Tips on How to Keep Seniors Hydrated

Private Home Care is here to help take care of your loved ones. Dehydration is a risk for seniors, and the caregivers of Private Home Care use these tips and techniques to help make sure our clients are safe and hydrated!

1. Remember that there are many sources of fluids
People don’t have to drink only plain water to get hydrated. Coffee, tea, fruit juice, sweetened beverages, fruits, and vegetables all contain water.

If dehydration is a serious issue for your older adult, but they really resist drinking healthy fluids, it may be necessary to make trade-offs like allowing them to drink less healthy options like sugary drinks or diet soda.

To be sure that the pros outweigh the cons and their overall health will benefit, speak with their doctor. first

Or, try serving more foods with high water content to increase hydration without drinking fluids.

2. Keep water close by at all times
Sometimes, making it easy for seniors to serve themselves could encourage them to drink more water.

Try keeping a lightweight pitcher of water and a cup near their favorite seat to make it quick and convenient to take a drink. Having a special or beautifully decorated cup can help encourage drinking more water!

3. Experiment with beverages at different temperatures
Your senior may prefer hot drinks to cold, or the other way around. Experiment to find out which type they like better.

Try different things like warming up juices, making decaf iced coffee with cream, or adding plain soda water to make tea or juice bubbly.

4. Try something savory
Those who like savory foods may enjoy drinking hot soup broth instead of a sweet or neutral tasting beverage.

For convenience, the broth could come from a can, box, or powder. It’s especially comforting in cold weather.

And if your older adult is watching their sodium intake, make sure to get a low sodium broth or consider making homemade broth.

5. Make popsicles
Homemade popsicles made from fruit juice or a mix of juice and water are a great treat and a great way to get more fluids into your older adult. You can even include frozen berries – adds to the taste and texture of the popsicle and gives it a healthy boost from antioxidant rich berries!

6. Offer smoothies, milkshakes, Ensure, sports drinks
Some stubborn older adults may really resist drinking fluids.

If so, you could try enticing them with smoothies, milkshakes, Ensure, or sports drinks even if they’re not the healthiest choices.

If they like the flavor or texture of these options, they may be more willing to drink them regularly.

7. Set a timer or reminder! Older adults tend to do well with routines, and incorporating hydration into a routine can be helpful to keep a person hydrated!

Why We Need to Pay Extra Attention To Keep Seniors Hydrated

National Hydration Day!

Why we need to pay extra attention to keep our seniors hydrated:

Dehydration is a serious concern for seniors. Elderly adults are among the most at-risk groups for dehydration, one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization after age 65.

As a natural part of the aging process, our bodies undergo physiological changes that increase our risk of becoming dehydrated. With advancing years, seniors can lose their sense of thirst and tend not to drink enough. Our appetites decrease, we eat less food and as a result get fewer fluids from solid food sources, too, problematic for the elderly since almost everyone gets about half their daily water requirement from solid foods and fruit and vegetable juices.

In addition, our fluid balance can be affected by medication, emotional stress, exercise, general health, and the weather. Many seniors have chronic health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, and may take medications that can make them more susceptible to dehydration. Our aging bodies also lose some natural ability to regulate temperature due to diminishing sweat glands, which makes seniors more susceptible to temperature changes in the environment. In addition, cognitive decline, including dementia or Alzheimer’s, can also increase the risk of dehydration because people may simply forget to hydrate or not be aware of their condition.

The two most serious conditions for seniors that result from heat and exposure to high temperatures are heat exhaustion and heat stroke, both of which primarily result from dehydration.

National Hydration Day

Today, June 23, is National Hydration Day!

The human body contains more than 60 percent water. Maintaining that balance while training is a challenge. And doing it during the summer months is a practice that must be consistent. Becoming overheated or dehydrated can lead to heatstroke and possibly death.

There are ways to help prevent dehydration. Being hydrated before a workout even begins is essential. If you are under-hydrated before you start, it is hard to catch up once the sweating starts. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the training, too. Fluids can include sports drinks that contain electrolytes (Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, and Potassium) to replenish the essential minerals the body loses through perspiration.

Onions – A Nutritional Powerhouse!

ONIONS, the underdog of vegetables deserves the spotlight for it’s impressive health benefits! Let us tell you about onions:

-Packed with nutrients! Onions are nutrient-dense, meaning they’re low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals.

One medium onion has just 44 calories but delivers a considerable dose of vitamins, minerals and fiber

This vegetable is particularly high in vitamin C, a nutrient involved in regulating immune health, collagen production, tissue repair and iron absorption.

Vitamin C also acts as a powerful antioxidant in your body, protecting your cells against damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals

Onions are also rich in B vitamins, including folate (B9) and pyridoxine (B6) — which play key roles in metabolism, red blood cell production and nerve function.

Lastly, they’re a good source of potassium, a mineral in which many people are lacking.

Normal cellular function, fluid balance, nerve transmission, kidney function and muscle contraction all require potassium.

This does not mean that you need to eat a raw onion like an apple (yuck!) to enjoy onion’s health benefits! (Nor do we recommend doing so.) There are plenty of creative and delicious ways to integrate onions into your diet!

Not only are onions nutrition powerhouses, but onions can be incorporated in almost every savory recipes, they do not spoil quickly and they are inexpensive.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/our-best-onion-recipes-gallery?fbclid=IwAR3qyAyFfrLJfyZwjbde9BGn_XrEhh1KDH0PqfJqftaANtJoVyHGhyJ08xo

Trust Us to Keep Your Loved Ones Safe from the Heat

Now we know how dangerous heat can be for older adults, and the importance of air conditioning!

Properly functioning HVAC is also important for humidity. Why? Unbalanced indoor humidity levels create discomfort and indoor air quality issues. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers work with the heating and cooling system to deliver balanced relative humidity levels throughout. Balanced humidity levels reduce indoor concentrations of allergens, bacteria, viruses and germs, preventing exposure and the negative health effects that result.

But did you know that it is also important for HVAC to be balanced? If the air conditioning is too cold, a senior can be too cold and get sick. If the air conditioning is not cold enough them it can still lead to heat related sickness.

Private Home Care is here for you and your loved ones.The best way to keep an older adult safe during the summer is to make sure there is always someone with them that can remind them to take their medications, drink water, and take a break from the heat by spending times in an air-conditioned home or building. An care giver from Private Home Health Care is just the person for this task. For decades we have consistently been top rated for our first-rate care services. Trust us to protect your loved ones from hot weather risks this summer.

National HVAC Day – Air Conditioning as a Life Saver

Today is National HVAC Day! HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning.

Why is air conditioning especially important for older adults?

Having an air conditioning system can be potentially life saving for seniors, especially when outdoor temperatures reach an unbearable high. Unfortunately, hundreds of senior a year die due to heat-related or induced causes.

Simply put, seniors cannot tolerate the heat as well as younger individuals. As people age, the body’s ability to regulate temperature often becomes impaired due to the natural aging process. This stems from several factors including: sweat glands tending to disappear as we age, a natural decrease in circulation of seniors, chronic disease or taking certain medications. Some elders may also find it challenging to determine when they are thirsty since their taste buds diminish with age.

Cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer’s compounds risks for seniors in hot temperatures because they may not be aware that it is so hot outside and heat may make them further confused.

HVAC can be a life-saver for seniors, especially during hot weather.

National Onion Ring Day!

Today, June 22, is National Onion Ring Day!

We celebrate the irresistible deliciousness of onion rings—often by eating as many of them as possible. An onion ring-like recipe appeared in an 1802 cookbook, and another surfaced in a New York newspaper in 1910. There is still an ongoing debate over who deserves credit for the onion ring, and cooks also still argue about how to best prepare and serve onion rings for the most flavorful results. They are a beloved snack across the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, some regions of Asia, and other corners of the world. They’ve also inspired countless spin-off snacks, like blooming onions and Funyun chips. So no matter how you like them, grab a fried onion snack for National Onion Rings Day!

We all love onion rings, AND we can tailor them to our healthy lifestyle!

This recipe features onion rings that are (1) not deep fried (2) not unhealthy (3) magically crispy, all WITHOUT Oil!
You can enjoy onion rings and STILL get the benefits of eating onions! Yes, you can have your cake, er – rather onion rings, and eat it too!

These 6-Ingredient Healthy Vegan Onion Rings are Crispy, Golden Brown, and Absolutely Delicious…but you don’t need ANY Oil to cook them!

National Take Your Lunch Break Day!

On the third Friday in June, North American workers celebrate National Take Back the Lunch Break Day.

Why? Because there’s been an increasing trend to not take lunch breaks, which affects employee morale, well-being and health! Making sure to take a lunch break affects productivity, happiness and job satisfaction. It depends on your job, but some little changes can make big differences! This includes, first and foremost – to not skip lunch!! Other tips are not eating at your desk, eating outside or near a bright sunny window, doing a few simple stretches, deep breathing or maybe a walk outside.

According to a 2017 study brand, employees who take lunch breaks are more likely to report being efficient at work and satisfied with their jobs.

That is why Tork created National Take Back the Lunch Break Day to help improve workplace morale, satisfaction, and productivity across North America.

Everybody needs wellness in their lives, including at work! At Private Home Care we emphasize everyone to eat lunch and do a few simple stretches – your body needs fuel, energy, and wellness to do your best work!