There are a number of things a urologist can suggest to help maintain a healthy bladder and urethra, thereby preventing a UTI.

I had UTI’s for years. Took all kinds of antibiotics, became resistant to some, got sepsis, was miserable. I got a new urologist who believed in prevention and keeping a healthy bladder & urethra. I have not had a UTI since and, believe me, I am much happier.
it can be done.

If you haven't had it done then have a urine sample taken and have a Culture Done to find out what type of bacteria she has so the right antibiotic works.

How does she clean herself after toileting?

Is she wiping the back (anus area) separately?....
or is she wiping from back to front?
There's a possibility she could be infecting herself ...getting the feces on her urinary area.

Yes, frequent URIs can cause dementia like symptoms.

I hope some of the advice given by others will help.

My daughter suggested I drink Alkaline water. She pays for it to be delivered to my house in 1/2 gallon bottles. (I think she didn't trust me to buy it, but if she purchased it, she hopes I will feel guilty if I don't drink it :-). So far, that and Cranberry pills have helped me. I have some D-mannose, but haven't tried it.

I do find that since my bladder is tipped, I often don't void all the way. So, drinking a lot of the Alkaline may help keep my urine diluted. I don't mean gallons, just being aware that I need to drink often.

I have to wear some light pads which I change often. Too, my sewing/computer room is next to a bathroom, when I get up, I just go to the bathroom before doing anything else.

I hope you find something for her.

My Mother also had chronic UTIs, and now I, at 73 have gotten it every month (even with Cranberry pills, juice, and strong probiotics), and I always drank a lot of water throughout the day. It got so bad that my doc wanted me to see (again) a urologist...said culture was a rare infection. (I happen to take apple cider vinegar tablets at night for weight loss). She checked out my kidneys and bladder...said everything looked okay, it seems to be coming from the opening itself. Odd thing she said was to put coconut oil on vagina opening. I looked it up on computer, and other docs had recommended it too. I had bought tub of it to try cooking with it, but never used it ...now keep it in my bathroom. I put it on a piece of toilet paper and around the opening every 3 days (I also put a light pad and change every other day). About 3 months after, though, felt it was coming back. I ordered from Amazon, Horbaach Cranberry Concentrate 30,000 mg (plus vit. C) 150 capsules. I take one capsule every morning with the rest of my pills. Seems the OTC cranberry pills are NOT STRONG enough. Haven't had the UTI in over a year now. So try the both of them, and I hope it helps.

I’ll post this again. UTIs are an infection, and it usually comes in bugs from feces. The bladder can be more or less resistant to the bugs, and various things can influence how resistant it is (eg cranberry juice helps). But it is still an infection. I used to have them regularly, and it stopped when I got really good about washing and changing knickers every time I had a ‘wet fart’ or diarrhoea. (And I’m so glad that none of you know me face to face). Now I do this every time I’m in doubt, and I haven’t had a UTI for years.

Repeated UTIs can affect the kidneys. I was threatened with this, but I don’t know how it affects re-infection.

It may be that your mother is re-infecting herself. The antibiotics fix what is in the bladder, but perhaps she still has bugs around the area. If I had that problem now, and couldn’t wash or shower thoroughly, I would wipe the areas with a disinfectant (and I’d check with the chemist about a disinfectant that would be OK for the skin). Try everything, is my advice!

Same situation with my mom. Her doctor put her on a daily low-dosage antibiotic. It’s real low dose but seems to work.

She needs to drink water, eat yogurt or take probiotics and make sure that when she uses bathroom she is wiping from front to back and not the reverse. A bidet might help, but i think most older people don't drink enough (which can also cause dehydration). I wish you luck.

If she wears pads or diapers of any kind make sure they get changed at LEAST every day, and for certain any time they are wet or soiled. Maybe that will help with the UTI, or other infections that ladies sometimes have to deal with.

UTIs can cause dementia type symptoms especially if septicemia is involved. Circulating bacteria can damage internal organs & blood vessels. This decreases the ability of oxygen rich blood to circulate through out the body, including the brain. Chronic inflammatory response from recurrent UTIs is damaging. Senior’s immune response is decreased as well. The immune system just isn’t what it used to be. Colonization of bacteria in the urinary tract can result in recurrent UTIs. Don’t forget about hygiene. I see that has been addressed in previous replies.

Estrogen loss could be a contributing factor. Estrogen helps the urinary tract resist infection. Might ask her doctor about low-dose estrogen as part of her arsenal to prevent UTIs if she's a good candidate.

I have a similar problem and found out accidentally that Vistaril clears up the problem, which is apparently related to an allergic response.

I used to also have constant UTI s constantly. Finally a Urologist told me about D-Mannose which is available on Amazon and it is a bladder cleanse. Sometimes I could even kill the infection with plenty of D-Mannose. It is life changing so I urge you to get plenty of it now. I take it daily to keep my bladder in tip top shape. I take 3 a day and no longer have UTI infections. Check it out on Amazon.

Please don't avoid giving an antibiotic, but make sure it is one that matches the bacteria causing the UTI, meaning you need to get her tested. Make sure she is sparkling clean before any test.

A few responses talk about scent. Don't put scent anywhere near the vagina anus or urinary openings. Let things air out.

But most importantly, there is a direct route from the anus and related areas to the female urinary tract and vagina and that needs to be stopped. After every bowel movement she needs to be cleaned thoroughly with warm water rinses and a gentle towel.

Also, anything with fake sugar can irritate and cause symptoms of a UTI in younger people too. People go for years with urgency, then they can't urinate when they get there, or they have leaks and a lot of it is fake sugar. They'll tell you one is better than the other but all of them have the same effect. Caffeine, caramel color in sodas, soda waters, sometimes even spicy things can irritate the urethra and make it feel like you need to go frequently and urgently. Try removing those things out of the diet if the bacteria culture comes up negative.

I didn't know about the dementia symptoms until after I started taking care of my mom and doing research but I can say for sure that people don't suddenly become senile over a short period of time. That can be from the UTI for sure, unless it's super sudden, which is more likely some sort of stroke.

For every woman reading this, the US doesn't use bidets as a matter of course and I think this is a major problem. Anyone who does laundry in the US knows there are often stains left behind and this means that there is fecal matter remaining on your skin. Feces are stickier than most people think about. If a bird pooped and it landed on your arm would you use a paper towel to wipe it off and that's it? No, you'd need water and that's the same for human feces as well. Sweat, which is natural, will carry that feces to your other openings. It travels. I won't even mention thong underwear because they need to be considered decorative only, and used very briefly, if ever.

Uti’s can make you nuts that’s for sure. Change her diet. I get uti’s from drinking crystal light. Something in it cause a ph change. Acidity foods like eggplant always help me get rid of it. I know in nursing homes they use a lot of sugar substitutes. Check out to see if she is eating sugar subs and artificially colored food - like orange soda or cheese puffs.