Holiday Tips for Supporting Elderly Loved Ones at Home
While the holidays are synonymous with togetherness, many elderly individuals experience increased isolation and loneliness during this time. Physical limitations,…
The first step to eating well is to learn what your body needs right now. Knowing what to eat, and how much or little, is key to achieving and maintaining nutritional health. It may also be wise to consult your health care professional, who can evaluate your specific nutritional needs based on your medical history and current health profile, assess whether you need to follow a special diet, and recommend any necessary supplements.
The hydration status of a person refers to their body water balance. Dehydration occurs when people don’t have enough fluid in their bodies. Many older people have problems with dehydration which is a serious problem and can result in death if it is not taken care of, but dehydration is very easy to prevent.
The ability to feel thirst lessens with age so seniors may not realize when they need to drink more. Also, many seniors may find they have to use the bathroom more often so they are losing more fluid. In the aging process, people’s bodies start losing muscle and gaining fat. Remember muscle holds water but fat does not, so as a person ages their body water decreases. Medications that increase urination or help constipation can also cause dehydration.
Did You Know???
Dehydration is ranked in the top ten most frequent reasons for Medicare hospitalizations and half of all patients hospitalized with dehydration as the primary diagnosis, die within one year.
Healthy Foods
Whole, natural, fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, healthy sources of protein (poultry, fish, eggs, tofu) and dairy products that contain calcium constitute efficient eating. Highly processed and refined foods usually contain more calories and fewer nutrients, which is why people often still feel hungry after consuming them. Here are some other healthy eating tips:
Changing old habits and improving diet
It is important to recognize your bad habits and tackle obstacles to good nutrition. If you are finding it hard to change your old ways, here are a few things to remember:
All of your hard work will pay off! Maintaining a healthy diet can yield numerous benefits, including increased energy, good mental health and mental abilities, resistance to disease, faster recovery from illness, accident, or surgery, better medication effectiveness, and improved management of chronic health problems. The overall result of an emphasis on good nutrition will be an improvement in your quality of life, mobility, and independence.
Tips for Staying Hydrated
Water doesn’t have to be the only source of fluids! What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake, while the remaining 80 percent comes from water and beverages of all kinds.
For example, many fruits and vegetables — such as watermelon and cucumbers — are nearly 100 percent water by weight. Beverages such as milk and juice are also composed mostly of water. Here are some helpful tips to remain hydrated:
Symptoms of Dehydration
Dehydration can be caused by diarrhea, vomiting, overheating, diabetes, diuretic medications, high fever, or excessive sweating. If you have any of these, be aware and make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids. Here are some warning signs (symptoms) that can be overcome by simply drinking water:
Life threatening symptoms that will require a person to go to the ER or contact their physician immediately include:
As with most illnesses, prevention is the key. Making sure you stay hydrated now is much easier than being treated for dehydration later.
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