Dehydrated!

[little shettie]

Help please! How can I get my mum to drink more fluids? Shes 94, has AZ and now lives with myself and hubby. She is now well fed, unlike when she lived alone on toast and lost tons of weight, though she prefers to eat biscuits, cakes and chocolates rather then her dinner, but at least she has put on weight. She is well looked after in all aspects but shes an absolute monkey when it comes to drinking. She loves a cup of tea, makes a big fuss when I bring her one, ooh lovely tea, and then takes a few sips and its left to go cold. I bring her a glass of fresh orange which she loves, with her dinner, and its still there at bed time. If I try and encourage her to drink it she says she is and to stop nagging her! Then on a day like today where she has a kind of melt down and wont get out of bed and is aggressive and non compliant, shes been without a drink or food for the whole day. Her urine smells terrible, I'm really worried but don't know what to do about it!

 

[Lindy50]

Hi little shettie

I sympathise with you - I have this problem all the time with my mum.

First of all, if her wee smells terrible, do you think you should get a sample and take it to the surgery for testing? She could have a UTI .....

In general, though, I try to get liquid into mum by underhand means. That is, I give her cereal with milk, pudding with custard, anything with ice cream, jelly, fruit....all these contain fluid but don't have to be 'drunk'. She loves tinned fruit and will drink the juice as though she's been in the desert!!

Otherwise, I vary the drinks....her favourite at the moment is a packet Cappucino. Not what I'd like, but if all gets the fluid in....

Good luck

Lindy xx

 

[TDA]

My mum is exactly the same. Our new carer has been brilliant, Jelly as pudding, lots of salad/lettuce/cucumber, I never give her more than an inch of juice in the glass otherwise she leaves it. Mum also loves chocolate, so has chocolate drinks, or milk with honey seems to go down well.

 

[ASH74]

Ice lollies or sorbets are another option to increase fluids.


Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point

 

[joggyb]

I'd echo the suggestions others have had. In addition, at my dad's care home, they always start the residents' supper with a small bowl of soup. That also seems very effective for sneaking liquid into them

 

[Onlyme]

Mum, hated sweet drinks, will now only drink coffee with sugar in it, won't touch orange juice as much too sour but will drink apple or pineapple juice. Drinking is a huge problem.

 

[little shettie]

Thank you for those ideas, I will try some. But eating can be a problem too at times! I did think about a UTI and I will get a sample sorted this week but I think her wee is strong through lack of fluid. Yesterday she had one cup of tea and a sip of OJ as she sent back to bed and would not surface!! XX