National Senior UTI Awareness Day – October 24, 2022, history, significance
National Senior U.T.I. Awareness Day is observed every year on October 24 throughout the country. This day is set aside to raise awareness about U.T.I.s among elderly patients, especially elderly women who suffer from U.T.I.s but find diagnosis difficult.
U.T.I.s are fairly common and an easily addressed infection, but diagnosis becomes difficult for elderly patients. Elderly people may be suffering from incontinence, dementia, and several other conditions that affect their urinary tract, which makes it difficult to identify whether they’re suffering from U.T.I.s or not, especially since they don’t exhibit many common symptoms.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL SENIOR UTI AWARENESS DAY
National Senior U.T.I. Awareness Day is observed on October 24 every year, as a day separate from the general awareness day for U.T.I.s. While U.T.I.s are a fairly common condition, there is a great deal of stigma attached to it, and the infection tends to affect women more often than men.
A separate day was set aside to raise awareness for U.T.I.s in seniors and elderly patients. While elderly patients don’t commonly develop U.T.I.s, it is hard to diagnose among those who do develop the infection.
The most common symptoms associated with urinary tract infections include a repeated urge to urinate, a burning sensation when urinating, and pain in the pubic bone or the back. Other, less common symptoms of U.T.I.s include flank pain, blood or pus in the urine, fever, nausea, or vomiting.
When it comes to a U.T.I. in seniors, many of these symptoms are not present. Most elderly patients with U.T.I.s do not report pain, burning, or any particular difference in sensation when they urinate.
Even if they have a repeated urge to urinate, diagnosis is complicated by the likelihood that most seniors have incontinence or the inability to control their urge to urinate. If they also have dementia or any such memory-related illness, they will not remember when they last had the urge to pee either.
For elderly patients, the only symptom that can be considered is fever and chills, and other signs of systemic infections like nausea or vomiting. Less common signs include an increase in white blood cells. The presence of a U.T.I. can only be confirmed by a urine culture.
NATIONAL SENIOR UTI AWARENESS DAY TIMELINE
1550 B.C.
U.T.I.s are Documented
The Egyptians document U.T.I.s for the first time in the Ebers Papyrus.
1800s
Treatments are Ineffective
Ineffective treatments like bloodletting, rest, and herbs are prescribed by medical professionals.
1930s
More Effective Treatment is Developed
Physicians begin to develop effective treatments for U.T.I.s.
2000s
U.T.I.s in the Elderly are Actively Studied
Medical researchers actively study and publish papers about the manifestations of U.T.I.s in elderly patients.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL SENIOR UTI AWARENESS DAY
Share information about symptoms
Share information about how U.T.I.s manifest in elderly patients. Since the common symptoms are not seen in seniors, it is important to educate people on the symptoms that do manifest.
Check on elderly women
Elderly women tend to have a higher chance of having U.T.I.s than elderly men. Check on the elderly women; you will not know who may be exhibiting symptoms.
Discuss U.T.I.s openly
A lot of elderly patients are ashamed of having a U.T.I. You must talk about the infection openly to encourage people to receive the help they need.
5 FACTS ABOUT U.T.I.S THAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW
They’re the most common bacterial infection
For women, U.T.I.s are the most common bacterial infection they’ll experience.
They’re prevalent among young people
U.T.I.s are most common among people between the ages of 16 to 35.
Children and elderly don’t show symptoms
Extremely young and older patients alike don’t show the normal symptoms of U.T.I.s and may only have a fever.
There may be genetic causes
People whose families have a history of bladder infections may be more prone to U.T.I.s.
Overuse of antibiotics has made things worse
An increase in U.T.I. cases has been attributed to the overuse and improper use of antibiotics.
WHY NATIONAL SENIOR UTI AWARENESS DAY IS IMPORTANT
We want people to be informed
We think that people need to be aware of the different symptoms that can manifest. We want people to get the care they need as quickly as possible.
We want to empower seniors
We think that seniors often get ignored or treated without dignity about these things. We want to inform them so that they can be more in control of their own health.
We want to share what we know
We think that creating a culture of information-sharing helps everyone. We want to raise awareness about possible symptoms and diagnosis methods and learn more about the disease as well.
