Keeping the Alzheimer’s Patient Hydrated
August 9, 2006 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
As summer weather reaches its peak and hot humid days are numerous, it sometimes becomes a challenge to keep the Alzheimer’s patient adequately hydrated. They don’t understand the need to drink frequently. So if they don’t feel like drinking water, juice, or some other liquid, they may simply refuse it, even clamping their mouth tightly shut.
I experienced this difficulty with Mother. Even though she used to tell us, when we were children, to drink a lot in summer, she no longer understood that reasoning.
So I had to develop strategies to get her to drink more. I also noticed, when she moved to a nursing home, that they came around mid morning and afternoon for “juice time.” The staff served juice or water which usually was a break in the day for the residents.
Some tips on what worked for me. Most of the time!
*Serve smaller amounts.
*Provide liquids more frequently.
*Use small, attractive cups and glasses. Even paper cups can be bright and pretty. (There also is not so much to mop up if the glass gets spilled.)
*Find what might be a favorite juice. For instance, Mother never liked prune juice, so absolutely refused this.
*Don’t insist to the point of argument. It generally won’t gain anything.
*Serve foods, like watermelon, with high water content.
Ruth Schaffer at her Eating Fabulous blog, discusses watermelon with its high water content as a refreshing food for summer. (http://eatingfabulous.com/summers-thirst-quencher-watermelons/ .)
Do you have any tips for getting Alzheimer’s patients to drink adequate liquids during the hot weather…or any time at all.
i have no experience in taking care of an alzheimer’s patient, but would drinking together help? i just know that if there’s someone i can share a pot of fruit tea with, i’d be more inclined to drink more, than if i were alone…
Yes, Ruth, that is a good suggestion that I failed to emphasize. When Mother lived at home, we often had a cup of tea together. Then I might put a glass of water beside our plates or saucers and hope Mother would sip that, too. At the nursing home, the staff served mid-morning or afternoon juice to everyone in the activity/gathering room. For caregivers taking care of a family member at home, it likely would help if they or someone else shared a beverage with them.
With my grandpa he never really refused to drink, as much as he couldn’t hold the cup, and then he didn’t understand how to use a straw. So when he was in the hospital after his first seizure the had him drink using a small sponge attached to a thin long plastic stick, you would put that in his mouth and he would get some water from that not much, but it was better than nothing.
This is a good suggestion, using the plastic stick with a sponge when you’re having difficulty getting Alzheimer’s patients to drink or take fluids. Mary Emma