My mom has vascular dementia. She wears depends and won't drink sufficient water. She has had 2 UTIs in the past 6 months...both times she knew she had them! First time she said she was urinating a lot, second time it burned once. The first was diagnosed by her PCP in office, so I assume they used a quick test. 2nd time by urgent care with culture.
Her PCP now wants her to see a urologist.
I can take her to the practice where my dad is seen for prostate cancer, but I am not sure it is worth it. She won't cooperate with prevention strategies like changing depends more often, drinking water, using bathroom on a schedule, etc., so not sure of the point.
She lives in AL facility with my dad. They try to get her to follow a prevention routine, but she says no, so they cannot force her. If dad tries, she gets mad and says he is bossing her around. When doctors tell her, she says she never heard it before.
The one thing I can probably get her to do is drink cranberry juice regularly.
Thoughts??????
An additional benefit from the treatment was that her incontinence was reduced.
In short, I think the urologist visit for your Mom might be worth it.
It's so NOT a mystery - ! - that your mother is having this trouble that there would seem to be no justification for roping in a specialist unless perhaps the PCP has spotted something unusual and wants it checked out; or is taking part in a study; or has some other good reason for the recommendation that is way over our pretty laymen's heads.
So if I were you I'd ask why, what for.
In my moms case, the PCP referred her out right away. My mom saw a urologist years ago to help with incontinence, but she did not like the treatment as the shots hurt.
I will definitely ask as the next appointment if the problem continues.
At least I know a good urologist.
The doctor recommended a probiotic called re-pHresh, which keeps vaginal pH at an optimal level. Also rec a vaginal cream which helped with dryness. After starting these two things, mom never had another UTI.
The over-the-counter AZO makes a cranberry pill that might be easier for your Mom to use. Check with her doctor to see if this is ok for her to use.
As for changing her Depends, I can't imagine how hot she probably feels wearing them during the summer months. I remember having to use Depends after kidney stone surgery, and it was like wearing a furnace :P
It has been said here, to make sure her urine is cultured so she gets the right antibiotic.
A urologist may not hurt but I would not recommend a scope. My Mom had dementia and I refused to put her thru anything like that. She had no idea what was going on and it all frightened her.
I made signs for her side table and the bathroom that tell her to
1. Drink 2 bottles of water a day
2. Go to the bathroom every 2 hours when staff reminds her... if she can't pee, she needs to check her pad to see if it is wet and change it if it is
3. Wash her private parts with a wet washcloth every morning and every night
4. Look at her pee in the toilet...if it is not pale yellow or clear, drink more water
Her understanding of visual information is way better than info she get orally.
We will see. I took on the role of bad cop because she gets mad at my dad when he reminds her to drink and use the bathroom. She does not want to drink because going to the bathroom is a chore.
Fingers crossed.😉
do not let the urologist put her on any prescription for incontinence as they are implicated in causing dementia too.
This works! You may have to administer two bottles and then but her 1 tsp daily maintenance.
For her, the “drink two bottles of water a day” sign would have been too easy for her to dismiss or ignore. I think maybe she liked being waited on.
She actually likes the signs because they remind her what to do without someone having to tell her, or at least this is what she says.
What is for breakfast? If she is eating eggs, toast and things like that switch to oatmeal, cream of wheat or other more high moisture foods. Same thing for lunch more salads, fruits, soup, same for dinner. Jello, or other gelatin type "treats" I use to make my husband gelatin using unflavored gelatin and fruit juice and fruits. Desserts or other treat Popsicle, ice cream again more fruits.
This is all if she is swallowing properly while a Popsicle is great, if the liquids have to be thickened a Popsicle will not be a good thing. Watch fruits those that are slippery can slide down the wrong way things like peaches, nectarines (learned this the scary way after my Husband grabbed a peach slice from my plate and nearly choked)
For some water just is not appealing as there is little/no flavor so flavoring water with juice, or serving tea might actually get more liquids into the system.
The hospital doctor was wonderful. He said, "I don't think we are going against her living will to insert a catheter, get a clean catch, and remove it. That is what they did, and were able to find out, after doing a culture, what specific bacteria we were dealing with. It was an unusual one, and was easily treated. They had been treating it with the wrong antibiotic for all those years. We have had to use this method, done by the Hospice nurse, only once, since.
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And, if she refuses water, there's not much that can be done. Some people may have success with a regular antibiotic they take to ward off the infections, but, it has its own risks. Does she have any other issues? My LO used to have them occasionally, and now that she is on Hospice in MC, they monitor her behavior and treat her if it seems she needs it for pain relief. The stress of testing in the ER with catheter was just too upsetting for her at the end stage dementia.
Honestly, I would let her be, but I am trying to save myself from trips to hospital and urgent care. Maybe I'm being selfish, but I am getting tired of having to put myself out because she won't cooperate.
My dad won't even go to the hospital with her anymore because she won't cooperate with her care.
I totally get it.
Started again when I was hospitalize and caregivers were too busy to watch. They had her wear depends.
Say no to any genital traps. No depends, no panties. Christy wears long cotton shirts/skirts during the day, commando at night.
Washable bedpads are cheaper than UTI, financially and for peace.
We hydrate her with a turkey baster and add water to her food.