Recognizing Dehydration in the Elderly

If you are taking care of your elderly loved one, one thing that you may need to remind them of often is to drink water. There are many senior citizens who end up hospitalized because they get dehydrated. By having yourself or in-home care providers giving regular reminders to your elderly loved one, hopefully, this can be prevented with them. However, it may not always work. With that being said, it is important to know how to recognize dehydration in the elderly. That way, you can get them to drink more water at that point or get them medical help, if needed.

Starting Symptoms

Generally, there will be some starting symptoms when a person becomes dehydrated. Some of these symptoms include:

• Dizziness
• Darker urine
• Becoming more fatigued than usual
• Dry skin
• Dry mouth
• Muscle cramps

If you or an in-home care provider notice these symptoms in your elderly loved one, make sure you get them to drink some water regularly for the next 24-48 hours. That should help to ease their symptoms and to get them hydrated again. You could also get them to eat fluid-filled foods such as vegetables and fruits.

Becoming Confused

Another symptom of dehydration is increased confusion. There are many reasons why an elderly person might be confused. However, the first thing that you or a senior care provider should do if your elderly loved one starts having this symptom is to get them to drink water. One to two bottles of water over the course of the next few hours is a great start. Hopefully, by getting hydrated again, your elderly loved one’s confusion will subside. If it does, it was likely caused by dehydration.

Other Health Symptoms

There are some other health symptoms that could signify your elderly loved one is dehydrated, as well. Some of these symptoms include:

• Racing heart
• Feeling moody
• Low urine output
• Low blood pressure
• Constipation

If these things are happening, make sure your elderly loved one is consuming more water right away and continues to do that for the next few days. While it should be a regular thing, getting the dehydration under control is the most important thing.

Conclusion

There are many symptoms of dehydration. Yes, these symptoms can be caused by other things, as well. However, if you or an in-home care provider can hydrate your elderly loved one and the symptoms subside, dehydration was likely the cause. After getting it under control, it is important to make a plan with your elderly loved one to consume more fluids, so they don’t keep getting dehydrated.

Sources
https://medlineplus.gov/dehydration.html

If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in Modesto, CA, please contact the caring staff at Provident Care Home Care today at (209) 578-1210.