This article is part of a series on elderly care. The series provides important information about caregiving practices.
Dehydration is an alarmingly common cause of hospitalization for elderly people.
Seniors sometimes forget, refuse, or struggle to drink enough liquids throughout the day. For caregivers and family members, reminding or convincing them to drink 2.7 – 3.7 liters of liquids a day can be a little challenging.
Read on to discover how to get elderly people to drink more, the links between dehydration and dementia, and how AlfredCamera can aid in facilitating better caregiving practices.
Table of Contents
What are Some Signs of Dehydration in the Elderly?
One study revealed that as many as 40% of community-dwelling seniors are chronically underhydrated. This can lead to dehydration and a whole host of infections.
Clearly, it’s a common problem, but since the consequences of dehydration can be life threatening, it’s important for family members and caregivers to take concerns about a lack of liquids seriously.
Signs of dehydration in elderly people include:
- Dark colored urine
- Dry mouth and chapped lips
- Shakiness
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Fainting
Source: Healthline
How Do You Remind Elderly to Drink Water? 5 Tips to Know
Reminding and encouraging seniors to drink water can be challenging if they regularly forget to take in liquids, live with limited mobility, or if they refuse to drink.
Below, consider some of the most useful tips for helping seniors to drink more and avoid dehydration.
1. Tea, Coffee, Soda
Despite what you may have heard, tea and coffee aren’t dehydrating. While caffeine is a diuretic, the impact is actually negligible because of the amount of water in a cup of tea or coffee.
If a senior is resistant to drinking water, compromise by letting them drink tea or coffee. If they are sensitive to caffeine or have been advised to stay away from it, choose decaffeinated tea bags and coffee.
Having a cup of tea or coffee can be an enjoyable social occasion, so drinking with them and chatting can be very encouraging and avoid making drinking a ‘chore’.
Likewise, if they refuse to drink water in favor of soda or flavored water, this is also better than not drinking at all. The dangers of dehydration are significant. Choose sugar free options to avoid aggravating conditions like diabetes.
2. Two-way audio camera
Not all seniors require full or part-time care, but they may still fail to drink adequate amounts of liquid. Monitoring liquid intake and providing regular reminders to drink enough can be helpful.
Installing a camera with two-way audio somewhere in the house can be a great way for family members and caregivers to check in every so often and provide friendly reminders to drink more.
A camera observing the kitchen sink, for example, can provide insight into how much they are drinking a day thanks to motion detected events (where the camera records only when motion is detected).
Stay in touch with AlfredCamera
AlfredCamera allows caregivers and seniors to stay in touch in a casual way. Download Alfred to old phones, tablets, computers, or the dedicated AlfredCam indoor security camera to be used as monitoring devices and chhat back and forth using two-way talk. Caregivers can gently encourage seniors that might forget or resist drinking to take in more liquids throughout the day.
Simply set up motion detection to record at the kitchen sink, and it’s easy for caregivers and family members to stay-in-the-know about daily liquid consumption.
Aside from providing reliable insight into how much the person drinks in a day, it can also be a great source of socializing even when it isn’t possible to meet in-person. Caregivers can also easily monitor places that might be hazardous.
Download AlfredCamera for free to get started repurposing old devices as security cameras, or learn more about what AlfredCam can do for you in our overview.
3. Reusable straws
The process of drinking can be challenging for seniors, whether that’s because of conditions that affect motor skills, poorly fitted dentures, or a reduced ability to sip.
In such cases, it’s not necessarily ‘forgetting’ to drink or a lack of the desire to drink that might be causing dehydration, but because it is difficult to drink.
Providing a reusable straw is a good way to overcome this, as it makes it much easier to reach for beverages and to consume them. These can be placed in water bottles or used in cups and mugs.
For people that experience shakiness in the hands, open cups can be difficult to hold and drink from without spilling. This can contribute to a reluctance to drink, so serve all beverages, including tea and coffee, in containers with lids and a straw.
Drinking bottles for elderly
Caregivers should consider purchasing drinking cups for dementia patients or specially designed bottles for elderly people that find it difficult to drink from regular cups and glasses. There’s plenty of options, but features to look out for are:
– Reusable/built-in straws
– Plastic construction for easy washing
– A lid to avoid spills
– An easy-grip handle
4. Jelly Drops
Jelly Drops are a kind of candy specially designed for seniors that are prone to being underhydrated. Unlike real candy, they are 95% water and contain electrolytes (which the body loses as it sweats) to help with rehydration.
Though they don’t contain any sugar, Jelly Drops are sweet, which makes them perfect for seniors with a sweet tooth that aren’t drinking enough throughout the day.
Knowing how to hydrate elderly people that won’t drink may seem impossible, but Jelly Drops may be a reliable means of preventing dehydration even if liquids are scarcely consumed.
5. Rehydration sachets
A more conventional approach that can aid someone that drinks a little during the day is to add rehydration sachets to their drinks.
These are usually flavored, and may be marketed as relieving the effects of acute diarrhea or even hangovers, but make great hydration packs for elderly people or anyone exhibiting the effects of mild dehydration.
They are designed to replace lost salts and fluids, so can be useful in maintaining normal levels of salts in the body.
Be aware that rehydration sachets often contain glucose, so caregivers should always double check with doctors that they are appropriate for people diagnosed with diabetes or other health conditions that impact glucose levels.
Source: Healthline
How Do You Persuade Elderly to Drink More Water?
2.7 to 3.7 liters of liquids a day may seem like a tall order for anyone, but it’s worth remembering that liquids, including water, are obtained from plenty of different sources other than a glass of water.
Here’s some ideas as to how to persuade an elderly person to drink more:
1. Provide a constant source of liquid nearby
Persuading someone who lives with limited mobility to drink more is both pointless and insensitive to their needs, since it’s likely that they don’t drink because they find it difficult to obtain a drink in the first place.
Make sure that they have water or some other liquid on hand at all times, whether that’s by the bedside table or in the vicinity of where they spend most of the day.
2. Make tasty food with fruit & veg
Many foods are actually packed full of water, meaning providing a tasty leafy green salad or fruit salad is an invaluable way to help stay hydrated.
Some of these can also be prepared as snacks for the person being cared for to munch on throughout the day. Foods with high water content include:
- Spinach and other salad leaves
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Watermelon and other types of melon
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
Source: WebMD
3. Encourage eating soups and broths
All kinds of soups are naturally high in liquids, meaning they make a great meal for elderly people that are dehydrated or do not drink enough throughout the day.
Likewise, broths are predominantly made up of water, so tasty noodle dishes and other kinds of meals made with broths can replenish and rehydrate. It also helps that soups and broth-based dishes are easy to eat.
Sometimes, elderly folks express little desire for food. A lack of an appetite, forgetting to eat, or simply refusing can be caused by many different things, and it can be equally concerning for carers as a lack of liquids.
Check out our article on how to get someone to eat when they have no appetite, and find out what foods are perfect for elderly people with no appetite.
What to Do If An Elderly Person Refuses to Drink?
Dementia and dehydration are often associated, because a person with dementia will eventually develop psychological changes that may lead them to either forget to drink, refuse to drink, or become apathetic to it.
Refusal to drink is also associated with depression, which can emerge alongside worsening dementia.
If a person refuses to drink, try:
Compromising – let them have tea, coffee, or even diet soda. Something that tastes good is more likely to entice them to drink. When it comes to dehydration, the most important thing is that fluids are consumed.
Presenting drinking as a social occasion – much like eating, gathering to have tea, coffee, and even water can and should be a social event when possible. Caregivers should join the person they are caring for in having a drink, chatting and relaxing with them, to avoid giving the impression of ‘forcing’ the person to drink.
Providing Jelly Drops and other foods with high water content – liquids are obtained from more plenty of places other than the tap. Caregivers could try giving the person they care for a Jelly Drop, which is 95% water, and other foods with high water content (listed above).
FAQ
How much water should an elderly person drink per day?
An elderly person should try to drink between 6 to 8 200ml glasses of water per day.
How often should I remind an elderly person to drink water?
All medication should be consumed with a full glass of water, so whenever medicine is consumed, an elderly person should be reminded to drink water. If aiming for 200ml of fluid 8 times a day, spread reminders for this throughout the day as appropriate. If the person being reminded expresses reluctance or irritation, back off. Instead, encourage them by example, joining them in having tea or coffee and socializing with them.
What are the health risks associated with dehydration in the elderly?
Health risks associated with dehydration in the elderly include:
- Low blood pressure
- Seizures
- Fainting
- Heat stroke
- Kidney failure
- Blood clots
- Increased risk of infection
- Increased risk of falls
- Increased risk of UTI
- Increased risk of cancer, including bladder and colorectal cancer
- Pressure sores and other skin conditions
Sources: DailyCaring, British Nutrition Foundation
How can caregivers ensure that the elderly drink enough water while they are away from home?
When caregivers are away, two-way audio cameras like AlfredCamera can be a useful way to ensure elderly people are drinking enough. If a camera device is set up observing the kitchen, motion detection events will log the number of times the person has entered the kitchen, and it will be clear how much water they are getting throughout the day.
Accessing the live feed, caregivers can chat to the person they are caring for through two-way audio, providing gentle reminders to drink more as and when necessary.
Conclusion
Dehydration is dangerous for anyone, regardless of their age. But conditions associated with the elderly, like dementia, can significantly increase the risk of dehydration, particularly in the later stages, because the person may become unable to recognize thirst or communicate it.
Ensuring elderly people obtain enough liquids throughout the day is fundamental to maintaining good health. Dehydration, if severe enough, can lead to death.
Caregivers should remember that plain water isn’t the only source of hydration, so thinking outside the box can help in keeping someone hydrated.
Elderly Care Series:
A Guide To Elderly Care For Dementia Patients
20 Essential Elderly Care Supplies for New Caregivers
The True Cost of Elderly Care at Home
Getting to Grips with Levels of Elderly Care
What Are the Types of Elderly Care? The 6 Care Services You Need to Know
9 Effective Elderly Care Tips to Help Your Parents in their Golden Years
How to Remind Elderly People to Take Pills: Schedules, Medication Reminder Apps, & More