Dehydration In The Elderly
As a Delaware attorney who is outraged by nursing home abuse, I am especially concerned that the elderly are well cared for. In a previous article, I talked about malnutrition in nursing homes. Well, like malnutrition, dehydration can lead to a variety of serious health problems. For our bodies to function properly, we need water. Most of our body systems and organs are drastically affected by water deprivation. For example, we need water to regulate our body temperature, to maintain blood pressure, and to eliminate bodily waste.
Dehydration occurs when we lose more water than we take in. It’s that simple. And dehydration can occur more easily with the elderly, especially those in nursing homes because of inadequate care. Causes of dehydration include: (1) diarrhea, (2) the effects of medication, (3) inability to perceive thirst, (4) physical inability to drink or swallow, and (5) embarrassment related to incontinence.
Nursing homes have a responsibility to provide their residents with adequate hydration. Ways to prevent dehydration include assisting the person with drinking, offering fluids at mealtime and in between meals, and looking for the signs and symptoms of dehydration. Nursing homes have to provide proper training to their employees to recognize the signs and symptoms of dehydration. So what are the signs of dehydration? They include:
dark yellow urine
sunken eyes
ashen skin
dry skin
bleeding gums
urinary tract infection
weight loss
low urine output
constipation
dizziness
dry or sticky mouth and tongue
inability to sweat or produce tears
Some of the complications of dehydration are kidney failure, coma, shock, electrolyte abnormalities, and other heat related diseases.
