Dehydration Prevention

If you’ve never experienced dehydration, count yourself lucky.  To many people, dehydration is something that is mildly uncomfortable and unpleasant, but isn’t a big deal.  After all, you just have to drink some water and you’re all better, right?  Well, not exactly.  With dehydration can come a rush of dizziness, nausea, and panic as your body fights to regulate itself in the heat, and for the elderly, it can be significantly more difficult to reset when overheated and dehydrated.  You can help your loved one prevent dehydration with the compassionate and reliable support of a highly trained caregiver from Senior Helpers of Chattanooga, 423-710-1500.

To best combat the summer heat and possible dangerous side effects, it is best to arm yourself with some aging facts about dehydration.  The amount of water retained by the body decreases substantially with age and your loved one may not be getting the amount of liquids in their diet they need to stay safe in the summer months.  As a result of this, seniors are at far greater risk of heat related health problems such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, seven sunburn, and dehydration.  Over 8,000 Americans have died as a result of heat related afflictions during the past two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  If you and your family live a long distance from an elderly loved one, it may bring great peace of mind knowing that an experienced caregiver from Senior Helpers of Chattanooga is available to pay a visit for a few hours a day.  In home senior care is proudly available to all areas of Chattanooga, Hixson, Cleveland, Ooltewah, Signal Mountain. 

Reassurance that your elderly loved one is safe in their home is a very beneficial benefit. 

Beyond the normal needs for in home senior care such as assistance with personal care and companionship, prevention of dehydration is very important.  The responsible caregivers from Senior Helpers of Chattanooga understand the needs of a senior loved one and will work to make sure that their safety is a top priority.  Dehydration is often due partly to inadequate water intake, but can happen for a variety of other reasons such as a side effect of prescribed medications like diuretics that combat high blood pressure or depression.  It is important to have a watchful eye on an elderly loved one if they are experiencing diarrhea, excessive sweating, loss of blood and diseases such as diabetes.  When family members and friends are unable to make frequent visits to an elderly loved one, it is beneficial to have a dependable caregiver from Senior Helpers of Chattanooga stop by daily to make sure they are doing okay, especially in the sweltering hot summer months.  If dehydration is not identified and treated, the consequences to your loved one’s health can be significant, including reduced or even loss of consciousness, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, rapid but weak pulse, lowered blood pressure, and possibly even death.  If rehydration is not started, the situation can become life threatening.  Having an extra set of eyes to look after your loved one when family and friends are unable can be the key to successfully living independently. 

Watching for signs of illness in an elderly loved one can be challenging.  Some signs to watch for are confusion, problems with walking or falling, dizziness, headaches, dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, inability to sweat or produce tears, standing, constipation and reduced or darkened urine output.  Sometimes a simple test of pulling on skin on the back of the hand and seeing if it returns to normal in just a few seconds can help to predict dehydration.  When the summer months get cooking, you can count on the dependable caregivers of Senior Helpers of Chattanooga to help protect your loved one from dehydration.  The experienced caregiver will make sure your loved one doesn’t suffer from elderly dehydration, and make sure they consumes an adequate amount of fluids during the day; eats healthy, high water content foods such as fruits, vegetables and soups; checks that urine color is light and output adequate.  Having reusable water bottles near your loved one at all times will help your loved one to drink when they are not thirsty.  You and your family can count on the highly trained services of Senior Helpers of Chattanooga, 423-710-1500, to help your loved one stay safe and hydrated during the remainder of the hot summer months.