Delirium, Often Mistaken For Dementia, Is Caused By UTIs in Seniors

Everyone has a story about a grandparent or parent who suddenly started acting strangely—seeing bugs on the wall, talking gibberish, or acting out in uncharacteristic ways. Initially, many believe their relative has dementia, which scares them. Then, there’s a rush to the hospital on doctor’s orders, and they are shocked to find out that this mental condition was caused by a UTI. Remarkably, the patient often returns to normal within a few days of antibiotic treatment.

This condition, known as “delirium,” is entirely preventable today. Unfortunately, doctors have given up because they can no longer prescribe long-term, preventative antibiotics to these patients. Now, the children of these patients are stepping in to ensure their parents receive proper care.

Why Seniors Get UTIs So Often

A weakened immune system and the inability to fight infections are the main reasons older individuals are more prone to UTIs. Most seniors do not exhibit the common symptoms of UTIs, like a burning sensation while urinating or pain in the lower abdomen. The medical term for this is “asymptomatic bacteriuria” (ASB).

With a growing number of seniors in assisted living or in-home care, it is crucial for caregivers to know the signs of a UTI, and how to diagnose and treat it immediately.

Urinary tract infections are the most frequent infections in long-term care facilities. Because patients have no symptoms, these infections often go undiagnosed for too long, resulting in delirium, kidney infections, or even sepsis, which can be fatal.

What To Look For

A sudden behavior change in your patient or loved one is a key indicator of a UTI. Symptoms of delirium include confusion, agitation, hallucinations, inability to communicate clearly, dizziness, and falling. Delirium disappears quickly once the UTI is treated.

Other symptoms include: back pain (around the ribs), fever, dehydration.

Doctors Have Few Options Available To Treat or Prevent UTIs in Seniors

A few years ago, doctors prescribed a daily dose of antibiotics to elderly patients to ward off these infections. That practice has now been prohibited by the AMA due to the “antibiotics resistance crisis.” The bacteria have developed immunity to the drugs, rendering most antibiotics ineffective.

This leaves elderly patients vulnerable to sudden and serious UTI flare-ups, often requiring hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics. The medical community appears to be taking a “last resort” approach to dealing with this preventable problem.

While proven preventative natural supplements are available, doctors are not actively recommending them because the FDA has not reviewed or approved them.

The “Kids” Are Stepping In To Help

With doctors providing few options, the children of these seniors have stepped in to become UTI advocates and caregivers. Many of these women and men have also learned how to manage their own UTIs and have figured out what to do.

They are taking three simple steps to help prevent sudden attacks:

1. Using Urinary Test Strips: In the absence of symptoms, these caregivers frequently test their parent or loved one to ensure an infection is not present.

Monitoring and Diagnosing Their UTI

2. Ensuring Daily Natural Supplements: They make sure their parents get a daily dose of natural supplements. Two natural supplements—D-Mannose powder and Cranberry Extract with 36 mg. PAC—have been proven to clear up and protect against UTIs. Both are safer and more effective than antibiotics.  Here is a link to the medical research covered in the NIH (National Institutes of Health) database on both supplements.

3. Setting Up Monthly Delivery Service:  Just as they ensure their parent gets their prescription drugs daily, they arrange for D-Mannose and Cranberry to be delivered regularly.

  • If the parent is in an assisted living facility, they send a monthly supply of both supplements and ask the nurses to dispense them daily.
  • If the parent is living alone, they send both the test strips and supplements and check to ensure regular testing.
  • If the parent lives with them, they supervise the urine testing and daily vitamin regimen at home.

By following these steps, caregivers can effectively manage and prevent UTIs in their elderly loved ones, reducing the risk of delirium and other serious complications.