You'd think that in a developed nation like the United States of America, it would be a snap to make sure our older friends & loved ones have enough to drink. Between drinkable tap water & filtered water & bottles of water, how could anyone end up hospitalized with dehydration?
Alas, making sure older people ace the drinking aspect of Maslow's Level 1 is often far from easy.
Turns out the older friend who resisted drinking water was more the norm. What a challenge - how do you get an 80+ year old woman to drink even half a glass of water without treating her like a toddler? Frustration at my continuing battle to get her to drink more - not just coffee, certainly not soda, but clear liquid, preferably water - led to an online search of dehydration & the elderly.
What an eye opener! It was embarrassing, as someone who taught a high school health class & biology, to never have realized that the elderly are at high risk of dehydration. It's physiological, but mental & even practical, too.
Scientists aren't clear on why our thirst mechanism gets weaker as we age, but there's no question that we do. Just making sure you or loved ones have plenty of drinkable water available doesn't guarantee it will be drunk. The older we get, the more our awareness of being thirsty diminishes. Researchers think it could be due to a "cognitive disconnect," with the signal being sent but the brain not interpreting it properly - but they're not sure where the disconnect occurs, let alone its cause. Between a diminishing thirst response & not registering that they have a dry mouth, the elderly frequently just don't feel the need for a drink of water.
One older friend had no intention of drinking water, no matter what I said. It took some detective work, but I learned that she was terrified of having an "accident" but didn't want to wear adult protection.
A friend's father had fallen in his bathroom & did everything he could to avoid having to use the facilities. I read about someone who stayed awake at night if he had water any time in the evening - he was afraid that he might have to go, but be asleep & wet his bed.
As challenging as it is to help older friends & loved ones drink enough clear, uncarbonated liquid, it is essential.
The older friend with no intention of drinking ultimately landed in the hospital with dehydration, which spiraled into pneumonia. She was in the hospital & rehabilitation for weeks - but when she was released was just as stubborn about not drinking water. Her family was frustrated & made sure she had company for each meal, but to little avail. (My minor successes were only due to not letting her have ice cream for dessert if she didn't drink at least half a glass of water - that would have been much harder for a family member to pull off.)
My older friends get hit with a double, maybe triple whammy when it comes to fending off dehydration. Not only is their thirst mechanism diminishing, many of my elderly friends are on meds - especially for high blood pressure & anti-depressants - that are diuretics (purge the body of water). Other medications can make people sweat more, releasing more fluids from the body. As we age, our kidneys begin to function less & less, so we conserve less & less fluid. Even illness can increase dehydration.
I remember one time when we were out on a short excursion with another older friend. We were coming out of an exhibit of Christmas trees & she almost collapsed on the sidewalk. She fussed & fumed as I scooped her into the car & made a beeline for the closest Wawa, where I grabbed a small bottle of water & had her drink it. Every drop. She was astonished at her restored sense of balance & renewed energy.
And the next time we were out to dinner & I did my best to get her to drink at least a half glass of water, she fought me, tooth & nail.
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