[digger48]

A bit off topic and in no way referring to Reagan, but I've only recently learned from issues with my father that elderly men are often mis-diagnosed with Alzheimers and Dementia when their problem is actually from a Urinary Tract Infection.

Really messes with their minds.

Women know when they have a UTI, but elderly men often don't.

[OttawaFreeper]

That’s an interesting observation. I had a cousin who passed away in December (aged 80) and he had dementia but he also had a urinary tract infection that was diagnosed last fall and played a role in the significant decline in his health at the time. Maybe it was unique to his case, but you made me think of how the dementia and UTI may have gone hand in hand in my cousin’s sad decline.

[Qiviut]

With elderly women, they often do not have the symptoms that younger women have & they can go undiagnosed until the UTI is so bad that it literally puts them out of their mind. The nephew caregiver of one elderly woman (roommate of a friend) always knew when she had a UTI because she would become irrational, delusional ... generally just off her rocker. An 80+ woman for whom I was a caretaker would be without symptoms except she would complain her fingernails hurt (weird, I know). We would insist the nurses test for a UTI & she was right every time & fortunately, she never got to the point of it affecting her mind. Bottom line, UTIs aren’t good for anyone, but they can be quite dangerous for the elderly, men & women.

[vrwconspiracist]

Also old age onset hydrocephaly. If you have an elder friend or relative with memory issues, urinary incontinence, and a shuffling gait - it’s worth checking out.

https://www.dementia.org/normal-pressure-hydrocephalus

http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Adult%20Onset%20Hydrocephalus.aspx

[Tammy8]

Sometimes women don’t know either and can get quite confused. I had a neighbor that was on a long trip by herself and ended up in the hospital because she was found confused and wandering. She went in a store and woke up in the hospital. She was diagnosed with a UTI, and she didn’t remember any of what had happened. I thought it was very odd but it isn’t that uncommon.

[MayflowerMadam]

“Women know when they have a UTI, but elderly men often don’t.”

Actually, elderly women “present” differently from younger days when they have UTIs. They can show signs of dementia, and have balance issues. When my mom was falling and having problems with her memory, the county Office Of The Aging said the first thing to do is have her checked for a UTI. That was it.

In older years, the symptoms are different.