Tips To Help Keep A Senior Parent Hydrated During Cold Weather
Seniors are chronically dehydrated. It can be a real challenge to get a senior parent to drink enough water throughout the day. Dehydration can cause a range of health problems and symptoms like:
- Dizziness
- Poor balance
- Irritability
- Dry mouth
- Dry skin
- Headache
- Poor vision
All of which can increase the risk that a senior will fall when they’re living independently. So it’s very important to make sure that a senior parent is staying hydrated. Home care assistance can help by encouraging your senior parent to drink throughout the day. But when the weather is cold it’s even more of a tough sell to get seniors to drink water because cold water on a cold day isn’t very appealing. You and a home care assistance provider can use these tips to encourage your senior parent to drink more when the weather is cold:
Offer Herbal Tea
Herbal teas are a delicious hot alternative to cold water. Fruit teas, herbal blends, and other teas are very warming on a cold day. And they’re very hydrating. An electric kettle makes it easy to heat up water for tea with a push of a button. You can even try giving your senior parent flowering tea in a glass tea pot. Flowering teas are herbs sewn together that bloom in hot water. When you place one in a glass or clear teapot and add water the tea blooms like a flower and infuses the hot water with flavor.
Make Some Delicious Broths
A fantastic way to get your senior parent hydrated in the cold is to encourage them to drink broths instead of plain water. Plain broth is very soothing to the digestive system and delicious to drink on a cold day. Bone broth is great option for seniors because bone broth is filled with essential vitamins and minerals and collagen too. Bone broth is great for improving skin and hair health. It can also help repair damaged connective tissue. Bone broth is available in any grocery store, or you can make your own by boiling soup bones.
Eat Veggies That Have A High Water Content
With home care assistance your senior can eat healthy meals that are primarily vegetables that have a high-water content. Cucumbers, watercress, tomatoes, and green bell peppers have a very high water content in addition to having a lot of the vitamins and minerals that your senior parent needs.
Avoid Drying Foods
Seniors can avoid dehydration by not eating foods that are high in salt or high in carbs. Some types of pasta, dry crackers, and other foods that are particularly dry can contribute to dehydration as well as high blood pressure. Low-sodium moisture rich foods are a better choice for seniors than foods like crackers or dry breads.
Avoid Caffeine
Seniors should also avoid drinking too much caffeine because caffeine can be dehydrating. Limiting the amount of coffee and black tea that seniors drink can keep their caffeine intake low, but don’t forget about drinks like hot chocolate that also have caffeine.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care assistance in Buffalo Grove, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.
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