Importance of Hydration
Summer will be here soon. However, irregardless of the time of year, appropriate hydration is important, especially for those who care for people who cannot self monitor their fluid intake.
To motivate all of us to encourage fluids, I wanted to share the information below. Many of you know Debi Cavallo, a long time instructor and consultant to residential care. Debi has been working with a great community with a dementia care area on the importance of hydration. They diligently offered fluids throughout the day and evening to the residents. Here are the exciting results in a 90 day period.
- Falls decreased
- Few skin tears
- NO UTIs
- No fecal impactions
Isn’t that fantastic? Of course water is best, but there are many residents who will not drink water well. Here are some fluid rich suggestions:
- popcicles
- watermelon
- honeydew melon
- strawberries
- broths
- juices
Remember, any beverage with caffeine, such as soda, does not hydrate, as the caffeine acts as a diuretic.
For more information on hydration specific to those with dementia, take a look at the hydration video titled “Dementia Care–Hydration” available from Advanced Healthcare Studies, LLC at http://www.avhs.com/. They offer an entire series of videos on different aspects of dementia care.
How much water/fluid is healthy per day. My husband is 60 y.o.. How much limit can he drink?
It depends in the individual. Many physicians will encourage six to eight 8 ounce glasses per day. However, for residents with a fluid restriction, that could be dangerous. To be safe, consult with the resident’s physician.
Please add jello to your fluid rich suggestions and mona vie juice , the most super power antioxidant with acai berry fruit.
At present time, I am taking care of client with diabetes and he goes to dialysis 3x/week. He is limited to fluid intake of 32 ounces a day that include coffee, juices, water and soup as per doctor order.
Those are excellent suggestions. I have found some residents will drink the acai juice better if watered down a bit. What a great healthy focus you have! Thanks for the comments.