Hydration and Seniors, Elderly Care in Peachrtree City GA / By Rondine Gordon

Hydrating properly is essential for your senior to be as healthy as she wants to be. It’s not always easy to drink enough water, though, so you may want to explore some other possibilities.

Make Water Hard to Avoid

If there are a lot of steps involved in getting water the way she enjoys it and your senior already doesn’t want to drink more water, you’ve got a problem. What you truly need to do is to make water almost impossible for her to ignore, overlook, or miss during her day. If there’s a specific temperature at which she prefers water or she won’t drink it, do whatever you can to make that happen. Specific bottles, particular flavorings, or whatever else may all be worth the effort if it convinces her to keep drinking water.

Branch out and Seek Hydration in a Variety of Ways

The really good news is that there’s more than one way for your elderly family member to hydrate. Yes, the preferred mode for hydrating is to drink water. But that’s not the only avenue open to your senior. Lightly flavored sparkling water works. Fruits and berries with a higher water content work. Gelatin could work. All of these options contain water as a primary ingredient, even if they aren’t just water themselves. What you need to be aware of are the other ingredients your elderly family member is ingesting along with the water. If the sugar, salt, or other ingredients are too much, try to limit those options a little.

Consider Broth as an Addition to Meals and Snacks

Adding bone broth, in a low-sodium version, to meals and snacks is another way to add hydration to your senior’s diet without adding a lot of unnecessary ingredients. Bone broth is rich in vitamins and minerals and it’s also an excellent source of glucosamine and chondroitin. It can also be a tasty way to not only take in nutrients, but to hydrate. Before a meal or as a snack, your senior may find that she’s less likely to choose less healthy snack options.

Have Fun with Hydration

It can be really important that you and your senior find ways to have fun with water intake. The more fun that your elderly family member has with hydrating, the more likely she’ll be to stick with it. Make popsicles together from flavored water. Mix and match different herbal tea blends to find a new favorite. Look for ways to enjoy drinking or eating anything that offers a hydrating boost.

Work with your senior to find solutions that she’s willing to implement. If she needs extra help in the kitchen, elderly care providers are a great solution. They can also help her to keep track of her water intake.

If you or an aging loved one is considering elderly care in Peachtree City, GA, please contact the caring staff at Medi-Cure Home Care. Call today: (770) 755-1394.