Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be serious in the elderly and there is some evidence that it might even affect the mood of your loved one.

With proper care, you can prevent UTIs from getting out of hand and wreaking havoc.

In this post, we will talk about how to keep UTIs are bay.

Urinary tract infections in the elderly (how to prevent them)

Wipe from front to back

Remnants of fecal matter tend to contain millions of bacteria that can contribute to urinary tract infections.

When you are wiping (or you are a caregiver who is helping your loved one get clean), wipe from the front of the genitals and back towards the anus.

Don’t bring the toilet paper back towards your genitals.

This simple action keeps the bacteria away from where they could cause an infection.

Avoid holding your urine

If you need to go to the bathroom, please do! Urine that is held in your bladder creates a perfect atmosphere for bacterial growth.

The inconvenience of stopping whatever you are doing to go and pee is worth preventing that UTI that will nag you for months.

Drink plenty of water

Other fluids like cranberry juice, orange juice, hibiscus tea, white/black tea are helpful as well.

Drinking water and increasing your fluid intake in general, allows your body to make more urine.

The urine your body produces will wash out the bacteria that would otherwise hang around and cause an infection.

Drink more cranberry juice (or consume more cranberries)

There is some evidence that drinking cranberry juice or consuming cranberries could help with preventing the recurrence of UTIs.

A study looked at 150 women who had urinary tract infections and the effects of cranberry juice on preventing urinary tract infections. The women were divided into three groups. One group drank cranberry-lingonberry concentrate juice for 6 months. Compared to the control groups,  the researchers found there was a 20% risk reduction in the recurrence of UTIs when the women drank the cranberry-lingonberry concentrate.

Another study found that cranberry juice could disrupt UTI-associated bacterial biofilms.

Take these simple steps to keep UTIs at bay.