Helping Your Senior Loved One in Eldersburg Avoid Winter Dehydration with Quality Care at Home

When providing care at home for an elderly loved one in Eldersburg, MD, it’s important to help them stay hydrated, even during the winter months

The majority of people think dehydration is an issue only connected to the summer because of the heat and the perspiration. However, this is not the case. Dehydration presents a year-round risk, especially for aging adults in Eldersburg, Westminster, Western Baltimore and surrounding Maryland communities who may have a reduced sense of thirst and who do not exhibit not so apparent warning signs compared to the younger generations. If you are a family caregiver providing care at home for your parent or relative, the following tips can help you to combat dehydration in Mom or Dad this winter.

Some reasons for water retention deficiency include:

• Fever, usually caused by the flu
• Diarrhea and/or vomiting, both caused by a stomach virus
• The onset of diabetes
• Increased urination that comes as a side effect of certain prescribed medications
• The process of aging often causes a reduction in the sense of thirst in many older adults

  Care at home experts point out that some of the easily recognizable signs and symptoms of dehydration are:

• Increased thirst
• Decreased urine elimination – when urine becomes concentrated and significantly yellow in color
• Fatigue that can be accompanied by strong headaches
• Dry nasal passages
• Cracked lips, dry mouth, dry eyes that stop making tears, reduced sweating, cramps
• Nausea and vomiting accompanied by sudden lightheadedness (especially when standing up)
• Sudden weakness that comes as a result of a shortage of blood flow to the brain and other organs
• Organ failure that can occur and even induce coma when dehydration is untreated
• Irritability and lack of comprehension

Six Ways to Combat Dehydration

As with a wide range of conditions and ailments, prevention is the best way for warding off dehydration. For this reason, care at home experts recommend these six remedies and ways to prevent dehydration:

1. Fluid replacement – a common and simple treatment used to replenish the loss of bodily fluids and combat dehydration. The aim is to boost your loved one’s fluid intake. This can be done with water, juice, soups, clear broth, Popsicles, Jell-O, ice cream, milk, puddings, decaffeinated beverages, Kool-Aid and nutritional drink supplements.
2. Reducing or completely eliminating dehydrating beverages from Mom or Dad’s daily fluid intake. Beverages such as coffee, tea and all sorts of soft drinks are known to contribute to dehydration, so they are best to be avoided altogether. In addition, make sure your loved one quits drinking alcohol as alcoholic beverages increase dehydration risk too.
3. If your loved one drinks unhealthy beverages, just make sure they drink more water that day.
4. Encourage Mom or Dad to include more fruits and vegetables in their diet. Most fresh, organic produce contains ample water quantities.
5. Remind your loved one to drink plenty of water each day. Rather than gulping 64 ounces of water at once, have them gradually take smaller quantities over the course of the day. Fill their 24-32 ounce tumbler three times a day – once in the morning, once by late morning and once for the afternoon. Care at home experts suggests they consume that by 5 PM, as seniors need to start limiting fluids 1-3 hours before bedtime.
6. If Mom or Dad has diarrhea and/or is vomiting, try with altering their diet and encouraging them to opt for medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to control symptoms and minimize water loss.

If you would like some professional care at home to help your senior loved one stay hydrated, Visiting Angels is here to help. Just contact our Eldersburg, MD office to learn more!