Dehydration can have big impacts on your senior, ranging from how she’s feeling to contributing to something as severe as a fall. But why is your senior more prone to dehydration now than in the past?
Medications Can Affect Water Balance in the Body
Older adults tend to have more trouble regulating certain systems in their body as they age, and water balance is one of those areas. That’s an issue that gets compounded when your senior needs to take medications for a specific health issue, like blood pressure. Other medications may also cause your elderly family member’s system to flush too much water from her body. Drinking more water can help, but there may be times that the medications might need adjusting as well.
Older Adults Tend to Be Less Aware of Thirst
Many senses that people take for granted change with age. Your elderly family member’s sense of smell changes, for example, as does her sense of taste. That can affect how palatable water is to her, which might lead to her drinking less of it. Another issue, though, is that your elderly family member may be less sensitive to her body’s cues that she needs more water. This is called the thirst response and if your elderly family member is waiting to feel thirsty in order to have water, she’s already dehydrated.
Kidney Function Decreases with Age
Other changes happen as your senior grows older, too. Your elderly family member’s kidneys become less efficient over the years, and that means that some of the water that should stay in her body ends up leaving with urine and other waste. This contributes to some of the trouble that her body has in regulating the balance of water in her body.
Get Her Doctor’s Advice
It’s a good idea to talk to your elderly family member’s doctor and see what solutions you can put in place. Some things, like medication changes, may make a difference quickly. Others, like lifestyle changes, including drinking more fluids, can take longer to have beneficial results. Ramping up your senior’s water intake helps to make that a habit and is less overwhelming.
Your senior may find that it’s helpful to have someone checking on her in person to help with eating more foods that provide hydration and upping her water intake. Elderly care providers can do that for her without making her feel as if she’s not in control of those decisions.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering elderly care in Walnut Creek, CA, please contact the caring staff at Provident Care Home Care today at (209) 578-1210.
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