Login
Themes
Search
Main Menu
Categories
Useful Things
Translate
Dehydration and the Elderly
Published by 4Hope on 2004/10/14 (9141 reads)
Dehydration can happen much more quickly and occurs much more frequently in the elderly. Learn here what you need to know to care for yourself and your elderly loved one.
Dehydration and the Elderly
Recorded at the KEOM studios
October 5, 2004
Q:So, Barb, what are we talking about today?
A: W.C. Fields once said, "Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water."¯ Many people today treat water like W.C. Fields said that he did on that safari. We have little mindfulness of the value of water, and liquids in general, to our daily well-being. This is particularly true of the elderly and the very young. An article in Nurse Practitioner concluded that "Dehydration is the most common fluid and electrolyte disturbance among the elderly population today."¯ Other research shows that dehydration is one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization among the elderly (http://missourifamilies.org/features/agingarticles/agingfeature4.htm). So, today we are talking a little about dehydration.
Q: What makes dehydration such a serious risk for us as we age?
A: That's a great question. As we get older, the internal alarms that tell us that we are becoming dehydrated don't go off as quickly nor are they as well-tuned as they were earlier. Also, our body composition has less water in it as we age, so we can get into an emergency much more quickly if we are older. Finally, if we are sick, we are likely to become dehydrated more quickly and not even be aware of it really. Someone has said that the minute we feel the need to drink something, we are already dehydrated.
Q: What kinds of things should we watch for?
A: Things to watch for are dry, cracking skin; parched lips; headache; nasal passages that are particularly dry and perhaps bleeding; discomfort; decreased urine output and darker color; irritability; when you gently press the skin, it does not rebound back. In severe dehydration, we begin to see changes in blood pressure and other vital measurements.
Q: You mentioned earlier that sickness may increase the chances of getting dehydrated?
A: Right. Especially with the flu season approaching, we need to be aware of the elderly folks around us. If they become sick, they are much more at risk for being dehydrated, and the dangers of dehydration can be realized much more quickly. When we are not feeling well, we are less likely to drink and eat regularly, and we just sleep more. Unfortunately, these are all things that contribute to the worsening of dehydration.
Q: How is dehydration treated?
A: Well, caught early on, we can treat it by giving plenty of fluids, especially water. We should note that alcoholic beverages, as well as coffee and tea contribute to dehydration, they donā€™t help the condition. Water really is an elixir when it comes to treating dehydration, better than most other liquids. Also, we can offer foods that are high in fluid content, such as fruit, some vegetables, such as broccoli, and tomatoes. If they cannot take food or drink much due, to, say, and intestinal virus, if the condition has not cleared in a couple of days, they should be seen by a doctor. When you suspect a person has become dehydrated, they should be seen by a physician. The condition can be quite serious, sometimes fatal. Indeed, if they seem seriously dehydrated, emergency medical services should be called. This is not a condition to take a chance on. We should all aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. Don't be like Mark Twain who said: "Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody."
SOURCES:
http://www.aging-parents-and-elder-care.com/Pages/Signs_of_Dehydration.html
http://www.saferchild.org/dehydrat.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9128878&dopt=Abstract
http://missourifamilies.org/features/agingarticles/agingfeature4.htm
Dehydration and the Elderly
Recorded at the KEOM studios
October 5, 2004
Q:So, Barb, what are we talking about today?
A: W.C. Fields once said, "Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water."¯ Many people today treat water like W.C. Fields said that he did on that safari. We have little mindfulness of the value of water, and liquids in general, to our daily well-being. This is particularly true of the elderly and the very young. An article in Nurse Practitioner concluded that "Dehydration is the most common fluid and electrolyte disturbance among the elderly population today."¯ Other research shows that dehydration is one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization among the elderly (http://missourifamilies.org/features/agingarticles/agingfeature4.htm). So, today we are talking a little about dehydration.
Q: What makes dehydration such a serious risk for us as we age?
A: That's a great question. As we get older, the internal alarms that tell us that we are becoming dehydrated don't go off as quickly nor are they as well-tuned as they were earlier. Also, our body composition has less water in it as we age, so we can get into an emergency much more quickly if we are older. Finally, if we are sick, we are likely to become dehydrated more quickly and not even be aware of it really. Someone has said that the minute we feel the need to drink something, we are already dehydrated.
Q: What kinds of things should we watch for?
A: Things to watch for are dry, cracking skin; parched lips; headache; nasal passages that are particularly dry and perhaps bleeding; discomfort; decreased urine output and darker color; irritability; when you gently press the skin, it does not rebound back. In severe dehydration, we begin to see changes in blood pressure and other vital measurements.
Q: You mentioned earlier that sickness may increase the chances of getting dehydrated?
A: Right. Especially with the flu season approaching, we need to be aware of the elderly folks around us. If they become sick, they are much more at risk for being dehydrated, and the dangers of dehydration can be realized much more quickly. When we are not feeling well, we are less likely to drink and eat regularly, and we just sleep more. Unfortunately, these are all things that contribute to the worsening of dehydration.
Q: How is dehydration treated?
A: Well, caught early on, we can treat it by giving plenty of fluids, especially water. We should note that alcoholic beverages, as well as coffee and tea contribute to dehydration, they donā€™t help the condition. Water really is an elixir when it comes to treating dehydration, better than most other liquids. Also, we can offer foods that are high in fluid content, such as fruit, some vegetables, such as broccoli, and tomatoes. If they cannot take food or drink much due, to, say, and intestinal virus, if the condition has not cleared in a couple of days, they should be seen by a doctor. When you suspect a person has become dehydrated, they should be seen by a physician. The condition can be quite serious, sometimes fatal. Indeed, if they seem seriously dehydrated, emergency medical services should be called. This is not a condition to take a chance on. We should all aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. Don't be like Mark Twain who said: "Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody."
SOURCES:
http://www.aging-parents-and-elder-care.com/Pages/Signs_of_Dehydration.html
http://www.saferchild.org/dehydrat.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9128878&dopt=Abstract
http://missourifamilies.org/features/agingarticles/agingfeature4.htm
Tags: 
elderly dehydration
| Navigate through the articles | |
What You Need to Know About Strokes
|
|
|
The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
|
||||
