Mom is 81 yrs. old with dementia, had first hospitalization for dehydration, she returned home did very well for the first month. Now we noticed a slow return of the signs (sluggish, weak, slow response, closed eyes, etc.). We urge and beg her to drink more water than what is given with meds (my bro and I split the morning and evening med run) and we give her at least 2 cups with meds. She lives in assisted living. I put up reminder notes to drink water in her apt. UGH!!!! I would really appreciate any ideas to urge her or make her drink the water or any liquid more frequently. Does any one know if people can go in for an IV--similar to patients who go in for dialysis? Forgive me if that sounds totally crazy but we are so frustrated and concerned that something as simple as drinking can be so complicated. Oh by the way, we all agree that liquids should stop by 7 or 8 so as to avoid bathroom runs and not to interrupt her sleep.Thanks
If it's about the flavors, you can try the calorie free flavor enhancers; make some tea, in advance, to add ice or pop in the microwave (depending on her preferences), exchange part of her meal with a shake or smoothy. Clear liquids are best, but when dehydrated, getting them to intake ANY liquid is a good thing. You an add gelatin to every meal ("there's ALWAYS room for jello!!") Snack on frozen pops: fruit pops, koolaid pops (you can even find some of the electrolyte frozen pops for kids; a word of caution here, elders should generally have about half of what we give active kids if the elder has any heart issues).
Have her try drinking from something with a straw (I love our kiddie cups that have a built in straw .. cheap and we number the container so we/she knows how many she's had that day). Bartenders have known for decades that adding a straw makes them drink more/faster.
Hope that helps a little.
Oh, and yeah .. you can get an IV, but most likely it will have to be monitored by a visiting nurse, and I doubt it's a 'plug in for refill' .. in my experience it's a persistent IV, usually short term, monitored by the visiting RN, who will end up having to take a blood test to determine her hydration levels.
Does Mom like fruit? That is a good way to get additional fluid -- watermelon, peaches, grapes, oranges, pineapple, just about any fruit will help with hydration, fresh frozen, or canned. Does she like milk-shakes/smoothies? Could she use the extra calories/nutrition from these items? Does the ALF serve soup often? Does she eat that?
She doesn't need to get all her fluid by drinking water. In fact, if she is drinking 4 cups of water a day, that is about 3.5 cups more than my mother gets! My mom drinks coffee, tea, eats soups, loves fruit, and generally gets much of her fluid from food.
If your mother is showing symptoms you've associated with dehydration in the past, perhaps having her checked by the ALF's nurse would be a good idea. Maybe those symptoms are about dehydration, and maybe something else is going on.
Good luck! Come back and let us know how this works out!