Avoiding Dehydration: Tips to Help Seniors Drink More Water

With summer on the horizon, seniors might be looking for ways to remain healthy during the seasonal change. Summer brings with it a wealth of opportunity: more occasions to socialize, nicer weather, and more reasons to get outside. However, summertime also increases the risk of dehydration for everybody. For seniors, this can be especially dangerous.

Dehydration is a common hospitalization cause for people over 65 years old. This occurs for a variety of reasons. Importantly, proper hydration is essential for certain medications to work. This means chronic dehydration can render some medications ineffective. Additionally, as people age, the kidneys become less efficient in concentrating urine, which means older folks tend to lose more water when they use the restroom. Dehydration is tricky for elderly folks: It’s more dangerous, and it’s also easier to become dehydrated. 

No matter your experience with chronic dehydration, consider trying a medical alert system to soothe the anxiety. You can never predict when an accident will happen, but you can ensure you get the emergency care you need. If you or a loved one is worried about senior dehydration, a medical alert system can be used to communicate with emergency personnel about related dangers.

Most of us could stand to drink more water, but the resolution is especially important for seniors. When trying to up your water intake, or while talking to your senior about dehydration, keep the following tips and tricks in mind.

• Water is great, but there are other sources of fluid. Other beverages, like tea and juice, as well as all vegetables can help you or your senior stay hydrated.
  

• Not all hydration needs to be served in a glass. In other words, you don’t have to drink water to stay hydrated. You might instead enjoy eating soups or broths. This strategy can also add much-needed nutrition to a senior diet.

• Beverages can be at different temperatures. Drinking water all day can feel like a drag, so it’s important to mix it up. Experiment with which drinks, and at which temperatures, you like. This could mean hot coffee in the morning and cold iced tea in the afternoon. To mix things up even more, consider adding seltzer into the mix to add some bubbles.

• Make popsicles. This is an easy one for adding some fun to your summer. Popsicles can be made of any frozen liquid – fruit juice, tea, coffee, you name it. It’s a great way to maintain hydration while simultaneously treating yourself to something nice.

• Always keep a glass of water nearby. How will you remember to drink water if you never have it around you? Before sitting down for an activity, like watching television or completing a crossword puzzle, pour yourself a nice big glass of water and set it at the table. More active seniors should consider investing in a shatterproof water bottle.

• Schedule your water breaks. If you have a pill dispenser or reminder, leave a water bottle near where you keep your pills. Drinking water with medication is always a good idea. Plus, in addition to our medical alert systems, Alert1 offers an automatic medication dispenser and organizer, which can help remind you to drink water.
  

Hydration-related accidents are extremely common for elderly folks. When something happens, you’ll want to be prepared. Medical alert systems are an easy, low-cost way to ensure you get medical care in the case of an emergency – no matter what that emergency looks like. Plus, Alert1 systems are overwhelmingly more affordable when compared to Life Alert costs, which means you can spend more on staying hydrated.