How do you stop a urine infection in a senior?

Wow, Melimar, that stuff really works? I am so skeptical, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it.

In my mother's case, the large kidney stone she has is the cause of the UTIs, because it basically traps the bacteria up and keeps her chronically infected. They flare up, she goes to the hospital, they get it under control with fluids and antibiotics, then she's fine for a while, and it comes back. She doesn't have symptoms until they are verging on sepsis, so it's awful.

Surgery is the only option for her stone. (It really is, so no need to suggest other ways to remove it. )Has anyone had a loved one in this situation - where the stone was removed and the UTIs stopped?

My mom has had so many UTI's that the doctors said the last one was antibiotics resistant and we just had to wait and see if the body would fight it off. Mom has full blown dementia and cannot communicate what's going on in her body. So, I bought her
Vibrant Health - U.T. Vibrance, Crisis Intervention Formula, 2.02 ounce (FFP)
on Amazon. I give it to her on a daily basis and it seems to have the UTI under control now. No more erratic behavior, just the usual dementia behavior.

A question for Marcelo...I can't find the UTI Freedomsrltrips you mentioned in your comment. Is there a typo. I would like to look into them. Thank you.

Also, make sure the elder washes...THOROUGHLY. The skin is the largest organ on the body and as such, needs to kept free from dirt that can cause infections. I can't stress that enough!

If you give the patient a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water twice a day for at least 2 days and follow with 500mg vitamin C from then on the bacteria do not do well in an acidic environment. Same treatment as cranberry juice but a lot faster.

Xina, does it feel to you like perhaps it's time to talk to hospice, or the palliative care team at the hospital she goes to?
( did you see the article on hoarding in the Real Estate section of the Times?)

Barb, I will ask the urologist about local anesthesia.

It's odd, because she is mostly with it, but actually, she is becoming more and more passive and worse at decision-making. She can't really grasp the ramifications of her options with the kidney stone. The last time we took her to the ER, she told the EMTs she didn't want to go to the hospital, and they were going to honor her request because that's what they're supposed to do. It was clear she had to go, so finally her aide and I explained and told her they would just check her out and send her home, so she agreed (and ended up there for 4 nights).

All three options seem wrong - more hospital visits, surgery, passing the stone. Objectively, I would say that the next crisis should be the last one, and at that point it will be time to go. It is really hard to see her vomiting (what happened last time) and not call 911, though.

There is always the danger of septicemia with UTI and severe constipation (remember Patti Duke!) Due to dementia my senior will not follow a regime of antibiotic pills. I take him to the ER where he is admitted as an inpatient and gets IV antibiotics for 3 or more days.

Xina, you're right, rock and a hard place, quite literally.

Does your mom have an opinion about this? She's not incompetent, from what I recall you saying.

Has anyone discussed what the options for anesthesia might be? They were able to do my mom's hip surgery with a spinal and sedation, you might want to ask.

Going off blood thinners turns out not to be as big a problem as it sounds. My husband, who has an artificial heart valve, has to go off them when he has dental work, colonoscopy, etc. It just hasn't been as big a deal as it sounded like initially. Happy 4th!

My mother (84) just returned home today from the hospital - her second UTI-related hospitalization in 3 mos. First one proceeded to septic shock, but they brought her back. My mother is in a wheelchair or in bed now, and fully incontinent, after a stroke last year. She has terrible short-term memory loss but is otherwise compos mentis. She has a large, complicated, "staghorn" kidney stone, which has not caused her pain, but seems to be at the root of the UTIs. Urologist said the only way to treat her particular stone would be through surgery - which, while relatively minor, would require general anesthesia plus she would have to go off her blood thinners. He thinks she would be at high risk. So we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Surgery is risky and repeated UTIs are risky. Then there's the possibility that she could pass the stone, which would be miserable. How to make these decisions??

I second all those who advised seeing a doctor. A UTI almost killed my mom in February. She did not show "typical" symptoms in that she did not have a fever, but her wonderful caregivers noticed that she was very confused and lethargic, and they advised that we go to the ER. Very glad we did, because otherwise she would have been in danger of septicemia.

I found the following link helpful
http://assistedlivingtoday.com/blog/prevent-uti-elderly-women/

Please see a doctor. UTI's seldom go away on their own in our elderly population. I have seen many many seniors with UTI's and often the infection and symptoms cause changes in mental status and can even lead to death.
I understand the concern with antibiotic overuse but "it is what is it" with UTI's in the elderly. I recommend this person be evaluated by her doctor and get an antibiotic after they run a urine culture.
Push fluids (32 - 64oz daily), encourage a schedule to assist with time voiding- take them to the BR after meals etc. Prevent urine becoming stagnant in the bladder by providing hydration to flush it out of bacteria. Also yes, wipe from front to back, Handwashing & using alcohol based hand gel is good practice.
Cranberry pills are used a lot big I do not know the dose. 
Do not allow a UTI to go untreated unless the patient is on hospice and antibiotics are being withheld.
Good luck to you!

See a doctor who can and will prescribe an antibiotic.

I think that is why Mom is on a pill. Juice has to be pure cranberry, no sugar. Hard to drink like that.

The imprtant thing about cranberry juice if you are using it is to be sure it is pure cranberry and not a mixture with other juices

The elderly symptoms r different than younger people. The cause mostly because they can't void completely.  If they have one antibiotics is the only thing that clears it up.  The last one Mom was  catherized to get all the urine.  They sent her home with cranberry capsels and probiotic.  She hasn't had another one since Oct 2016.

Well if they are having chronic urine infections, it may be a separate problem. We though my mom was having chronic urinary infections and then we found out she had bladder cancer.

You should talk to her physician.

Someone on here said "you cannot stop a urine infection", not necessarily true. For external, just follow topical wound care for open wound. For a rash, just keep it clean and dry. For a UTI, just drink plenty of water and appropriate juices. Anabiotic's only help speed up the healing process but you can get rid of a UTI on your own, but with cooperation from the patient. Remember, I'm sure nursing home still with this kind of stuff all the time and I'm sure every time something gets an infection they don't run them to the hospital for every little thing. We can learn a lot from the nursing homes. Most importantly, don't be too dependent on anabiotics, this is a widespread problem now as bacteria are becoming more and more resistant, requiring stronger antibiotics. You can only depend on anabiotic's for long until eventually they don't work. It's been said that it's now being considered to get some white away from antibiotics and seek natural alternatives.  in fact, it's about time to study some history and learn from our forefathers and see how they took care of illness. Before hospitals and modern medicine, people actually made their own medicines. There are natural medicines out there, but you won't find them unless you know a little bit about living off the land and eating and all natural diet

I've hear that cranberry juice is not good for people with kidney stones. My mom has a large one, which is probably contributing to the UTIs. Her urologist says the stone is complicated enough that the only way to get it out would be surgery. It's not major surgery, but it would require general anesthesia and she'd have to go off her blood thinner. He thinks with all her health problems, surgery would be too risky. So, on it goes ...

I have always heard about cranberry juice, but studies found it to be almost worthless in stopping or preventing UTI'S a big surprise. A more alkaline food and drinks are recommended, such as fruit and maybe some vegetable juices. Goggle it . But a dietitian would be a good place to start for preventin. For active UTI'S get to a doctor fast

Baby wipes work also to clean a person after using the toilet.

As a nurse I have seen one simple thing that people do not do which can avoid e coli infections: wipe from front to back.

Mom is 89, has Dementia. has had many UTI's. Altho we try our best to provide proper hygiene in her care..IT HAPPENS. Last time the urologist said she has an antibiotic resistant infection and there was nothing they could give her. I've been giving her D-Mannose and it has helped alot. UTI's are such a bummer!

The other day I had someone come into my store asking for donations for a funeral for his mom. His story was that she was being cared for by someone who ignored a wet "pamper" so long that a bedsore became contaminated and set up an infection that led to her death. Don't know the real story, if there is one; but this might be something to watch for in similar situations.

My mother has a constant UTI. She is always on some antibiotic. Part of her problem is that she cannot completely empty her bladder, ever. They finally inserted a supra pubic catheter and for a couple of months, that might have helped. Now she just lets the urine collect in the bag she wears. I KNOW she doesn't drink enough--her urine is rusty colored and smells horrible. She also cannot clean her cath bags appropriately and so there is always a fresh batch of bacteria waiting. She is still semi-incontinent, and wears depends AND a pad--setting up the perfect storm for UTI's. Her hygiene is iffy--she still won't allow for any aides in her home, so we just have to hope she's keeping things clean. I know at one time I gave her a "peri" bottle and told her to wash herself with warm water after each use of the bathroom--and later found said bottle, covered in dust in a cupboard.

UTI's are miserable, but my mother loves misery, so although we've done everything we can to encourage her to be on top of this---she still has one per month, at least.

I agree--liquids and hygiene are the 2 best "preventers". Also, some people are simply prone to them. I am 61 and have had ONE in my whole life. I can't remember a time mother wasn't just recovering from one or needing a ride to the dr's because she had another one.

And she doesn't become mentally agitated or act any differently. So that isn't true for everyone.

If you mean topically, then you keep the area clean, treated with anabiotic's and dressed. If it's real bad, I would get to your local grocer and hit the spice rack. Look for a spice called alum. Get a few bottles of it to keep in your medicine cabinet, it's very good for drawing out infections and helps speed healing. You can safely put alum into an open wound that's been cleaned. You can also soak a rag and a strong solution of alum and water. Apply it to the infected area and let it work until you feel the effects from the drawing. The first affects will feel like somewhat like a vibration, it's working. Don't remove the dressing yet, there's a second feeling you should be feeling when the alum is done working. This particular feeling will be a form of discomfort when it's been on for long enough. When you remove the dressing, the disc comfort will immediately stop. By now the infection has been stripped of the ability to thrive in the wound, it should start healing as long as more bad bacteria is not re-introduced into that wound. At this point, continue keeping it clean, dry, and dressed with a protective dressing. If you put creams on too much and it requires being dried out, that's when you need to start drying it out. Not all infections will respond to creams and ornaments, some of them actually need to be cleaned and dried out. 

Internal infection? No problem! 

If you mean a UTI, then this patient needs to start drinking enough water. The human body needs about 64 fluid ounces each day but sadly many people don't drink that much. Sometimes plain water is just too much to drink that much every single day. However, if you find a certain brand of bottled water that suits your taste buds, drinking that much water is much easier. Purified water that's obviously better than tap water will encourage you to want to drink more often, and before you know it you'll have drank what your body needs in a day. You can also add a little flavoring to your water, but for a UTI though, you really need straight water, especially ice water to shrink internal swelling. I know because I've had a few of my own and I know from experience what really works. Other things besides ice water that may also work are cranberry juice, grape juice and even prune juice. Sometimes when you have an infection you should also clean out the colon. Cleaning out as much of your internal organs as possible by doing an internal flush will definitely help get things going. Another thing that may also help is doing a bone broth diet. Last night I saw a video by a doctor who specializes in dietary alternatives to modern medicine. He was saying how beneficial bone broth really is an even taking a collagen supplement is also very helpful. Bone broth and collagen in your diet are surprisingly very beneficial to human health even as you age. This other stuff never replaces the human body's need for water, water is very essential for survival. Another recommended thing is watermelon and any other juicy fruit. You can also take various fruits and make custom smoothies, also very good for health and healing. Most importantly though, don't forget the water

I wish I knew the answer to this one! My mother is currently in the hospital for a UTI for the second time in 2 months. The first time, she had stopped eating and become very weak for a couple of weeks. A nurse had been there to check her vitals, and said all was OK. That weekend, she had horrible diarrhea so she went to the ER. She was in septic shock. Miraculously, she survived. She started eating again and was able to go out to dinner and was pretty upbeat.

Btw, she is 84, had a stroke a year ago which paralyzed her left side; she is fully incontinent and in a wheelchair. She can't do anything for herself, so she has 24/7 home care.

A few days ago, she seemed kind of tired and shaky when we went out to eat. Again, a nurse had been there that day (dealing w a bedsore) and her vitals and temp were normal. We got home from dinner and she threw up, so back to the ER it was. She had 102.5 temp and is now recovering from another UTI which fortunately was caught in time.

This is really crazy, though. I don't know how we are going to prevent more of these episodes. She can't pee in a cup, so we can't test for UTI at home. And we always have to call 911 to get her to the ER, because when she's sick, she can't sit in the chair, so we can't take her there. It's hard to know what symptoms warrant a call to 911 - which is so dramatic and extreme.

Antibiotics to treat. This is nothing to mess with. Septic UTIs are a leading cause of death for seniors. To prevent use cranberry juice or supplement. Lots of water or water w. additive like Crystal Lite. Good hygiene/cleanliness.

Hello.My elderly mother started to get lots of urinary tract infections.The bacteria was always ecoli that grew out in urine cultures that was causing the infections.In her case it was that she was not bathing or showering and also she was wiping improperly.Stool was getting up in the urinary tract area which will cause infections.Also in elderly they may not drink enough fluids to keep things flushed out.If a UTI is suspected go to Dr.They will take urine specimen to determine whether there is infection and prescribe antibiotics if there is one.In future to prevent them,we had the best luck with washing mom's bottom up very clean,front and back every time she toileted.The extra hygiene seemed to stop the infections.Then push fluids but not to an excess.Too much fluid could cause problems if the person has any congestive heart failure issues.In elderly it is hard to know if there is a urinary tract infection because the symptoms are different in elderly.My mom would start getting confused more than normal,maybe like agitated and not sleeping well and she would have more falls.Then we would get her tested and find she did have a urinary tract infection.In her case it was mostly due to the bacteria from the rear getting into the urinary tract area.Hope this helps.