How to prevent frequent UTIs for my father, who is immobile and has a condom catheter?

My Mom had a stroke and frequent uti's after. Her urologist finally prescribed a medicine called methenamine twice daily which had worked wonders to end the uti's!

My husband had frequent infections caused by his kidney stones and requiring hospitalization and IV antibiotics.
His new urologist gave his an RX for
sodium citrate and citric acid liquid and said to get theracran one.
it has been wonderful for over a year.
Ask his urologist.

In my younger years, I had a horrible UTI that just wouldn't go away. It wasn't until I supplemented my antibiotics with high dose Vitamin C and apple cider vinegar that I was finally able to kick it. Of course, check with his doc to make sure that's okay.

My husband dislikes the non-taste of water. So I got Mio Sweet Tea flavor. It has no sugar. A little bit of sugar substitute. I squirt a little into his cold water and he drinks it down. He also likes refrigerated diet ginger ale. I was informed that clear diet sodas are better than dark diet sodas.
His speech therapist said cold fluids tend to taste better as we get older. Has to do with our tastebuds.
He will also drink refrigerated cranberry apple juice, which I know has sugar. But it's good for his bladder and coincidently his bowels. Two 10 Oz glasses daily, and no need for miralax or sennosides.
Carb smart ice cream is low sugar & low carb. It's also considered a dairy liquid.
For urine retention in the bladder, he takes Finasteride. One pill once daily.
We have to do diaper changes. Condom catheters fall off him.
So far only 2 UTIs in 2 years.

He needs to drink water - at least 2 liters daily. Most seniors and especially those with dementia have a poor sense of thirst and tend to stay dehydrated.

ATLDaughter: Pose your question to his urologist.

Systemic remedies can be something like D-Mannose, which keeps the urinary tract 'flushed', as does UNsweetened Cranberry Juice. Constant use of antibiotics weaken the body, because they wipe out beneficial bacteria and if given monthly the body barely has time to rebound the good 'bugs' in the gut. Plus, the gut is a big part of our Immune System, so constant infection/antibiotic rounds make the body unable to fully defend itself. Exterior cleanliness is of course important, but inner methods are needed here. Please look into D-Mannose, a supplement; few can drink enough UNSweetened Cranberry Juice, or take the pills, to stay ahead of chronic UTIs. The catheter may be part of the problem, as it mechanically irritates the ureters/bladder so the body jumps up to defend itself via inflammation. Vicious cycle; please ask your dad's docs to consider D-Mannose as a preventative/management possibility.

UTIs are a common problem for the elderly suffering from dementia. One reason can be that the bladder does not empty completely. You can rule that by using a regular catheter, with help from a nurse, and consulting with a nephrologist.



Preventing UTI
Urinary tract infections make life more difficult for the patient and their caregiver. More than that, frequent UTI and the associated antibiotic use increase the risk that someday you may come across a type of bacteria that is resistant to treatment. It is therefore imperative to reduce the frequency of UTIs through proper care and prevention.

Drink Plenty of Fluids
·        An individual with normal body weight and average level of activity requires six to eight glasses of water daily to stay properly hydrated. Dehydration is one of the causes of UTI and one of the easiest to prevent.
·        Make sure that the patient does not hold in their urine for long periods of time. Remind them to go to the bathroom or take them if they are unable to go on their own. Have them visit the bathroom at specific intervals, such as every hour.

Clean Properly
·        Replace incontinence pads and diapers promptly if wet.
·        If the patient is still managing their hygiene alone, make sure they are doing it correctly. Sooner or later, they will need more help with cleaning and washing.
·        Wash the patient carefully at least twice a day, once when they wake up, and again when they go to bed at night. In case of a bowel movement in their shorts or diapers, wash them again thoroughly.
·        Warm and humid areas are ideal environments for bacteria and fungi to grow. Use a blow drier to dry the washed area after you have wiped it with a towel.
·        For female patients, use sterile gauze and ladies disinfectant gel, and disinfect from the front to the back. Do not repeat the front-to-back motion with the same gauze, or you run the risk of spreading germs back to the front.

Make Urine More Acidic
·        Most bacteria do not grow in acidic environments. Make urine more acidic by including plenty of vitamin C in the patient’s diet. You can use vitamin C pills or cranberry pills, which are available as over-the-counter dietary supplements at your local pharmacy.
·        Orange juice, cranberry juice, and blueberries are excellent sources of vitamin C. Serve fruit juices freshly squeezed, rather than processed, as the processed variety usually contains a lot of added sugar.
·        Parsley is also rich in vitamin C. Include it fresh in the patient’s diet. If the patient has trouble chewing, mince the parsley with a knife and serve it on their soup or other food.

Maintenance Antibiotics
·        Your doctor may prescribe a low-dose antibiotic to be taken daily to prevent UTI. However, antibiotics may also kill the good bacteria that are necessary for digestive health. This may result in diarrhea, frequent bowel movements, or runny stool. If so, your doctor may stop the low-dose antibiotics altogether.
·        Use probiotic dairy products or food supplements to replenish the good bacteria that are lost as a result of taking antibiotics. You may also make your own probiotic yogurt by using kefir starter grains.

I have a bottle of d-mannose plus cranberry and another bottle of just cranberry extract supplements. I never noticed the d-mannose part before reading this thread. I think if monitoring sugar is a problem just get the cranberry extract only pills.

The cranberry worked well to assist with UTI's for my father and more liquids. I was giving him vitamin water bottles and asked the nursing staff and his PT to push as much fluids on him as they could. I did thicken the water using purathick thickening agent prior to putting the water in his fridge. The product does not add any "extra" taste to the water, however your brain scream at you "not water, NOT WATER!!!!!!!" because of the texture. LOL The flavored water helped disguise the texture with the fruit flavor.
My dad's Dr. did not recommend giving him the D-mannose so check with your father's Dr. prior to giving him any supplements.

Same here. No catheter, but after a string of UTI’s we tried D-Mannos - one pill 3X a day and cranberry supplements and have had no UTI for over 7 months. Got my fingers crossed.

Not sure about condom catheters but catheters can contribute to UTIs. D-Mannose you can give a try. Cranberry tablets and a probiotic helped my Mom. No UTIs in the last year of her life. She had been hospitalized before with them.

Many people recommend D-Mannose to help prevent UTIs, and it wouldn't hurt to push more fluids.