Elderly Care in Pennsylvania
As a family caregiver, you want the best for your elderly loved one. But sometimes you wind up feeling as though you’re nagging her constantly to do things that she should, like drinking more 
water. Dehydration is a serious problem for elderly loved ones, particularly if they’re taking medications that can make the situation much worse. Thankfully, there are some things you can do that can help them to stay hydrated besides refilling their water glasses every few minutes.
Shake Things Up
No one likes drinking only one beverage all day, every day. It can get boring, and elderly loved ones can really start to resent being told to drink more water constantly. They’re adults, after all, and you don’t want to talk down to your loved ones. One way around the problem is to provide as much variety as possible. Keep in mind that beverages without caffeine are a better choice since caffeine acts as a diuretic. Water is an excellent choice, of course, but fruit juices in moderation can be hydrating, too. Fruits such as watermelon, grapes, and melons contain a lot of water so they make good, hydrating snacks.
Make Hydrating Convenient
One stumbling block that a lot of people run into is that if hydrating often isn’t convenient, they won’t do it. The same is true for our elderly loved ones. If you can make sure that water pitchers are always full, that can go a long way toward making hydration much easier for your loved ones. Consider making accommodations also for loved ones who live in two-story homes. One way to do this is to put a water dispenser upstairs or to keep water pitchers filled upstairs where they’re easy to access.
Easy Reminders
It’s really easy to forget to drink the amount of water that you should, and it might be even easier for your elderly loved ones. If you have high tech ways to keep track of water consumption, such as an application or a timer that your loved one is comfortable using, that’s an easy way to track water. Something even easier, however, is to get a semi-transparent water bottle and mark lines on it at different intervals. Label each line with an encouraging phrase about staying hydrated and include a time so that they work as prompts every hour or so to drink a couple of ounces of water.
Drinking enough water is really important for elderly loved ones, but there are lots of ways to help them stay hydrated without frustrating you both.
If you are considering hiring elderly care services in Pennsylvania, call the caring staff at Extended Family Care of PA at (888) 660-6478.
Source
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/basics/risk-factors/CON-20030056
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15718/1/Caffeine-and-Dehydration.html
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