Dry mouth isn’t just uncomfortable. It can also exacerbate other oral health issues. Worse, dry mouth can be a side effect from medications and treatments that your senior can’t give up because of the impact to her health.
Stay Properly Hydrated
If your elderly family member has a tough time drinking enough water, that’s going to contribute to a variety of issues, including dry mouth. It’s a good idea to talk with your senior’s doctor about how much water is the right amount for her to drink daily. Finding ways to remind her to drink throughout the day can help. If you can’t be there with her, in-home care providers can help your senior to keep tabs on her hydration.
Choose Hydrating Snacks
Lots of times people with dry mouth hear recommendations to use lozenges or hard candies to battle dry mouth. That can help a lot, but it really matters what your senior uses, especially if she has other health issues like diabetes. Choosing hydrating snacks that have nutritional value beyond simply sugar content is maybe a better idea for your senior. Double check with her doctor.
Use a Humidifier
Humidifiers add moisture to the air, which may also help your elderly family member to deal with dry mouth. During fall and winter, when humidity levels naturally fall, your senior may feel as if she just can’t drink enough water to keep her skin and her mouth from feeling dry. That’s when a humidifier can help quite a bit.
Try Moisturizing Mouthwashes
Something else to consider is using moisturizing mouthwashes periodically. Your senior may find that these are helpful at the beginning of the day and any time she feels like her mouth is just too dry. These are especially useful when your elderly family member already does drink plenty of water and still experiences dry mouth.
Get Familiar with What Makes Dry Mouth Worse
It’s really important that your senior has an idea what makes her dry mouth symptoms worse or better. Tracking her eating habits and other variables, even with the help of in-home care providers, can make this a lot easier to determine. Patterns can become obvious that maybe weren’t until you and your senior started looking a little closer.
Working closely with your senior’s dentist and doctor can help her to get a full picture of what’s happening with her dry mouth issues. In-home care can be invaluable in implementing whatever care plans her doctor and dentist recommend for your senior.
If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in Modesto, CA, please contact the caring staff at Provident Care Home Care today at (209) 578-1210.
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