Older adults are much more susceptible to dehydration than they realize, even if they’re not incredibly active or out in the hot sun. It’s important to understand why that is so that you can help your elderly family member to be as healthy as she can be.
Being Less Active Can Contribute to Dehydration
This seems counter-intuitive, because activity means your senior’s body is working and she’s using up nutrients, including water she’s ingested. When your senior isn’t as active, there are usually reasons. She may have injuries or mobility problems, like balance issues, that leave her feeling uncomfortable with moving a lot. That can sometimes mean that she avoids doing even simple things, like getting something to drink when she should.
Her Age Is a Big Factor
Your senior’s body responds differently to certain things now that she’s getting older. She may not have the same response to thirst that she did in the past, for instance. She may also find that some of the systems in her body, like her kidneys and her urinary tract system, function differently now than they used to. These issues can all add up and create a different approach for her to hydration.
Your Senior’s Health and Her Medications May Dehydrate Her
Some of the health issues your elderly family member is facing, including the medications she’s using to treat those health conditions, have a big impact on her ability to stay hydrated, too. Kidney issues, in particular, can be a real problem if your elderly family member isn’t drinking enough water. If your elderly family member is taking diuretic medications, that can leave her far more dehydrated much more quickly than she expects.
Drill Down to Find out What’s Happening
You’re going to have to work with your senior and her doctor to determine what’s going on and what you need to do in order to correct the problems you’re finding. There might be a variety of different solutions you need to try, depending on what all is a contributing factor. It’s worth taking the time to narrow down all the causes you can locate.
Your elderly family member might find it helpful to have some additional help with these issues, too. If mobility is a concern, for instance, then having elderly care providers available to help with maneuvering around her home and getting what she needs, when she needs it can be a fantastic solution.
If you or an aging loved one is considering elderly care in Big Timber, MT, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare Billings today at 406-839-2390.
