UTI in dementia patient; any experience with this?

Did they do a culture? Only way to pinpoint the infection. They may have started with a broad spectrum antibiotic. Hopefully when that didn't work they did a culture.

Some things they may help if they get this cleared up.

A probiotic, which can be given while on the antibiotic. Actually helps in preventing yeast infections caused by antibiotcs.

Cranberry tablets (juice has sugar) also a member recommends D-Mannose 

Plenty of water. Make sure they void completely. A member recommended leaning forward helps. If u help with toileting make sure she is cleaned completely. I use Huggie wipes, they are big and thick. I never used soap near the urethra. My daughter had problems as a child and it was found that bubble baths probably contributed to the infections.

I am assuming that a culture and sensitivity test has been done? The three day test that tests the bacteria to ascertain which antibiotics are effective against what particular strain of bacteria. Many strains are becoming resistant to current antibiotics. I am glad that you are doing the followup as you should. I sure hope you get good news soon.

We will be getting the cranberry tables and probiotics asap. Thank you for your response.

Yes probiotics and cranberry tablets really help prevent future ones too. Mom is incontinent and went on them almost a couple of years ago after a nasty uti. I use curettle and cranberry pills from Costco and haven't has another one since.

My Mother struggles with swallowing pills and as is common, doesn’t still well hydrated. I asked the doctor to “prescribe” cranberry juice at lunch I her assisted living place as then they have to be sure she gets it. That has been enough so far to keep Mom’s UTI”s at bay. I haven’t tried these yet but apparently it helps some elderly stay hydrated as they think they are candy. https://healthcarechannel.co/edible-water-ball-jelly-drops-invented-for-elderly-with-dementia/

Good luck!

HI , you have received excellent advice , I just want to point out that you should get pure unsweetened cranberry juice , not the sugary cranberry cocktail or such. That's best.
Aso make sure your MIL stays hydrated with actual water not just water in tea , drinks etc .

Good luck

L

Unfortunately, the medical profession is having problems with multi-drug resistant microorganisms. If your MIL is elderly and frail, she is at increased risk of developing a UTI and not being able to "fight it off." There are several things you can do to help her immune system: have her drink at least 2 liters (1 gal) of non-sweetened fluids (especially water) every day, make sure she wipes her bottom from front to back, a bidet attachment to the toilet will help keep her bottom clean after each toilet use, and keeping her bottom area as dry as possible (dry-wicking panties or change Depends every 3 hours). Some have found that estrogen cream in the vaginal and vulvar area helps to thicken up those tissues so they are less prone to infection and irritation.

Yes a urinologist is best answer. I found my mom constantly diagnosed with uti with reg doc but with urinologist she wasn’t. She just had what they called dirty urine but that was no concern and did not need antibiotics. So since going to urinologist for 2 yes she has only needed antibiotics 1 time. Before that doc was giving constantly almost and she’d had bad reactions.

In the last year, 98 year old Mom has had 8 UTI’s.
She lives at home with 24/7 care. The hygiene is impeccable but she is predisposed to UTI’s. She’s on a prophylactic antibiotic nitrofurantoin, cranberry pills or gummies.
I had a bidet sprayer installed in the bathrooms, She bathes every day but none the less the UTI’s come back.

9 out of 10 times I know to have the urine checked because of extreme changes in her behavior. it’s easy to blame it on dementia when it’s actually a UTI.

Hydrate
cranberry pills or gummies daily
good hygiene

we are just trying to keep it at bay.

Dear Erica1, you have such love and concern and many have given you good advice. My husband's UTI was so hard on him. Mentally impacted, he was hospitalized for several days and given IV antibiotic. I had been told that a UTI greatly effects dementia patients; that it would seem like a page would have been flipped. Oh, huge difference Took place. Took some time to return to his previous cognitive level and to de-stress. His bladder was over stressed, of course, and that took several weeks to settle down. He is currently under the care of a urologist. Do follow suggestions given. Be patient. Wishing you and your LO well.

This is how we found out my mother had dementia, one day she was fine the next full blown dementia, she had a UTI, I was told she will go back to normal after the infection clears up, nope didn’t happen never regained her senses, we now live with LBD she cannot do a thing for herself and her mind OMG! It’s 4 years now of Looney Tunes.

My 96 yr old Dad has had a Cathiter for almost 1 1/2 years.

Wearing a Cathiter, it is inevitable that you will get a UTI.

My Dad's Urologist said it should be changed every 30 days to help not get a UTI.

Also, drinking lots of fluids help not get a UTI.

I give my Dad Cranberry juice every day as some say this helps.

My Dad has had 4 UTI'S in the past
1 1/2 yrs.

When he gets a UTI, it's cleared up within 5 days.

Prayers

You might have your Dr run another Urine Sample and then ask Dr to order a Culture as that will tell what kind of stuff is causing the UTI infection and Which Antibiotic works best on it.

Have they tried different antibiotics or the same one?

Please do not give her the antibiotics and probiotics together. They cancel one another out and prolong the infection.

You want to give them two hours apart. Example: antibiotics at 8am, probiotic at 10am. This will give you the best results.

Also, try to get some probiotic foods in her. Fresh, refrigerated sauerkraut, kombucha beverage, Natural Grocers has many probiotic products to choose from. This will help her gut get back to normal after so many rounds of antibiotics. I recommend taking 3 a day for a month after finishing the antibiotics. High fiber foods are also very good for restoring gut health.

I hope that she is better soon.

My wife has had repeated resistant e-coli UTI's also called  ESBL-EC infections. Her PCP has stated that some of the tests are more likely colonization, bacteria on the catheter system itself , not an infection in her body. This only if no other symptoms present such as blood in urine, temp. altered mental status.

After being hospitalized 4 or 5 times to be treated wit IV antibiotics, each time resorting to fosfomycin (Monurol), a powder mixed with water that knocks out the bacteria quickly. I dose, usually does the trick. If not another dose 3 days later.

Also, we now change the catheter every 2 weeks instead of monthly.

She has Advanced Vascular Dementia, and a UTI or any major infection like pneumonia results in her dementia being worse after each infection is cured.

I will try the pure cranberry juice starting today, if I can get her to drink it

My Husband gets UTI, he has dementia and his personality change completely, he hallucinates, he doesn't remember me, after the first pill of antibiotic he is back to the old himself. He is on nitrofurantoin 100mg for 90 days , hopefully he doesn't get it so often. He drinks cranberry juice, too. He got other antibiotics before.

Make sure she drinks plenty of water. Cranberry juice is good also.

I used to get them all of the time, until I discovered D-Mannose. It is a cleanser of the bladder and works in amounts to even ride you of an infection. I purchase it at Amazon and I like the NOW brand.I received this information from a Kaiser urologist.

I assume they cultured the urine to diagnose the kind of bacteria? I do think you want a urologist to manage these infections.
My mom was also hospitalized for a week for uti (plus shingles and falls). After the hospitalization, she wound up needing 3 different rounds of iv antibiotics for 1 week each. We went to the hospital for these infusions but later learned the home health nurse (she was getting post hospitalization rehab care at home) could have done it.
It may be she is not voiding and continues to be infected from retained urine. (To ensure she is voiding as much as possible, have her lean forward 45 degrees after she thinks she is finished urinating. This pressure will help push out any retained urine.)
Wishing her a quick recovery. These infections are dangerous and can be chronic, as they have been for my mother why is why I think a urologist is needed. (For reasons I cannot understand, she rarely gets them in Maine but constantly gets them in Florida. If anyone has a guess as yo why, please share.)

question- were all 3 antibiotics the same?

Mother has frequent UTIs and now started cranberry gummies (she loves) and a probiotic.
I have high hopes of reducing the occurrences.
She does not drink enough and hygiene is a problem. She fights her showers with a favorite caregiver.

About a month ago my mom kept taking her clothes off I didn't know what to do so I said something about it on here and everyone told me that she had a uti I told my brothers girlfriend what I was told she went and got her some cranberry juice she drinks a glass a day and now she doesn't have any more try that see if it works

Recurring or stubborn UTIs are common in the elderly. Make sure she remains well hydrated and consume 4-6 ounces of cranberry juice every day(100%; not cranberry juice cocktail or juice with sugar/corn syrup). We all need protein to heal. This is exemplified in the the elderly. Make sure she gets a high amount of protein every day. You can Google foods she likes to see what is high in protein. I recommend using protein bars or drinks. Have her exercise some every day to get fluids and lymph system fluids moving. Make sure hygiene in the peri area remains clean. A shower or bath at least daily. You should notice an improvement if you keep this up. UTIs can be caused by other things, so you will find out from the Urologist if there is anything else concerning.

The urologist should be able to help with antibiotic to help. If they can't get it under control via pills at home, she may need another few days in hospital to get stronger antibiotic.

In addition there is another medicine urologist used for my mom to help enlarge the tube coming out of bladder and she did quite well with it for about 2 years. Commonly used for men to treat some kind of urinary issue. Tamsulosin.

ERICA1: As I am an elder and also have a U.T.I. presently, I had gone to my urologist. I was given the medication for U.T.I.s called Macrodantin. My mother had frequent U.T.I.s, she took the same medication and she also drank pure cranberry juice (not a blend). Good luck.

Levaquin and cranberry supplements. That's the only thing that helps my 85 year old mother with dementia when she has a flare-up. Plus my mom is on a daily UTI maintenance drug: Sulfamethoxazole-TMP DS 800-160

Some very good suggestions already made.Let the Urologist get into the act. If she wears a diaper, make sure the changer wears gloves or has clean hands and change her frequently.

My mother was living with constant UTI's and Kidney infections. The antibiotics were not working nor were any of the cocktails, cranberry or anything else. I was told by a nurse to try a supplement called D-Mannos to control her blood sugar. You have to get it at a healthfood store or online. But it did the trick, and I am so thankful the nurse gave me that suggestion. Hopefully this could help you as well.