Four Reasons Your Senior May Be Dehydrated
Dehydration is a problem you want to help your senior to avoid if at all possible. The trick is that dehydration can have more than one contributing factor. Narrowing down what might be getting in your senior’s way can help quite a bit.
She’s Less Attuned to Her Sense of Thirst
Elderly Care Darby, PA: Four Reasons Your Senior May Be Dehydrated
Most people don’t think much about drinking liquids during the day, they just do it. One reason that people remember to drink is that their body sense them an urge to go drink something. It’s not that people on the whole have a great memory about when they last had some water, it’s more that their bodies remind them with a strong urge. As your senior ages, though, that urge is less noticeable. Or it might not show up at all. Without external reminders, your senior might forget to drink as often as she should.
Some of Her Medications Are Affecting Her Sense of Thirst
It’s not just her own sense of thirst that can create difficulties, though. Some of the medications that your elderly family member takes, like blood pressure medications, can cause her body to release much more fluid than she realizes. This can put her out of balance without realizing it, especially if her body doesn’t let her know that she’s in need of more fluids by causing her to feel thirsty.
She’s Been Sick
If your elderly family member develops a fever, even a low-grade fever, or experiences an illness that includes vomiting she might find that she’s dehydrated far more quickly than she expected. Being sick takes a lot out of the human body and it can rapidly deplete the stockpiles of water within the body. If your senior isn’t replenishing that water by taking in fluids, she’s going to end up dehydrated very rapidly.
She’s Not Able to Get Around Like She Used To
Another problem you might not have considered is your senior’s own ability to ambulate. If it’s difficult for her to make her way to the kitchen for something to drink she might decide that it’s too much trouble. Making beverages much more accessible for your elderly family member is definitely possible, but if you don’t know that it’s a problem you can’t do anything to solve the issue.
Determining all of the factors that could be keeping your senior from remaining hydrated is complicated, but it’s easier with some extra help. Elderly care providers can help you to track how much water your senior is getting, help with noticing side effects, and help with mobility issues, too. With some more assistance, you can get a better handle on what your senior truly needs.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Elderly Care in Darby, PA please contact the caring staff at True Direct Home Health Care today.
Doc, as he is called by everyone - staff, patients and clients - first experienced home health care and hospice care while as a colleg student at King's College as he cared for his mother every day while she first battled COPD and then lung cancer. It was during this time that he came to understand that caring for a patient was more than just clinical expertise.
"Admittedly, my strongest attribute is my communication skills and the simple fact that I love to help people. Even the smallest thing you can do for someone really can mean so much to them long term. In fact, it could change them forever. That's what providing quality personal home health care should be all about."
In his spare time, he cooks for homeless shelters and children's music and arts events. He also is highly involved in his local youth sports soccer academy as a coach and Board member.
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