Diagnosing a UTI should be done by a physician
through urine and possibly blood testing.
through urine and possibly blood testing.
Today is March 2nd, Dr. Seuss’ Birthday and the perfect day to start blogging. This morning I had a message from a friend. His wife was recently transferred to a rehab center from a hospital setting. It has been 10 months since she had a brain aneurysm. She has been hospitalized twenty times and in between has been at a variety of rehab centers. Only once during the past ten months was she able to go home for three weeks. A urinary tract infection (UTI) sent her back to the hospital. UTI’s have been an ongoing problem for her and she has now become resistant to most of the antibiotics used to treat it. It is fitting that my first blog be about UTIs, since a UTI was responsible for my mother’s first hospitalization in her 92 years of healthy living.
This is a short summary about UTIs for readers who have not experienced this type of infection. According to the experts at aplaceformom.com and agingcare.com,, UTIs are a major problem for the elderly. They also state that urinary tract infections are the second most common infection in the human body and that half of all women will develop a urinary tract infection in their lifetime. According to aplaceformom.com, UTIs in women - and less often in men - account for about 8.3 million doctor visits per year! Please go to these websites or Google urinary tract infections in the elderly for a complete list of causes and symptoms. In Grandma's case and other elderly individuals, UTIs may be attributed to:
Not drinking enough water. This is always a challenge for the elderly. It is imperative that they keep hydrated.
Wearing depends or non-cotton underwear. Wet and warmth harbor bacteria.
Not wiping correctly when using the bathroom (remember to wipe front to back).
Weakened immune system.
Symptoms
Whenever you see a change in behavior it could be caused by a UTI.
An elderly person with a UTI may appear:
Confused Disoriented Lethargic Weak May not want to eat
May start falling more
It is easy to confuse a UTI with a stroke, like in Grandma's case.
If you see any or all of the obove signs call the doctor.
This is a short summary about UTIs for readers who have not experienced this type of infection. According to the experts at aplaceformom.com and agingcare.com,, UTIs are a major problem for the elderly. They also state that urinary tract infections are the second most common infection in the human body and that half of all women will develop a urinary tract infection in their lifetime. According to aplaceformom.com, UTIs in women - and less often in men - account for about 8.3 million doctor visits per year! Please go to these websites or Google urinary tract infections in the elderly for a complete list of causes and symptoms. In Grandma's case and other elderly individuals, UTIs may be attributed to:
Not drinking enough water. This is always a challenge for the elderly. It is imperative that they keep hydrated.
Wearing depends or non-cotton underwear. Wet and warmth harbor bacteria.
Not wiping correctly when using the bathroom (remember to wipe front to back).
Weakened immune system.
Symptoms
Whenever you see a change in behavior it could be caused by a UTI.
An elderly person with a UTI may appear:
Confused Disoriented Lethargic Weak May not want to eat
May start falling more
It is easy to confuse a UTI with a stroke, like in Grandma's case.
If you see any or all of the obove signs call the doctor.
Diagnosing a UTI should be done by a physician
through urine and possibly blood testing.
through urine and possibly blood testing.
Home testing kits can be useful if the person is having recurrent infections and you want to head off the infection early. We use AZO testing strips to keep a watchful eye. If we see it tests positive for infection, we contact the doctor. This blog will continue next time with supplements, nutrients and suggestions to prevent the development of urinary tract infections in the first place. Once an infection is present, it becomes a serious medical condition for an elderly person.
Please consider website aplaceformom.com or Internet search, "urinary tract infections in the elderly" for a complete list of causes and symptoms.
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