Is Dehydration a Serious Problem for Your Elderly Parent?
No matter how long you have been caring for your aging parent one piece of advice that you have likely heard many times is to make sure that your aging parent is drinking enough water. This advice is given as a way to handle a wide variety of situations and just as a means of helping to support basic health and well-being.
Elder Care Vienna VA – Is Dehydration a Serious Problem for Your Elderly Parent?But is dehydration truly a serious problem? How prevalent is dehydration, and should you be concerned that your aging parent is dealing with this condition? As a family caregiver it is very important for you to understand dehydration and how it can impact your parent so that you can take the proper steps to guard your parent so that they can preserve their health throughout their later years.
Some things that you should know about dehydration include:
- Many experts say that approximately 75 percent of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration.
- Dehydration greatly increases the risk for heat stroke.
- All systems of the body require water, meaning that if your parent does not have adequate water, their body cannot function properly, which can lead to a variety of problems.
- Dehydration increases the risk of illness and infection, and makes it more difficult for your senior to recover from illnesses or infections that they may contract.
- Dehydration can lead to weakness, headache, and fatigue, which can make a person think that they are hungry and eat rather than drink, which only furthers the problem.
- Dehydration dramatically increases the risk of issues such as urinary tract infections, which can be very serious for elderly adults and have symptoms that mimic dementia.
If you are looking for a way to enhance your aging parent’s quality of life, support their health and well-being, and encourage a lifestyle that is more active and engaged, now may be the ideal time for you to start elder care for them. An elder home care services provider can be with your aging parent when it is right not just for them and their needs, but also for the amount of care that you give them on a regular basis.
Through a set of highly personalized services, this elder care provider can encourage your parent to manage their needs, challenges, and limitations in the best way for them as an individual based on their beliefs, personal opinions, and goals. These services can include everything from safe and reliable transportation, to helping with personal care needs, to medication reminders to ensure that they remain compliant with their prescriptions and guidelines from their doctor.
Sources: https://www.medicaldaily.com/75-americans-may-suffer-chronic-dehydration-according-doctors-247393
https://www.elderoptionsoftexas.com/article-signs-of-dehydration-in-elderly.htm