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At 89 yo (1.5 years ago) I put her in an ALF specializing in UTI prevention, daily Nitrofurantoin, a showering and diaper change schedule. There she had 6 diagnosed UTIs in 1 year and further became fecally incontinent.
Last week she was sent to the hospital with elevated heart rate, blood pressure through the roof, and fever, classic Urosepsis symptoms she'd had at previous hospitalizations. Next day she was released with no discernible symptoms but now believes she "does not live at the ALF and has to go home because her parents are worried about her". This bill for the ambulance/ER/Hospital day was $45,000.00
Each medical intervention and treatment has left her with more permanent confusion, delusion, incapacity to walk (for no reason other than doesn't care or want to).
Just last week I insisted no more hospitalization, realizing my mother is going to die of this ailment. Hospice accepted her and took her off Nitrofurantoin as it's warning is NOT FOR ELDERLY and causes confusion and weakness, and it is not to be taken for long periods. She'd been on it 2 years.
If your situation is like ours, what no one is telling you is that she isn't going to get better.
Now I have shifted our approach - with advice of Hospice doctors and nurses - to palliative care. Our goal is to make her comfortable not trying to treat her.
Factually all the treatments and interventions did not help but instead contributed to making her dementia worse. I've come to realize that at some point her diminished systems will be overcome by Urosepsis and will ultimately be the cause of organ failure and death.
I'm not trying to be a downer. This is my heartfelt struggle of over 8 years with my Mother. The medical system has literally churned my mother for at least $500,000.00 on a condition that was always made worse due to the side effects of the treatments. Today we believe that she should be allowed to pass peacefully without being a "guinea pig" in a medical system that fights to ignore the fact that sometimes it's best to face our mortality and embrace it with an emphasis on quality of life and peaceful passing.
My mother now has that with Hospice and a medical directive that I, as her POA, have established. It's pretty miserable to have to fight for your mother's right to pass. It has broken my heart, but I know it's right for her dignity and as the natural course of life.
Jenna
Prayers and hopes for a good outcome
you have received some great responses here so far.
I believe the confusion should begin to clear up once the infection goes away.
My mom (83 yrs old) has Vascular Dementia but one time an undiagnosed UTI quickly turned into a serious kidney infection and landed her in the hospital for 3 days. I noticed an extreme delirium beyond her regular symptoms and I took her to the ER (thank goodness I didn’t wait any longer). Cipro among other antibiotics have there own possible terrible side effects so be on the look out for any of those, unfortunately antibiotics are needed to cure the UTI.
What I have been doing now with my mom is a daily cranberry supplement, 1 cup of Greek yogurt for probiotics in her smoothies, baby wipes after all urinating & bowel movements, making sure her depends or poise pad is dry and even so, changed a couple of times a day just from sweat, am & pm a wipe with a soft tissue with a little extra virgin coconut oil on it (that’s a natural antiseptic) and just rinsing on a daily basis with water and occasionally mild soap. So far no UTI, she gets her urine checked at the Dr office every 60 days along with blood work.
Good luck with your Grandma.
Prevent UTIs by having Gram drink cranberry juice, drinking lots of water, wipe front to back when cleaning after toileting, and bathing bottom more often.
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