Things You Should Know About UTIs in Older Adults
If you have an aging parent or relative, they may have UTI at some point in life. When left untreated, the disease can result in the hospitalization or even death of the patient. To prevent this from happening, the Aurora Home Health team explains the fundamental things you should know about to help your older adults.
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- Bacteria in the urine isn’t necessarily a problem, and it shouldn’t be treated with antibiotics unless there are multiple other signs or symptoms of a UTI. This can encourage antibiotic resistance and make future UTIs harder to treat.
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- UTI can be confirmed in cases when a patient has two or more symptoms, like fever over 100.5 °F, worsening urinary frequency or urgency, sudden pain with urination, tenderness in the lower abdomen, etc.
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- Older adults may also have other conditions that increase the risk of UTIs. For example, bladder obstruction is what usually causes UTIs in older men.
- There is no need to prescribe powerful antibiotics to older adults. It’s enough, to begin with, narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Amoxicillin is often prescribed as a first-line treatment for UTIs in older adults.
It’s always better to avoid UTIs than to treat the disease when older adults face it. To avoid it, encourage sufficient fluid intake, promote genital and urinary hygiene, and ask the doctor about low-dose vaginal cream for postmenopausal women. These tips should help your aging relative stay productive and out of the hospital.
