Incontinent people often get more UTIs, owing in part to the bacteria that can get into the urethra from improper or insufficient cleansing. Make sure she (or you, for her) wipes from front to back. Have her drink lots of water. Cranberry capsules, available in health food stores, are very good to maintain urinary health -- check with her doctor to make sure she can take them. Pure cranberry juice is good, also, but make sure it's the pure unsweetened kind, not the "cocktail" version that is sold in most stores.

Hi Mimi
I took care of my mil for almost 6 years. She was incontinent all of those years.
For me to clean her, was not something she wanted any part of (at least in the early years) but a Dr. recomended that we use a rinsing bottle. I would fill it with warm water and later I used warm water with the no rinse soap and either she or I would rinse her from the front and it can be used from the back as well. If she had had a messy bm, it worked well for that also.
By using this method we had only a few UTI in those 6 years.
Good Luck
Connie

UTIs are the pits!

They tend to cause confusion in the affected elderly. Mum has had a stroke and is a "little bit out there" on good days, but whenever she gets REALLY weird for more than a day/2 I am "on alert".

Great advice on proper wiping and clean up. Leave it to Connie to provide an easy, DIY solution! (nice to see you aroung the 'hood, sister!).

Mum has an urostomy, but getting her to drink the amount of water required to maintain an already fragile and IMPROVISED urinary system is virtually impossible. I call it the "water wars".. and DON'T I HATE EVERY BLESSED MINUTE OF IT. It seems every bit of my free time is taken up with making sure she gets 8 oz. of water and FINISHES the entire glass. The only "good" thing about an urostomy is the pee is always there to inspect... so when something is amiss I'm "johnny on the spot".

The more water she consumes and the more vigilant the staff about proper wiping/sanitation the easier it will be! but you need to be mindful of UTIs, they can lead to other things.

UTI's in older people generally manifest first with mental status changes, so, like Chelone says, if your parent is a little weird for a day or so, it's probably a UTI. In people with dementia, it's really hard to decide what's happening.

You know your parent best, so insist that a urine specimen be sent for culture if you think things aren't right, because frequently, a urine specimen will come back normal with the dipstick test. Untreated, it can easily end up with hospitalization, so waiting for "normal" symptoms can be a disaster.

UTIs are very hard on the elderly. In addition to the above mentioned characteristics, they can make one listless, tired, and cause loss of appetite. You're doing a great job, Mimi...

Once again, you all have been wonderful...just one more question...several of you have mentioned that UTIs can lead to other more dangerous illnesses...can you please explain?

Mimi, there is a risk of the infection spreading to the kidneys. The link below may give you some helpful info.

Here is a link that might be useful: urinary tract infections;