infections

It's not uncommon for the elderly to get urinary tract infections.  They may drink less fluids creating more concentated urine.  Or they may have trouble completely emptying their bladders.  Both of these situations can increase the risk of UTI's.   Frequent urination is usually one of the first signs of a UTI but it may go unnoticed because of certain medications that a person might be taking to decrease fluid volume in the body.  Because of this the elderly can become quite ill as the infection escalates: fever, nausea, vomiting, increased confusion, or abdominal pain. 

My mom gets UTI's alot. One thing we noticed was she was wiping in the wrong derection. It's hard to get her to understand this. So she still gets them.