Struggle to get enough fluids into mum she just says yuk to everything I give her. I do physically try and pour it down her but she has started to put her tongue in the way. She does get very dehydrated. She is so stubborn lol.
dehydration
- Thread starter magdolin
- Start date
Whilst I appreciate it is a huge worry don't try and force her to swallow or she might end up choking or have aspiration pneumonia.
You need to divert attention away from the drinking. It's becoming a battle,it's her trying to assert her will and independence, so use diversionary tactics.
Try giving her soups at mealtimes to get some liquid in her. Ditto with mashed vegetables, yoghurt etc. Try putting lots of milk with her cereal. Try 'sweetened drinks. Most dementia sufferers have a very sweet tooth and at this stage extra sugar is not your major problem or worry.
Having said that, when you say she's trying to put her tongue in the way, it may be her 'swallow' is the problem rather than an unwillingness to drink and you might need a referral to a SALT person.
If it's any consolation my mother-in-law, who doesn't have dementia, drinks only 3 drinks a day because she worries about getting to the toilet, has the house at 23-27 degrees and ought to be severely dehydrated.
However she's been like this for years now seemingly with no problems.
The above suggestions are some of the things we've tried to help.
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Good luck getting a SALT referral (there are a lot of abbreviations on this website....I have no idea what SALT means either). My mum's dentist said that she was showing signs of swallowing trouble and suggested a referral to (presumably) SALT. So off I trot (actually telephone) to the GP and ask for a referral. The response is somewhere between 'what's that then' to 'it's not our job'. So back to the dentist who said she would contact the GP and 'put them straight'...alternatively she would do the referral. I think the GP surgery may have been thinking it wasn't their job to pay for a SALT referral. Perhaps its was the dentist after all. Ask a GP to look at anything teeth related and he points you back to the dentist.
Agree that soup, yogurts anything with a high water/liquid content. I believe the bowel (lower intestine?) extracts water from food and that will keep you hydrated. I think there was a family stranded at sea without water, the mother was a nurse and kept them alive by giving sea water enema. I'm not suggesting that you give your relative enema's but just that the body has other mechanisms that enhance hydration levels. Presumably if dehydration is an issue then dizziness and risk of fall increases....so it is a serious issue.
Constipation must also be a problem and how do you give medication without water? So seek help from the 'professionals'. Perhaps extra sugar/sweetner could entice them to drink more and get into the habit of drinking as a pleasure.
I sometimes the PWD can sense stress/worry and that causes then to fret and 'act up'. Sometimes a smile and a hug can remove the tension. But ultimately you cannot force them.
I had a carer (crazy woman) who said that because mum said 'no' she couldn't legally give her a drink. I pointed out that mum always said 'no', it's the dementia restricting her vocabulary and the carer knew that but stuck to her guns (I think she really wanted to leave early). I find that if I put the cup to her lips, she usually drinks, but I think I am lucky in that respect.
Good luck anyway. You are doing the right thing asking for help.
Would she eat jelly?
My late mum was a reluctant drinker, variety became the key.
Also consider the type of cup/mug its presented in. Is it easy to hold? Does she forget its there to drink?
In the end, mums preference was fizzy pop, not wonderful but it was fluid.
Also, if you try squash, keep the water in the fridge, so its really cold.
Please don't ''tip it down her'' That cant be nice for either of you.
SALT= Speech and language therapist.
My late mum was a reluctant drinker, variety became the key.
Also consider the type of cup/mug its presented in. Is it easy to hold? Does she forget its there to drink?
In the end, mums preference was fizzy pop, not wonderful but it was fluid.
Also, if you try squash, keep the water in the fridge, so its really cold.
Please don't ''tip it down her'' That cant be nice for either of you.
SALT= Speech and language therapist.
I know it won't meet all her hydration needs but I wonder if your mum might be happy to lick / suck on ice lollies?
"there are a lot of abbreviations on this website....I have no idea what SALT means either"
I was just about to post and I see someone's done it above but
SALT= Speech And Language Therapist.
I was just about to post and I see someone's done it above but
SALT= Speech And Language Therapist.
Terminology & 'knowing the system' is difficult but important. My dentist said to go to the GP for a 'swallow test' paid for by GP. The GP surgery didn't know what I was talking about - perhaps if I had said mum needs a SALT test then I would have got further.
Still not too convinced that 'Speech & Language' Therapist is a good description for someone who does a swallow test....even the dentist (who presumably does referral to SALT) misled me somewhat. Every so often I find out a little more how the system works and it could be described as 'clear as mud'.
thread about jargon/abbreviations
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?26388-Abbreviations-List-and-Talking-Point-Jargon
and re SALT
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/speech-and-language-therapist
What you'll do
You'll work with children and adults who may have:
•difficulties making themselves understood through speech
•problems understanding and using language
•a stammer
•difficulties with feeding, chewing or swallowing
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?26388-Abbreviations-List-and-Talking-Point-Jargon
and re SALT
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/speech-and-language-therapist
What you'll do
You'll work with children and adults who may have:
•difficulties making themselves understood through speech
•problems understanding and using language
•a stammer
•difficulties with feeding, chewing or swallowing
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Thanks, it would be good to have a link to this thread on the homepage.
I guess abbreviations are a bonus and a nightmare. If you don't know what it means then you are stuck...having to rely on Google....or ask 'stupid' questions.
I knew that SALT was related to swallowing and not 'strategic arms limitation talks'....at least!!
thanks everyone we do give her lollies I just worry as whenever she goes the hospital they put her on a drip and say that she is dehydrated
Hi Magdolin,
Don't know if this will help but when my Dad was terminally ill they gave us these little sponges on sticks for him to suck on because he couldn't physically drink liquids, I'd dip them in whatever drink he fancied and then he would suck on it. Obviously your mum wouldn't get enough fluids from them alone so you would probably have to try the other suggestions too but I thought maybe it would be worth a try as a bit of added liquid
Don't know if this will help but when my Dad was terminally ill they gave us these little sponges on sticks for him to suck on because he couldn't physically drink liquids, I'd dip them in whatever drink he fancied and then he would suck on it. Obviously your mum wouldn't get enough fluids from them alone so you would probably have to try the other suggestions too but I thought maybe it would be worth a try as a bit of added liquid
My husband was another who wouldn't drink enough - and he did get dangerously dehydrated a couple of times. One thing I did was just keep taking whatever drink he had left away, and giving him a fresh one. Eg, I'd give him a glass of apple juice, after half an hour or so, when he'd only have taken a sip or two, I'd take it away - and after a minute I'd bring him a glass of something like blackcurrant squash (different colour!) - he'd take a couple of sips of that. And in a little bit I'd take that away, and bring him apple juice again - and so on! He loved icecream though, and I just kept giving it to him, as ice cream also counts as liquid. This is why jelly & ice cream - and yogurt - is given as dessert in hospitals! They count toward your fluid intake. William often had 3 Magnum ice cream bars a day, plus a bowl of ice cream in the evening with his meds hidden in it. He wouldn't eat much either, so the calories were also good - tbh, even his GP said it had got to the stage where anything that he would eat was a bonus! It all changed when he went into a nursing home - he ate and drank anything he was given, in their dining room, which was set up to resemble a restaurant. He loved it, and his weight went right up!
He loved icecream though, and I just kept giving it to him, as ice cream also counts as liquid. This is why jelly & ice cream - and yogurt - is given as dessert in hospitals! They count toward your fluid intake. William often had 3 Magnum ice cream bars a day, plus a bowl of ice cream in the evening with his meds hidden in it. He wouldn't eat much either, so the calories were also good - tbh, even his GP said it had got to the stage where anything that he would eat was a bonus! It all changed when he went into a nursing home - he ate and drank anything he was given, in their dining room, which was set up to resemble a restaurant. He loved it, and his weight went right up!
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