Many older people don't seem to drink much. Or don't drink much/any water. I met elders in the UK that seemed to solely exist on tea, toast & jam. They don't need 2 litres of water a day like an active adult (in fact if heart disease, their fluid intake may need to be restricted). Maybe a litre? (I'm googling now..)
Besides fluids, how is Grandad eating? Is he still cooking? Or getting meals delivered? How is his safety in kitchen with the kettle/stove?
Small memory problem eventually turn into safety issues. The big 4 I think of are Fire risk, Falls, Fears, & being suspectible to Fraud.
This is a constant concern with the elderly whether they are alone or not. You didn’t give us very much to go on so I’ll just give you what I do for my aunt, 94 who also has dementia. She has an aide in the mornings so we make sure she drinks several cups of fluid in the mornings with her meds, her breakfast and lunch. We divide her meds up into three groups and each time she takes the meds she takes about 4 - 6 Oz of water. We leave water by where she sits and pay attention to weather or not she drinks it. We don’t give her salty foods. We provide juicy fruits we know she likes. Satsumas which she likes to both peel and eat have been a big hit the last several months. She isn’t big on soups but likes smoothies. We also leave protein drinks by her chair. She has a visiting CNA and nurse who check her skin for dehydration. It doesn’t take long for dehydration to do real harm in elders. If there is a strong urine odor when I come into her home I know she hasn’t been having enough fluid. I try to encourage all her caregivers to be on the lookout for opportunities to offer her water. After her bath is an extra one we recently worked in. Every little bit helps. I also always ask when she has blood work if there are any signs of dehydration. This past June I was in the hospital twice, once with dehydration as a result of food poisoning. I was amazed how quickly one can go from okay to an emergency.
Thanks for your reply. It's my grandad its in the earlier stages of dementia, and he forgets the little things. I can tell how a lack of water intake can be problematic. Are there any devices available to monitor these?
I guess my first question to you would be, why does a dementia patient live alone at times? That is quite a frightening thought. I would be a lot more worried about their safety than their hydration, and if no one is there to supervise what they're drinking, it's hard to make someone with dementia, try and remember what they should or shouldn't be doing. Now when someone is there, you can fill up a thermos with their favorite healthy drink, and monitor how much they're getting, along with having them eat soups, watermelon, strawberries, peaches, oranges, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, plain yogurt, and lots more. But someone realistically has to be there to make sure that they're eating and drinking these things.
Besides fluids, how is Grandad eating? Is he still cooking? Or getting meals delivered? How is his safety in kitchen with the kettle/stove?
Small memory problem eventually turn into safety issues. The big 4 I think of are Fire risk, Falls, Fears, & being suspectible to Fraud.
You didn’t give us very much to go on so I’ll just give you what I do for my aunt, 94 who also has dementia.
She has an aide in the mornings so we make sure she drinks several cups of fluid in the mornings with her meds, her breakfast and lunch. We divide her meds up into three groups and each time she takes the meds she takes about 4 - 6 Oz of water.
We leave water by where she sits and pay attention to weather or not she drinks it. We don’t give her salty foods. We provide juicy fruits we know she likes. Satsumas which she likes to both peel and eat have been a big hit the last several months. She isn’t big on soups but likes smoothies. We also leave protein drinks by her chair.
She has a visiting CNA and nurse who check her skin for dehydration.
It doesn’t take long for dehydration to do real harm in elders. If there is a strong urine odor when I come into her home I know she hasn’t been having enough fluid. I try to encourage all her caregivers to be on the lookout for opportunities to offer her water. After her bath is an extra one we recently worked in. Every little bit helps.
I also always ask when she has blood work if there are any signs of dehydration.
This past June I was in the hospital twice, once with dehydration as a result of food poisoning. I was amazed how quickly one can go from okay to an emergency.
Now when someone is there, you can fill up a thermos with their favorite healthy drink, and monitor how much they're getting, along with having them eat soups, watermelon, strawberries, peaches, oranges, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, plain yogurt, and lots more. But someone realistically has to be there to make sure that they're eating and drinking these things.