Dehydration indicates that the body lacks enough fluid required for smooth functioning of the blood vessels. The body absorbs fluid from what we eat and drink and flushes out toxins by releasing fluids through urination, sweating, etc. When the human body starts feeling dehydrated it indicates the brain of thirst and the kidney holds urine inside, so that the body does not lose much water at that time.
Dehydration is a very common problem among the elderly. Usually, an elderly person is advised to have at least 3-4 litres of waterdaily. To be precise, for men it is 3.7 litres and for women, it is 2.7 litres of fluid per day. But due to their low energy levels, mood and memory, it becomes difficult for them to remember to drink water regularly and it is equally tough to make them drink an adequate amount of fluids.
It is important to ensure that elderly people in your home take the right amount of fluid regularly. Also, it is of vital importance that the water that they drink is pure and free of germsin order to avoid any further health-related complications.
Why Do Elderly People Get Dehydrated Quickly?
Due to ageing, an elderly person’s body mechanisms start falling apart. Their brain reduces thirst signals and holding urine becomes tough at times. Here are a few factors that might be making an elderly person more dehydrated:
- Chronic problems with urinary continence
- Reluctance to drink a lot of fluids
- Forgetting to drink fluids due to memory issues
- Mobility problems, as elderly people find it difficult to even go and fetch themselves their dosage of fluids
- Lesser or no availability of helpers around them to make them drink fluids
- Suffering from swallowing difficulties
- Increased sodium (salt) intake
What are the Symptoms of Dehydration in Elderly People?
Though the presence of any physical symptoms is not an accurate way to diagnose dehydration, these physical symptoms may help take immediate steps. The symptoms include
- Dry mouth
- Dry skin in the armpit
- Heart rate over 100 beats per minute
- Low systolic blood pressure
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Unhealthy, tired eyes
- Less frequent urination
- Dark-coloured urine
- Body swelling
What are the Consequences of Dehydration Among the Elderly?
Dehydration can cause weakness and dizziness. An elderly person can even experience low blood pressure. People with various forms of dementia can face memory issues. They may face confusion and reduced thinking capacity. Dehydration impacts the kidneys prominently and can even lead to kidney failure and kidney stones. Dehydration also makes constipation worse and can result in Urinary Tract Infections.
What are the top Hydration Tips for Elderly People?
People have their own habits, preferences and health conditions, more so in case of the elderly. Hence, there should be a tailor-made plan for each one of them. Here are few tips for the elderly to keep them hydrated:
Look for a Variety of Fluids
Being hydrated does not mean sticking to plain water only. One can have different options such as fruit juices, milkshakes, fruit shakes, vegetable juices, lentil soup, vegetable soups, etc.
Keep Fluids Accessible
If there is a lack of manpower to provide fluids to the elderly at regular intervals, then keeping the fluids stocked near them can serve the purpose. Let the fluids be at a place, like a bedside table, so that the elderly person does not have to travel all the way to the kitchen.
Add Juicy Fruits and Veggies
For a change, an elderly person can also gulp some juicy fruits and veggies in salads. This will quench their thirst as well as add fibre to their gut mechanism. (Check with the doctor if they have any restrictions on certain fruits and vegetables.)
Classic Lemonade
Try to make them something savoury to tickle their taste buds like a lemonade, sans soda. You can experiment the same with oranges and other citrus fruits.
Conclusion
Drinking clean water is very important to stay healthy and this makes a water purifier an essential appliance for every home. KENT offers a wide range of water purifiers that come with multistage purification technology, which provides you 100 percent pure drinking water. Ensuring the convenience of the customers, water purifiers from KENT come with excellent features like in-tank UV disinfection, zero water wastage, water level indicator, digital display, etc. They also come with UV fail and filter change alarm that alerts you when you need to change the UV lamp or the filter.
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