UTI's and Cognition

My mom gets UTI's as frequently as our cats bring home dead rodents... a lot.  I've learned how to read the physical signs that she has an infection.  She will poop and pee on the floor.  She gets confused and forgets where the bathroom is or even how to sit on the toilet.  The smell associated with the infection is one that has been burned in my brain for eternity.

The antibiotics always make her more confused with more difficulty for her finding words to express herself.  It's a chain reaction that takes place, not finding words always leads to agitation because we don't know what it is that she wants.  Frustration makes her cranky making it super difficult to care for her.

Yesterday we saw our Naturopath Doctor, he recommended Mannose, a natural remedy used to prevent Urinary Tract Infections (UTI's.)  Mannose works through the adherence of bacteria in the urinary tract.  Even if E-Coli gets in my mom's Urinary Tract, the Mannose will wrap itself around the bacteria and flush it out before it causes any trouble.  Let's hope this works to keep my mom's UTI's at bay and occurring less frequently.

UTI's are tough on Care Givers.  Keeping our loved one clean in the "pecacular" and butt area is our first line of attack against the dreaded UTI.  Not keeping clean allows E-Coli to get into the "pecacular" (my mom's word for her lady parts in the southern region of her body.)  Poop in their diaper or when using the toilet, the individual doesn't wipe themselves well or in the right direction.

Showering every day is our goal, but she fights us.  Having help in the shower by anyone except me, always brings on a fight.  Mom will plant her feet in the ground and refuse to bend her legs to walk.  She even threatens her home care worker.    I wonder why my mom won't shower every day so that we can keep her problem area clean?   I wish I had a solution or a way for her to understand the logic; keep clean and avoid UTI pain.

UTI's are nasty;  when a demented person gets them, cognition declines and Care Givers are pushed to their limits.  It's during these times that I want to call 911 and have them cart my mom off to a psych ward for evaluation and then dumped in a home.  I know this isn't the right approach but sometimes it feels like the only answer to a chronic problem.

God help all Care Givers... we are faced with challenges that can make a grown person break down and cry.