My mother has been in a nursing home for just over 5 months and has had 4 UTI's during this time. She was prone to them when she was younger but hasn't had one for many years prior to this. I have been researching to try to understand the cause and the NH/Doctors reluctance to treat it in a timely manner. I realize they are worried about too many antibiotics and the bugs building resistance but having suffered many UTI's myself, I just don't understand how they can let her suffer so. This last one has taken a full week to get anything done about it. I did call her doctor (he has only been her doctor since going to the NH) and he gave her an analgesic only until the culture came back which took 4 full days. I've been with her for the last 2 days making her drink tons of water and drink cranberry juice and have made many requests of nursing staff and her doctor to please do something to help her. Finally today they prescribed something to help clear it up after first prescribing two drugs she is allergic too and which is clearly written on her chart and files! The nurse caught the first one and I caught the second one.

Can anyone tell me if they have had this sort of experience or why the medical staff seem to want the patient to try to fight it off themselves? I've asked them all if they've ever had a UTI and only one has - she is the one that has finally gotten it sorted out today. It makes me so angry.:mad:

Thanks
Shirley

That's terrible! They ought to treat it at once. The sooner treatment begins, the quicker it goes away. I am appalled at this neglect.

If the patient is incontinent, it is often a matter of changing her diapers often enough. Obviously you can get an infection from sitting in your own wastes.

It is a very good thing you are closely supervising her care.

Good luck !

Cranberry juice is an excellent preventive; she should drink it every day even after the infection clears up.

Martha

Lemon Barley is also good for UTI's and "dicky kidneys".

As for the nursing home staff, my first thought is this poor woman isn't being toileted properly. If ANY faecal matter get's NEAR the urethra, it can create a mess (UTI). I would also check her diet .. can you track what she has eaten a few days before she get's a UTI? Most NH should have a diet sheet handy.

You could get something "over the counter" at your pharmacy to counteract the UTI the day it starts (there's a special powder here called URAL, mix with water, drink and in 2 days UTI gone !!) see if your pharmacist has something similar.

Tiring, yes.

Hmmmmm.....interesting info! My MIL has very frequent UTI also...at least according to the NH personnel. About once a month or so, we get a call that meds have been called in by them for her. $$$$ !!!

I was not aware of the probable cause here...thank you. Yesterday I got a call at work asking if it were O.K. to call an ambulance for her...seems she was bleeding excessively when they got her up in the a.m. The caretaker was sure her kidneys were shutting down. The Dr. "clinically diagnosed" the problem as uterine cancer...cannot be absolutely sure without surgery.

She's 92...under Hospice care...and the gentle suggestion (which we do agree with) is to just keep an eye on her. He said she would not survive surgery. *sigh* FIL in a different facility...same age...and also has inoperable cancer...also under Hospice care. Then there's MY Mother...9 years in an Alzhiemer's home...Hospice helping with her too. Her little shrinking body still is so healthy! No wonder my back is hurting! Got to learn to loosen those muscles! Argh!........Pam:(

Oh Dear Pam, poor you! I thought having ONE parent at that stage in life was hard .....

God bless you!

Love,

Martha

Sorry to that your Mom is suffering so. But I believe I would find another NH for her.
I have suffered all my life w/UTI's,and I have had every test known to man and there is only one answer I get and that is some women just have alot of them and for no reason. But I have reduced them alot by taking Macrobid 100mg, each day. So you can do something about it. If your Dr. won't agree with you find one that will.
Good Luck

Thank you all for your suggestions. I should add a bit more history for my Mom. She is considered "mildly cognizant impaired", still toilets herself and is left to her own resources for the most part. I doubt she is able to clean herself properly after a bowel movement so this may be adding to her troubles. She is in one of the 'best' government/veteran's funded nursing homes in the country as she is a war veteran herself. However, the medical system in Canada is quite a mess, underfunded, understaffed and not enough qualified nursing staff in the homes. The home itself is really very nice and unless we went to private care we would be unable to get anything better. Private care is not possible as she has very limited financial means.

I will meet with her doctor next week to discuss preventative measures, both alternative medicine, over the counter options, and traditional treatments, and as also suggested perhaps a daily antibiotic. I will also ask the staff if they could assist in ensuring she is properly cleaned daily to keep the urethra area as clean as possible - but expect they will do this hit and miss.

On a lighter note, I called my Mom tonight to see how she is doing. She said "did I tell you a had a bladder infection"? I had just spent two days with her talking of little else, getting her to drink water and cranberry juice, and making a complete nuisance of myself in the NH trying to get something done. Since then I've been on the internet and consulted with all of you. I just repled "yes, Mom you did mention it". My life has been nothing but about her and my Dad (who recently passed away). She has no idea!;)

Shirley

Before my Mom was in a NH, while she was with me and taking care of her own toileting needs she had one bladder infection after another. It was clear to me that she was not cleaning herself properly, indeed, sometimes she smelled bad becasue she had forgotten to wipe.

The transition to NH and diapers brought about LESS UTIs since she was properly cleaned. It is poosible to get NH Aides to look after her toileting needs - you just have to put more pressure on them and reward them with thanks and little gifts. Your Mom might resent such help - believing that she can do a good job of it herself. It is a very tricky subject. My Mom and I were often both in tears when I tried to get her to wash herself thoroughly, since she was sure she had already done so, and I was being unreasonable.

Good luck - AD is a horrible disease.

Love,
Martha

I just fought this with my mother when we were home the first of the month in Minnesota. They caught the infection quick enough, but the first antibiotic didn't touch it and it wasn't until the labs came back four days later and they changed the antibiotics did Mom start to even stand a chance to recover.

I am a fierce protector of my mother as the staff knows...except for the new nurse who had the gall to inform me "that my mother had a DNR, after all." I was so dumbfounded that I stood with my mouth gaping open. I looked at her and said.."My mother is suffering from a UTI, not a massive heart attack. I certainly expect you to treat her for THAT."

We were having a quarterly care meeting the enxt morning and I brought this up with the supervising staff. Their reaction was the same as mine had been-which was what I had hoped it would be. They were appalled that she acted this way and was treating my mother as such. This same nurse also informed me that I didn't need to call to check on my mother. She would call me if there was anything wrong.

Now I am an only child and the only advocate my parents have so you had better expect to see and hear from me...The staff knows me by voice, face and by name..nad I have a good relationship with 95% of them...until this last UTI..

Theres always at least 1 cynical "B***H" in a nursing home, and in the one I work in, it's one of the bosses. The most uncaring, unempathic, selfish egotistical woman I have ever met. Why she picked nursing with her attitude beats us.

I've even had NEW staff who have only been with us just over a week come and ask me if this staff member has a mental issue.

Amazing.... absolutely amazing. And yet, whenever there's been a complaint, there's never been any follow through or disiplinary action. Not once.

Raise your voice a little bit louder. Stand your ground a little bit harder. Let this nurse know your not intimidated by her. If possible, check with other residents family members if they have had issues with her.

I'm sorry to say, but this nurse will let your mother suffer pain by the sounds of things and that's just unthinkable. Her logic is "so? She's gonna die anyway"

Oh it makes me mad !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I to worked in a long term care facility, up front, and have come across those that have bad attitudes. When somebody tells me that "they are going to die anyway", I just shoot back..... "AND SO ARE YOU!!" We don't know when our last day will be. Ever person, no matter what age or condition, deserves to be treated with compassion and dignity. So keep asking questions, be vigilant, and keep demanding the right care for you Mom. Somebody will listen to you as you crawl up the chain of command.

Love, Deb

LOL> I must have done some good. I didn't see her again for the entire week. I pushed back on everything she told me. When I found my mother sitting up at the dinner table so ill that she couldn't even sit up I ripped her up one side and down the other. We didn't get on so good. I took one look at my mom, told the aide, put her to bed now. I stood and glared at the nurse with me "don't you dare to cross me" mother look in my eyes. You know, the one your children know enough to fear whatever their age is.....

The good news is that Mom is recovering..albeit slowly, but she is recovering. She has the sparkle back in her eyes and she is eating again and up walking. She still tires easier than she did before this last UTI, but I am just thankful she pulled through. It seems that every one takes a little more out of her and it takes longer for her to recover and bounce back..

I am so glad your Mom is doing better. Sometimes you just have to assert you authority and pull out that look. Hopefully that will be the last UTI for a while and it will be smooth sailing. Kudo's to you for standing up for your Mom that way. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers....

Love,
Deb

I just fought this with my mother when we were home the first of the month in Minnesota. They caught the infection quick enough, but the first antibiotic didn't touch it and it wasn't until the labs came back four days later and they changed the antibiotics did Mom start to even stand a chance to recover.

I am a fierce protector of my mother as the staff knows...except for the new nurse who had the gall to inform me "that my mother had a DNR, after all." I was so dumbfounded that I stood with my mouth gaping open. I looked at her and said.."My mother is suffering from a UTI, not a massive heart attack. I certainly expect you to treat her for THAT."

We were having a quarterly care meeting the enxt morning and I brought this up with the supervising staff. Their reaction was the same as mine had been-which was what I had hoped it would be. They were appalled that she acted this way and was treating my mother as such. This same nurse also informed me that I didn't need to call to check on my mother. She would call me if there was anything wrong.

Now I am an only child and the only advocate my parents have so you had better expect to see and hear from me...The staff knows me by voice, face and by name..nad I have a good relationship with 95% of them...until this last UTI..
have them check her urine for MRSA. I work in a nursing home and i do have one elder that was geting uti's often and they did a c&s and it came back MRSA. Another suggestion is an ongoing antibiotic treatment as well. You might want to make sure they are doing proper peri care on her as well ie wiping with a clean cloth each time they clean her and wiping front to back, it sounds stupid but i have seen many uti's from impropper cleaning. I hate to say it but there is always one person who see's the elders as only being there to die and those are the ones that do not belong in the field of caring for the elderly. Just remember there are other homes that would take your mother and care for her how you want her to be cared for. That nurse must have forgotten that she too will be old some day.