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Blog archive

March 2025

About Senior Solutions
03/28/2025

Building a Bridge With Journey House, A Home Base for Former Foster Youth
03/28/2025

Come for the Knitting, Stay for the Conversation... and the Cookies
03/28/2025

Creating Safe and Smart Spaces with Home Technology
03/28/2025

Finding Joy in My Role on The Pasadena Village Board
03/28/2025

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!
03/28/2025

Managing Anxiety
03/28/2025

Message from Our President: Keeping Pasadena Village Strong Together
03/28/2025

My Favorite Easter Gift
03/28/2025

The Hidden History of Black Women in WWII
03/28/2025

Urinary Tract Infection – Watch Out!
03/28/2025

Volunteer Coordinator and Blade-Runner
03/28/2025

Continuing Commitment to Combating Racism
03/26/2025

Status - March 20, 2025
03/20/2025

Goodbye and Keep Cold by Robert Frost
03/13/2025

What The Living Do by Marie Howe
03/13/2025

Racism is Not Genetic
03/11/2025

Bill Gould, The First
03/07/2025

THIS IS A CHAPTER, NOT MY WHOLE STORY
03/07/2025

Dramatic Flair: Villagers Share their Digital Art
03/03/2025

Empowering Senior LGBTQ+ Caregivers
03/03/2025

A Life Never Anticipated
03/02/2025

Eaton Fire Changes Life
03/02/2025

February 2025

Commemorating Black History Month 2025
02/28/2025

Transportation at the Pasadena Village
02/28/2025

A Look at Proposition 19
02/27/2025

Behind the Scenes: Understanding the Pasadena Village Board and Its Role
02/27/2025

Beyond and Within the Village: The Power of One
02/27/2025

Celebrating Black Voices
02/27/2025

Creatively Supporting Our Village Community
02/27/2025

Decluttering: More Than The Name Implies
02/27/2025

Hidden Gems of Forest Lawn Museum
02/27/2025

LA River Walk
02/27/2025

Message from the President
02/27/2025

Phoenix Rising
02/27/2025

1619 Conversations with West African Art
02/25/2025

The Party Line
02/24/2025

Bluebird by Charles Bukowski
02/17/2025

Dreams by Langston Hughes
02/17/2025

Haiku - Four by Fritzie
02/17/2025

Haikus - Nine by Virginia
02/17/2025

Wind and Fire
02/17/2025

Partnerships Amplify Relief Efforts
02/07/2025

Another Community Giving Back
02/05/2025

Diary of Disaster Response
02/05/2025

Eaton Fire: A Community United in Loss and Recovery
02/05/2025

Healing Powers of Creative Energy
02/05/2025

Living the Mission
02/05/2025

Message from the President: Honoring Black History Month
02/05/2025

Surviving and Thriving: Elder Health Considerations After the Fires
02/05/2025

Treasure Hunting in The Ashes
02/05/2025

Villager's Stories
02/05/2025

A Beginning of Healing
02/03/2025

Hectic Evacuation From Eaton Canyon Fire
02/02/2025

Hurricanes and Fires are Different Monsters
02/02/2025

January 2025

Urinary Tract Infection – Watch Out!

By Suzi Hoge
Posted: 03/28/2025
Tags: suzi hoge, newsletter march 2025

Urinary Tract Infection is not something we commonly talk about or share with others. But as we age it is a health condition that occurs more frequently while its symptoms become less defined. It occurs in both older men and women, but women have more infections because of body structure, with their urethras being shorter. 

What is a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)? It is an infection caused by bacteria. These bacteria enter the urinary tract via the urethra (the tube from the bladder that urine passes through). The bacteria move upward and can infect the bladder and sometime the kidneys. It can even progress to life threatening sepsis, in which the blood becomes infected. 

Classic symptoms of a UTI are burning pain with urination, increased need to urinate, and fever. According to a 2022 study of UTIs posted on the National Library of Health, "UTI manifests more commonly and specifically in this age group [aging adults] as delirium or confusion in the absence of fever." Thus, changes in someone’s demeanor or mental state may be caused by a UTI. This is important knowledge that may be overlooked because of the lack of typical UTI symptoms seen in younger folks.  As Villager Karen Bagnard observes, “UTI is a bitch.”

Other health conditions common in an older population increase the risk of UTI’s. These include dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, diabetes, and incontinence. Post menopausal women have a higher risk because of decreased level of estrogen. Men’s increased risk includes factors such as bladder or kidney stones and enlarged and/or infected prostate. 

A UTI for an older adult is more of a challenge to diagnose because of lack of symptoms that are usually felt by a younger person. A doctor can order a urinalysis, but what can we do to be proactive about these nasty UTI’s?

At-home tests are now easily available and affordable. Kits containing test strips with individual strips start at about 15 cents per strip. Some kits have more elaborate test strips, collection cups, etc. These can be ordered online and are available in local pharmacies without prescriptions. If one’s test strip reveals a possible infection, the next step is a fuller urinalysis at your doctor’s.  

How can you help to prevent UTI’s? Good hygiene is very important. Wiping from front to back after toileting, along with thorough hand washing is a good first step. Daily showering or bathing is recommended. Keep urine flowing by drinking plenty of water and voiding when needed. Frequent changes of adult pads are optimal if incontinence is present.  Women may also consider a low dose vaginal estrogen cream. 

This is a subject in which we need to be informed and be able to advocate for ourselves. That includes the knowledge that we can easily test ourselves if needed.

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