Dehydration in the Elderly: Symptoms & Prevention
An often overlooked health risk, dehydration affects more seniors than you might think.
Imagine it’s peak summertime and you’ve just finished working in your garden for the past two hours. The afternoon sun’s been beating down on your back, and there’s only one thing you can think about: an ice-cold glass of water.
You most likely know this feeling of thirst — when you’re so parched water starts tasting good? But as you age, that sense of thirst diminishes significantly. So even when your body needs to replenish its water supply, you might not realize it.
As a result, many older adults don’t drink enough liquids. It’s not known exactly what causes this reduction in thirst, but the consequences of it are well known: dehydration is a common cause of hospitalization among elderly people.
Water is necessary for nearly every bodily function, from lubricating joints to regulating body temperature to keeping kidneys functioning properly. Not getting enough of it can have serious health consequences, including delirium, confusion, infections, falls, and fractures.
But hot weather season is not the only time when dehydration is a risk. Many seniors are at increased risk for dehydration throughout the year. A UCLA study found that up to 40% of seniors may be chronically underhydrated, and numerous studies have linked dehydration to increased morbidity and mortality. For example, one study by El-Sharkawy et al. found that out of 200 elderly participants admitted to the hospital, 37% of them were dehydrated; of the 7% of the participants that died in hospital, 79% of them were dehydrated at admission.
What Puts Seniors at Increased Risk of Dehydration?
Seniors are also at greater risk for dehydration because body composition changes with age. Physiological changes that can put seniors at a higher risk of dehydration include decreased fluid consumption (as discussed), increased fluid loss, and reduced body water content.
Unfortunately, people with dementia are at a heightened risk of becoming dehydrated. They often simply forget to drink, but some also have trouble communicating what they need to their caregivers. Additionally, certain medications can decrease the body’s hydration levels.
Adding to the problem is that symptoms of dehydration in the elderly often go unrecognized. Many of the earliest signs, like dry mouth, fatigue, dizziness, and muscle cramps, are nonspecific and could be easily attributed to other medical conditions, medications, or the natural effects of aging.
Common signs and symptoms of dehydration in older adults include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Confusion or disorientation
- Dry skin or cracked lips
- Sunken eyes
- Fainting
- Loose skin or skin that doesn’t return to normal after pinching
- A decrease in urination
- Urine that is a darker color than normal
- Constipation
- Inability to sweat or produce tears
- Difficulty with movement or walking
- Rapid heart rate
- Low blood pressure
Preventing Dehydration in Older Adults
Prevention is the key to avoiding dehydration in your elderly loved one. You might assume that your sedentary parent or loved one consumes more water than they could possibly lose in a day, but that is simply not the case. Fluid intake monitoring is an essential component in preventing dehydration for seniors.
Newer technology like Somatix’s gesture detection algorithms creates a new and completely passive way of tracking hydration with a smartband. Somatix is able to funnel that data through its SafeBeing platform and provide interventions to both caregivers and seniors directly to encourage sufficient hydration.
Powerful integrated digital health tools like SafeBeing allow seniors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to identify changes in activity and wellbeing before a loved one’s health condition deteriorates. While we should continue to remind seniors to replenish their water supply, using data-driven approaches to prevent dehydration may be more accurate, efficient, and realistic in the long-term.
