Dehydration affects 20% to 30% of the elderly population, making the condition a sizeable concern for the patients and their families. In this demographic, it has a more detrimental impact than on younger individuals, increasing death, morbidity, and disability. Water deprivation is a common cause of dehydration in older persons, although excessive water loss can also be a factor. Traditional dehydration measures do not account for many of the physiological changes that exist in older adults compared to younger individuals.
Clinical evaluation of dehydration in older persons yields a variety of results, but it is not necessarily diagnostic. Dehydration should be treated with an emphasis on prevention and early detection before it has a negative impact on health and leads to comorbidities. This essay highlights the general principles of prevention, identification and treatment of dehydration in older adults. It accounts for a generally higher vulnerability of this demographic when working with implications or recommendations.
Dehydration in the elderly can be avoided with a few preventative methods. Being aware of the dangers is a smart place to start. Simply ensuring that an elderly person drinks enough water might lead to obvious and substantial improvements. However, many seniors are unsure how much water is sufficient, and this volume varies case by case. The medics must remember to track the sugar content while selecting an electrolyte replacement drink to adhere to other likely dietary requirements of an older person (Lešnik, 2017). Despite its origins as a children’s drink, Pedialyte is acceptable for the elderly due to its high concentration of electrolytes.
It also has less sugar than many other comparable products. For example, a sports drink like Gatorade is beneficial for dehydration but has high sugar content. Many elderly adults have trouble getting enough liquids in a day, partly due to their diminished sensation of thirst.
It is critical to recognize the warning signs and symptoms of dehydration to take the appropriate action as soon as possible. Because the effects of dehydration can advance swiftly in the elderly, you must act soon if a medic suspects dehydration. Dehydration symptoms in the elderly are also frequently progressive, increasing their intensity at a rapid pace. Even a regular observer or temporary carer can easily identify if an elderly person is dehydrated in the early stages by looking for the following minor dehydration signs. Common symptoms include cracked lips, parched mouth, unusually dry skin, and irregular urination (Lešnik, 2017). Some of the more serious consequences of dehydration in the elderly are dark-colored and strong-smelling urine, absence of tears while crying, muscle cramps and special confusion.
Treatment of dehydration in elderly people can be complicated by their general patient vulnerability or unwillingness to co-operate. The most essential and, arguably, obvious part of the treatment is to make sure that older individuals drink enough water (at least 1.7 liters every 24 hours). Providing healthful beverages and ensuring water is readily available and accessible at all times, as well as reminding and encouraging the elderly to drink these fluids, are other tactics. Elderly patients should be urged to drink moderate amounts of fluids throughout the day rather than big amounts at once. Fluids can be supplied by a catheter or hypodermoclysis when the necessary fluid intake cannot be met for any reason. Fluids can be given intravenously in more specialized and severe instances.
With these notions in mind, it is important to emphasize the degree of individuality that can be often present between cases. A doctor’s advice on a particular patient and their medical history should be kept in higher regard than the general medical knowledge. General recommendations however are unlikely to change, as the intake of water is likely to assist with any case of dehydration of mild or moderate intensity.
Reference
Lešnik, A., Piko, N., Železnik, D., & Bevc, S. (2017). Dehydration of older patients in institutional care and the home environment. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 10(6), 260-266. Web.