UTI’s (Article 1) - Introduction

UTI's - Introduction

UTI’s

Having a urine infection can be a common problem when you are older. There may be underlying health problems that are responsible. Urine infections are usually easily treated with a course of a medicine called an antibiotic. Once cleared with treatment, in most cases there are no long-term problems following a urine infection. There are some simple steps you can take to help prevent a urine infection.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a type of infection that are common among older people. Women are more commonly affected by them than men. If a person with a memory impairment or dementia has a urinary tract infection, this can cause sudden and severe confusion known as 'delirium'.

Staying Healthy - Spotting a Problem

Spotting a problem

It is important that everyone involved in the life of the person with dementia keeps an eye on their state of health. 

As the dementia progresses, they may become less able to identify health problems or to tell others about them, so it is important to look out for signs that the person might be in pain or discomfort.

If you help them wash or dress, discreetly look out for cuts and bruises in case they have any injuries that they haven't told you about. 

Also look out for rashes or sore places. Any red patches that don't go away after a few hours could be pressure sores, so tell the GP or district nurse immediately.

Achieving a Successful CQC Inspection

How the Edith Ellen Foundation Can Help You Achieve a Successful CQC Inspection

I thought long and hard about this post and how I would entitle it, as I know many will criticise it without having read it.  However, through The Edith Ellen Foundation Kindness Audit ultimately this is what we hope to achieve – a successful CQC Inspection.  Though it would not be as simple as following steps 1-10 it never should be that simple, a successful CQC inspection will promote your provision of care and rate it accordingly.  Therefore, a successful inspection is extremely important – in a time when we read so many reports on the failing standards of care, abuse of our elderly is widely reported.

So how can The Edith Ellen Foundation help your service?  How can we promote your service as being one of those which provide an excellence standard of care?

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Regulated Activities Regulations 2014 introduced a new emphasis for health and social care providers.  The emphasis is centred on 11 fundamental Regulations that are inspected under 5 Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOE).  The 5 KLOE ask is the service:

Staying Healthy - Medication

Medication

In general, the fewer drugs someone with dementia has to take, the better - both for their dementia and their general health. This includes prescription and over-the-counter drugs. If you are supporting someone with dementia, you may find the following tips useful.

As soon as possible after diagnosis, check with the GP to make sure that the person is not taking any drugs that they don't need any more, and that they are taking the lowest possible effective dose of those they do.

If any drugs are used to relieve behavioural symptoms, make sure these are reviewed very regularly.

If you suspect that the person's medication may be increasing their confusion or causing other unwanted side-effects, tell the GP.

Help the person take their medication at the right time by using box compartments or individual tablets marked with days or times. For more severe memory problems, you may need to make sure that the person doesn't overlook a dose or take an extra dose by mistake.

You might even need to place medicines out of reach and out of sight as an extra precaution.