Are you feeling thirsty?
Do you realize that as soon as you are aware of thirst, dehydration begins, and you need to hydrate immediately?
This is true for all of us, but elders are often more reluctant to drink and their frail bodies are more subject to dehydration. Because of this, hydration is crucial for elders.
What is dehydration?
Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluids than it’s taking in, which affects every area of its function. Most people are unaware how many areas of the body are affected and the seriousness of the condition.
What causes dehydration?
Are you thinking, “Duh. Not drinking enough.”? Of course, that’s the root cause, but it can be brought on by many other issues. A case of stomach flu with vomiting and diarrhea can bring on dehydration quickly and needs to be watched closely. Certain medications like diuretics, some medical conditions such as diabetes, fever, exercise, time spent outside in hot weather–all these can lead to dehydration before we are aware.
Signs of dehydration
Because it’s sneaky, we need to know the signs, especially with frail elders.
- Thirst is the first sign, but is often ignored.
- Dry mouth comes next, but if we are busy or unable to easily get a drink, we may ignore this as well.
- When dehydration becomes more chronic, it leads to dark urine. Our urine should be pale yellow in colour. If urine is dark, it’s concentrated, showing that your body is trying to conserve fluids.
- Decreased urination. No input, no output.
- Dry skin. Many elders have papery, dry skin, a sign of chronic dehydration.
- Headache
- Disorientation
- Muscle cramps
- Hunger
- Joint pain
- Decreased muscle mass
- Bad breathe
- Digestive issues such as constipation or diarrhea
- Impaired concentration and memory (think of the impact on someone with dementia!)
- Irritability and mood swings
- Food cravings and inability to lose weight 1.
Results of dehydration
This is scary, but we need to read this part carefully, because most of us have no idea how serious dehydration can be, especially for elders. Not every dehydrated person will experience all of these, but every dehydrated person is at risk.
- kidney stones
- urinary tract infections
- kidney failure
- seizures
- brain damage
- shock
- high blood pressure
- irregular heartbeat and palpitations
What not to drink
Did you know that caffeine is a diuretic, causing your body to get rid of fluids? Any drink with caffeine should be avoided, or at least not counted in the daily intake of fluids. Alcohol should also be kept to a minimum, as over-consumption quickly leads to dehydration.
But why? When the cure is just a drink away, why is this such a problem? Other than the reasons already listed (such as medications and diseases) one of the main issues is older people who experience incontinence (a frequent issue) don’t want to drink so they don’t have to pee as often. Or, smaller appetites lead to smaller consumption of fluids. It’s a daily, ongoing problem.
Are there solutions?
The good news is, yes. Not one, but many which may help.
- Education. Most elders have no idea what they are doing to their bodies by not drinking. A chat about this with information to inform them may be a good start.
- Address the continence issue. Aside from making sure a bathroom is available and accessible at all times, providing incontinence pads or briefs may help. These products have improved incredibly over the last few years, and can’t be seen under clothing.
- Look for decaffeinated versions of favourite drinks. Coffee and tea, sodas etc. all come in caffeine-free versions.
- Provide interesting waters. I love flavoured water. Peach is my favourite, with raspberry a close second.
- Add fruit to water. A quarter slice of lemon, lime or orange can make a plain cup of water into a whole new adventure.
- Make the drink accessible and refreshing. Thermos mugs are available to keep cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot for a long time.
- Drink with them. Whenever you are together, suggest you have their drink of choice together.
Chronic dehydration is serious, but it doesn’t have to get to that point. Help your elder stay hydrated, one sip at a time.
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