How An Undetected Urinary Tract Infection Can Kill an Alzheimer's Patient

Urinary tract infections can be the "bane" of our existence as caregivers of people living with dementia.By Bob DeMarcoAlzheimer's Reading RoomUTIs are a cause of great distress. This happens to caregivers becauseurinary tract infection often go undetected even by doctors and physician assistants.Urinary tract infections in dementia patients don't always come with signs and symptoms.In dementia patients the signs and symptoms of a UTI are oftensilent.Persons living with dementia rarely tell us they have a UTI. Why? Because they don't know it.UTIs often cause dementia patients to become mean.Article -Death by Complications from Alzheimer's, What does this mean?Urinary tract infections can also make the person seem dull, almostlike they are losing their ability to remember - very fast. We the caregivers often attributemeanness and rapid loss of memory, or even the ability to speak, to Alzheimer's or a related dementia,when in fact these behaviors are being caused by an undetected urinary tract infection.Topic -When A Person Living With Dementia Gets Angry and ConfusedAlmost every caregiver I know will tell you "they suffered" enormousstress and anxiety as a result of an undetected UTI.One of leading causes of death in Alzheimer's patients is infection. More than 10 readers of the Alzheimer's Reading Room have written to me and told me thattheir loved one died as a result of an undetected UTI that escalated to the point that the infection caused death.Every geriatric care manage...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: care of dementia patients care of dementia patients at home dementia care elderly dementia care health help alzheimer's help with dementia care how to care urinary tract infection UTI Source Type: blogs