senior hydrated
As seniors increasingly prefer to live in hotter regions of the country, it is critical to ensure they are properly hydrated. Medical studies show that dehydration is one of the top 10 diagnoses for hospital admission of elderly people in the U.S. It’s associated with increased morbidity, and an estimated cost of 1.14 billion each year since 2016. These findings make it especially important to monitor senior’s hydration levels as temperatures rise. The summer can be an especially dangerous time of year for older populations. Understanding why seniors become dehydrated more easily can help pinpoint solutions faster and save lives. Interim HealthCare offers four reasons seniors may be especially susceptible to dehydration and a few ways to keep hydrated this summer:
Changing Body – As your elderly family member ages, their body works differently than it used to. As people age, their body’s ability to conserve water is reduced.
Medications May Affect Hydration – Some medications for high blood pressure or other conditions can cause an older person’s body to release more water than usual.
Tip: Talk with your family member’s doctor about how medications may impact their hydration levels, so you know how to correctly manage this situation.
Less Sensitive to Thirst Levels – A common change for aging adults is that they are less sensitive to how thirsty they are. This change can keep your elderly family member from drinking beverages throughout the day and is especially true if the person relies on thirst cues.
Tip: Create other types of reminders to help prompt your senior to drink throughout the day. Strive for drinking one full glass of water at each meal.
Sense of Taste Changes – As people age, their tastes change over time. Your senior may find water unappealing but still be open to other hydrating liquids. Tip: Test different ways to flavor water without adding unhealthy ingredients. Herbal teas can be a great option, because they don’t naturally include sugar and the flavors make hydrating more appealing. You can also try using pre-flavored waters, and even broth-based soups or homemade popsicles as other ways to provide snacks with a heavier water base.
Source Interim HealthCare Inc.