Dehydration in seniors: Why the elderly are prone to dehydration, why they’re at risk and how to prevent it
Elderly people are more prone to dehydration for a multitude of reasons. With this in mind, it’s important if you’re a senior or caring for a senior, that you ensure to pay close attention to fluid intake and any symptoms of dehydration. In this article, we gathered information to help seniors avoid dehydration with electrolyte drinks for elderly.
The elderly are more prone to dehydration than anyone else because, for starters, they carry less water in their body naturally. As you age, the percentage of body mass by water decreases. This can make adapting to changes in temperature more difficult. Furthermore, your sense of thirst becomes less responsive as you age, meaning that by the time a senior is thirsty, it’s possible that they’ve already reached a point of dehydration.
Certain medical conditions can also become factors in dehydration in seniors. Dementia can lead a person to forget to consume enough fluids to battle dehydration, and dementia can even affect someone’s ability to swallow in extreme cases.
Drugs such as diuretics, laxatives, antipsychotics, and corticosteroids can increase the frequency of urination, leading to depletion of water and essential electrolytes. Many seniors who are prone to incontinence experience overcompensation to the amount of fluids they intake for fear of that leading to accidents. Thus, it’s important to remember that denying water or food under any instance when you need them can be critically dangerous and can lead to worse health effects than incontinence.
Symptoms and effects of dehydration
Being able to detect signs of dehydration early can be extremely helpful in preventing any serious medical emergencies. If you do notice any symptoms of dehydration appearing, consult a doctor.
Some signs of early indication of dehydration can be key to avoiding larger-scale issues. It’s important not to rely on sense of thirst to determine when you’re consuming fluids, especially at an older age. Signs that dehydration might be present include headaches, constipation, muscle cramping, dry mouth, and sleepiness. Urine color can be a useful gauge for hydration. The urine of a healthily hydrated person should be clear to light yellow, darker tints of yellow to amber could indicate dehydration.
If dehydration is ignored it could lead to seizures, low blood volume in the body, kidney failure, heatstroke, and coma or death in extreme cases.
Beyond early indications of dehydration, signs of severe dehydration might be more noticeable. These signs include infrequent urination that is dark or amber-colored, dry skin that doesn’t return to its shape when pinched, dizziness or disorientation, low blood pressure, fast breathing and heartbeat, weak pulse, and cold hands and feet.
For diagnosis of dehydration in seniors, generally the most accurate way of diagnosing is through blood tests. Tests, like administering fluids to a senior and seeing if their symptoms and mood improve within 10 minutes, might indicate an issue, but it’s not enough for a diagnosis. Also, be aware that urine testing has been found to be too inaccurate to be a qualified form of diagnosis of dehydration, although the color is still something to pay attention to.
Tips to increase fluid intake
There are multiple methods for increasing fluid and electrolyte drinks for elderly intake, it isn’t as simple as drinking massive amounts of water, although drinking water might be the most effective way to do so. It’s recommended that seniors take in 64 fluid ounces per day, and this mark can be reached through various ways.
- If a senior isn’t keen on drinking large amounts of plain water, you can try clinically formulated electrolyte drinks for elderly or infusing water enhancers, trying flavored water, mixing juice with water, or squeezing fruit or adding fruit slices, such as lemons, into the water. To combat electrolyte deficiency, sources such as Pedialyte, milk, and orange juice can boost your intake of electrolytes and potassium, which are key helpers for boosting nutrient replenishment.
- To vary taste profiles, you can try consuming fluids through sweet or savory sources as well. On the savory spectrum, chicken, beef, or vegetable broth can not only help hydrate but can provide essential electrolytes. If a senior has a sweet tooth, milkshakes and smoothies might be a viable source of fluid intake.
- Just because one source of fluids isn’t preferable doesn’t mean that any source of fluids will be denied. In fact, chances are there’s an optimum source of fluid out there for any senior who’s struggling with fluid intake. You can modify the temperature the fluids are served at, and this might also help make the fluids easier to consume.
- Even things as small as presentation of the drink can make them more desirable, such as a drink in a fancier glass or prepared with a slice of fruit on the rim. If spills might be an issue, there are cups available with handles and spill-proof lids.
- Alternative to fluids, food can also help to hydrate. Fruits and vegetables can be a great source of fluids as many of these are made up almost entirely of water. Vegetable slices such as cucumber, celery, tomato, bell peppers or fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, oranges, and apples can all be great sources of water.
- If raw fruits and vegetables don’t work either, adding these items into other foods can help make them easier to take in. Adding fruit to yogurt or cereal, adding lettuce and tomato to a sandwich or burger, methods like this can help someone to receive fluids even in their meals. Thus, a senior can combat dehydration without increasing the amount of liquid that they drink on a daily basis.
- There are certain sources of food and drink that hinder hydration as well. Although these don’t need to be avoided entirely unless in a dire battle with dehydration, they should be monitored and compensated for. These include high protein drinks, coffee, and alcohol, as they have a diuretic effect and can lead to more fluid loss than gained. If you intake these, just be sure to replenish your fluids and drink these in moderation.
- Seniors should be careful not to spend time in the heat of the day, especially in the summer. Excess sweating can lead to quick dehydration. Staying in the shade often isn’t enough to keep you from sweating excessively on a very hot day. The safest times to be outdoors during the hot summer months are before 10 am and after 4 pm.
- Using a moisturizer on your skin can help you stay hydrated as well, believe it or not. After all, your skin is where water is given off throughout the day. Use a water-based moisturizer on your skin to combat dry skin.
Final thoughts: Electrolyte drinks for elderly
In summary, if you pay close attention to yourself or seniors around you, it can help massively in avoiding dehydration. Pay close attention to the signs of dehydration and ensure you’re taking in enough fluids through the methods stated above.
If you might need an increased amount of fluids due to an unusual amount of exercise or exposure to hotter temperatures for a long time, make sure to up the amount of fluids you intake even more, as these moments are when you’re most prone to encounter dehydration.
If you’re caring for a senior, offer them electrolyte drinks for elderly often and make sure that they’re drinks that they tend to enjoy. Don’t expect them to drink a large amount of liquid in one sitting, it’s much easier to intake your daily amount of water throughout the day in small amounts, around 8 ounces at a time. If the senior has trouble accessing fluids on their own, such as in a nursing home where fluid might have to be brought to them, try to find ways to make the staff more attentive to this or find ways to provide the senior with their own way to receive water, by stocking them with filled spill-proof cups or something similar.
Be aware of any medication that might be exacerbating dehydration. Awareness is key to prevention. And as always, if you’re experiencing any medical complication due to dehydration, please consult a medical professional, as their advice could be the difference between a disaster and perfect health.