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CTADVRC Veterans-Directed Home and Community-Based Programs Training Your Caregiver: UTI Care Plan – Urinary Tract Infection in Elderly and Disabled Adults Updated July 2018
Training Your Caregiver: UTI Care Plan – Urinary Tract
Infection in Elderly and Disabled Adults
Anyone can get a urinary tract infection (UTI), but older and disabled adults tend to have this problem often and, left untreated, it can cause serious complications. That is why a urinary tract infection in elderly patients needs to be recognized quickly and treated properly before it becomes a real danger to their health.
What Is a Urinary Tract Infection?
A UTI is an infection in one or more segments of the urinary system such as the bladder, kidneys, and urethra. Most of these infections start in the lower urinary tract and affect the urethra and bladder. However, the infection can spread to the kidneys, and this is when the situation becomes more serious.
This type of infection is more common in women than in men.
Causes of Urinary Tract Infections
What causes urinary tract infection in the elderly is similar to that in younger people: bacteria. Bacteria can enter the urethra, and if the immune system cannot overcome the infection, it can spread to the bladder and eventually to the kidneys.
For the elderly, dementia or living in an assisted living facility can increase the likelihood of falling victim to this type of infection. Nursing home patients and bed-bound patients tend to have higher rates of UTIs. Older or disabled adults who wear incontinence briefs or use catheters are also at a higher risk of developing an infection. Incontinence and lackluster hygiene are other contributors to recurrent urinary tract infection in elderly or disabled persons.
Chronic or persistent urinary tract infections in these veterans can lead to other issues such as kidney infections, which can lead to kidney failure if not treated in time.
CTADVRC Veterans-Directed Home and Community-Based Programs Training Your Caregiver: UTI Care Plan – Urinary Tract Infection in Elderly and Disabled Adults Updated July 2018
Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection
Medical science has identified a set of common symptoms that may indicate the presence of a urinary tract infection.
Some of the classic symptoms include:
- Pain in the back or stomach.
- Burning during urination.
- Fever and chills.
- Dark or cloudy urine.
- Unusual-smelling urine.
- Frequent need to urinate.
Additional symptoms in the elderly or disabled can include lethargy, agitation, falling, incontinence, decreased appetite, and decreased mobility. If you notice these symptoms, notify the veteran’s primary care physician or clinic nurse immediately as a urinary tract infection can rapidly develop into something worse.
Note: As a caregiver you can be held responsible if you do not notify the physician of a possible infection which leads to complications that could have been avoided by early treatment.
Urinary Tract Infection Care Plan
The typical first response care plan for UTI is antibiotics. If the veteran has a simple infection, antibiotics should resolve the situation in a few days. However, you will need to ensure the veteran takes the entire course of prescribed antibiotics.
If your veteran has frequent infections, then the veteran’s doctor may want your veteran to take a low dose of antibiotics for 6 months or longer. For postmenopausal women, vaginal estrogen therapy may be suggested. If your veteran has the symptoms of urinary tract infection, the most important thing is to make sure he/she visits their doctor as soon as possible.
Prompt treatment can reduce your veteran’s chances of having more serious issues down the line. If you are a caretaker of an elder or disabled veteran, it is important to ensure that proper hygiene
CTADVRC Veterans-Directed Home and Community-Based Programs Training Your Caregiver: UTI Care Plan – Urinary Tract Infection in Elderly and Disabled Adults Updated July 2018
Training Your Caregiver: UTI Care Plan – Urinary Tract
Infection in Elderly and Disabled Adults Test
Employee Name: Date:
Please mark the correct response.
- Urinary Tract Infections only affect older people. a. True. b. False.
- A UTI is an infection in one or more of the urinary system’s parts such as the bladder, kidneys, and urethra. a. True. b. False.
- This type of infection is more common in men than in women. a. True. b. False.
- List 4 of the 6 classic signs of a UTI infection. i. ii. iii. iv.
CTADVRC Veterans-Directed Home and Community-Based Programs Training Your Caregiver: UTI Care Plan – Urinary Tract Infection in Elderly and Disabled Adults Updated July 2018
- Additional symptoms in the elderly or disabled can include (name 4). i. ii. iii. iv.
- What do you do when your veteran exhibits symptoms of a UTI? a. Notify the veteran that the veteran has a UTI. b. Notify family members that the veteran has a UTI. c. Notify the primary care physician or clinic nurse that the veteran has a UTI.
- The first course of treatment of a UTI is: a. Provide cranberry juice to the veteran to help care for the UTI. b. Give lots of water to flush the bacteria out of the urinary tract system. c. Get the veteran to take prescribed antibiotics.
- As a caregiver, you will need to ensure your veteran takes the entire course of prescribed antibiotics. a. True. b. False.
- If you are a caretaker of an elder or disabled veteran, it is important to ensure that proper hygiene standards are followed for veterans who have: (Circle all answers that are correct.) a. Anger issues and refuse to follow hygienic practices. b. Alzheimer’s c. Incontinence. d. Water retention issues.
CTADVRC Veterans-Directed Home and Community-Based Programs Training Your Caregiver: UTI Care Plan – Urinary Tract Infection in Elderly and Disabled Adults Updated July 2018
