06/12/2024
“If she refuses to drink her water, how can I keep her out of the hospital?!”
Urinary tract infections are a big cause of falls in older adults due to the altered mental status and weakness.
This can be really stressful for a caregiver who wants to prevent the frequent hospitalizations but find themselves playing the role of nag.
So what can l a family member to do to stop this cycle?
For me, I believe in showing my patients their options and letting them decide what’s best for them.
In the battle of hydration, I lean on the idea that we are all “coin operated.”
If you are able to set up a routine and turn it into a habit, it will cost you nothing.
But if you can’t, you should expect to spend more money on healthcare costs.
So what are the options?
The first thing do is to use the power of cues and reminders. I teach caregivers to find 8 water bottles or cups and label them with the time that they need to be consumed by.
I tell them to place them in a high traffic area as a visual cue and if they have an Alexa or timer, to set an auditory reminder to increase chances that the activity will be completed.
It’s best to front load your water to avoid drinking too much liquid after dinner. Getting up to use the bathroom a lot at night is a reason people will try to minimize liquid.
What works for a lot of people is water every hour until noon (8am, 9am, 10am, 11am 12pm) + every two hours after lunch (2 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM).
But here’s where are the work comes in.
You can’t change what you don’t track so you need to pay attention to make adjustments to your first iteration of the schedule.
If someone is continuously falling behind, they will just get frustrated and give up. So make sure that in the first few days, you are tweaking the amounts or the times when you want the water to be consumed.
If this is too hard for the moment, increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables with high water content can sometimes be enough to help get that habit on track.
Finally, I discuss the option of just bypassing the mouth and paying cash for a hydration bag at an IV Drip Bar.
People generally don’t like to pay $65 for that option:) That’s why I can’t wait for AgeTech innovators like Hydro Gummy to launch their product one day!
This AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP founder Lanie Yeung and I have talked about how her game changing “Water you can eat” innovation will finally give us clinicians some middle ground for keeping our older adults hydrated. Check out what a novel idea this is!
https://www.hydrogummy.com
In an ideal world, all the secrets of aging are FREE when you can improve your hydration, your sleep and your daily exercise through routines.
Save money by putting effort into developing strategies to build positive aging habits and you’ll be happier, healthier, and richer!;)
