Caregivers Give Tips on Helping Older Adults Stay Hydrated

GoodRx Health

Staying hydrated throughout the day is important for good health, especially for older adults. It helps prevent symptoms of dehydration, such as brain fog, constipation, and kidney problems. It can also help the heart and immune system work at their best.

Older adults may need gentle encouragement or reminders to drink enough fluid regularly. Challenges such as memory lapses or a reluctance to increase bathroom visits may contribute to underhydration. Some people may never have made drinking water a regular part of their day.

Here, three caregivers share their strategies for keeping loved ones well-hydrated.

Give a visual cue with brightly colored water bottles

Jennifer Fink, a 57-year-old photographer in Auburn, California, started a podcast on caregiving to help others, like her, who were helping care for an aging relative.

Her mother had had Alzheimer's disease for 20 years before she died. Jennifer says she discovered that sometimes, the right words and visual aids encouraged her mother to drink liquids more often. Jennifer would hand her mother a glass and say: "Here's the drink you asked for."

Jennifer would also take a swig of her own drink and gush about how good it tasted.

Sometimes, she would make a game of it, filling 2 glasses and saying, "Bet you can't finish yours before I finish mine."

Jennifer now volunteers as a community educator for the Alzheimer's Association. She says visual processing can be problematic for people with Alzheimer's, so she made sure her mom had bright pink and purple water bottles. That helped grab her attention.

"If you put water in a clear glass, it's pretty much invisible, and it needs to be right in front of them," she says.

"It doesn't always have to be just water, so mix it up," she says. One option is sugar-free Jelly Drops, which are 95% water with added electrolytes and vitamins.

She also suggests making celery juice - simply blending up water and celery. Some recipes call for adding mint, cucumber, or lemon.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recommends several good hydrating liquids for older adults in addition to water. These include fruit or vegetable juices, milk, decaffeinated or herbal teas, and low-sodium broth or soups.

The National Council on Aging recommends a simple formula to determine how much water older adults should be consuming: Calculate one-third of your body weight, and drink that number of ounces in fluids. So if you weigh 150 lbs, try to drink at least 50 oz (about 6 cups).

Remind parents with phone calls, deliveries

Tammy Gold, a 49-year-old therapist and author, had been living close to her parents in New Jersey. Since she moved to Los Angeles 4 years ago, her reminders about hydrating have mostly been phone calls. But she also sends care packages.

Tammy likes sending small, manageable packages of water and flavor enhancers. A water filtration pitcher for the refrigerator may also be a welcome gift, she says. She recommends sending only one small package at a time to people who bring in their own deliveries, since lifting a heavy package can be problematic.

"It's really not the reminding. It's the doing for them - anything to help them," she says.

These days, Tammy makes drinking water a regular part of phone conversations with her parents. She reminds her mother to carry her flavor drops in her purse, so she can enjoy water more when she leaves the house.

Place water strategically around the house

Marissa Chiechi, of Alexandria, Virginia, helps take care of her 87-year-old grandfather, who lives nearby.

She noticed he wasn't drinking enough water and suspected he forgot to. So she started placing glasses of water where he could see it.

"I don't think he even realizes how thirsty he is," says Marissa, a 30-year-old marketing manager. "He won't request it, ever. But if he sees it, he'll chug it in a second."

Her grandfather moves from room to room and outdoors, she says, so she places glasses of cold water strategically around the house and on the patio. She also dresses up the drinks with a slice of lemon or cucumber, which he enjoys.

Her grandfather emigrated from Italy - "born and raised in the garden" - so adding fruits and vegetables helps draw him to the drinks, she says.

She also loads up his meals with fruits and vegetables with high water content, such as celery, watermelon, cucumbers, and lettuce. Soups and broths also incorporate hydration naturally into the menu.

Marissa also helped make chamomile tea a part of his morning routine. The herbal tea helps with hydration, whereas caffeinated drinks may have the opposite effect.

What does the doctor say?

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Senior Medical Editor

Your body needs enough fluid to function properly. Hydration helps your body do core functions, like maintain internal body temperature and blood pressure. Your body depends on fluid to move oxygen carrying red blood cells from your heart to your entire body. And you need fluid to move waste out of your body through urine.

Older adults are more vulnerable to dehydration for several reasons. They may not drink enough fluids throughout the day for various reasons. They may lose more fluid because of medical conditions or medications. They also have lower reserves and are more likely to become dehydrated when they get sick.

When older adults get dehydrated, they're also more likely to develop electrolyte imbalances. These imbalances can have a serious affect on their health, especially if they have heart- or kidney-related medical conditions.

It's important to work with a healthcare professional to determine the best way to keep your loved one hydrated. Some people may not be able to drink as much fluid throughout the day because of kidney or heart issues. Others may need to take in extra electrolytes. Once you know the right hydration plan, you can take steps to help keep your loved one hydrated. There are many creative ways to encourage older adults to keep up with their fluid intake. The tips in these stories offer wonderful suggestions on how to get started.

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