Preventing Health Problems
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Falls
See our section on preventing falls.
Dehydration
Dehydration, or in other words not having enough to drink, can lead to many health problems. The sense of thirst is less sensitive in the over 60s in general, and as dementia progresses it becomes less sensitive still, so make sure your loved one doesn't become dehydrated. See our detailed section on dehydration.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
These occur when bacteria, usually from faeces (poo), get into the urinary tract (where you pee from). Symptoms can include greater confusion than usual, in a noticeably rapid change. UTIs are ten times more common in women than in men, and are more likely with a urinary catheter or incontinence.
A suspected UTI can be tested for by a care home or a nurse using a urine test strip (these can also be purchased, but rely on the correct interpretation of a number of coloured indicators). Prior to treatment they may also send a sample to a lab to identify the type of bacteria, so the correct antibiotic can be prescribed.
The risk of getting a UTI can be reduced by:
- wiping from front to back after going to the toilet, using a new piece of toilet paper for each wipe
- avoiding sitting wet (and that includes saturated incontinence pads)
- avoiding dehydration
- avoiding synthetic underwear - cotton is better.
Pressure sores
Note that these aren't always visible. They arise when lack of movement means the person's weight presses on the same area for a long time, reducing blood flow there. See our detailed section on preventing pressure sores.
Diabetic skin problems
Diabetic people have less feeling in their skin and may not be aware of a skin problem starting, particularly in their feet and extremities. Added to this, people with dementia may find it difficult to express where something feels wrong. It's important to check their skin periodically for signs of any problems, so these don't develop into skin ulcers and worse.
Coughing from drinking or eating
As dementia progresses, people can have difficulty in coordinating swallowing, resulting in coughing as they try to clear the tickle from the back of the throat. We've all done it occasionally, but if it becomes a more frequent event then it should be resolved. Apart from the distress to the person, if the situation were allowed to progress then coughing would no longer be enough to clear the airway and drink or food could go down into the lungs - carrying bacteria and a ready food source for them, which could give rise to aspiration pneumonia. For more information including ways to reduce the risk, see our detailed section on coughing from drinking or eating.
Strokes
See our section on the FAST test for whether someone is having a stroke and needs emergency help.
A stroke is a caused by part of the brain not getting the oxygen it needs, because a blood vessel is either blocked by a clot or is leaking.
The risk of getting a stroke can be reduced by:
- making sure you don't miss taking your prescribed medications
- stopping smoking
- avoiding or reducing alcohol consumption
- eating healthily, and staying a healthy weight
- exercising.
See our note on alcohol, and note that cigarettes are a fire hazard and are best only used supervised.