Over 50% of senior citizens in nursing homes don’t drink enough water, which is causing serious health problems for our elderly. Negative effects can arise from even mild dehydration, which starts to set in when even less than 5% of the daily required intake is consumed. Dehydration is powerful enough to affect cognitive function and induce mood swings and exhaustion as fluid is moved from vital organs to the bloodstream. Seniors who are dehydrated also run the risk of falling more often, recovering from surgery more slowly, spending longer time in the hospital, and dying at higher rates.For a variety of reasons, elderly residents of nursing homes are especially susceptible to dehydration.
Many patients take drugs that interfere with fluid retention, such as antidepressants and diabetic medications. Their diminished cognitive function makes it even more difficult for them to identify thirst and let their caretaker know that they need more water. They also require more water to not start feeling the effects of dehydration- their kidneys have lost the ability to concentrate urine, which requires more water to flush out. One solution is IV micronutrient therapies, which can guarantee enough hydration in nursing homes in order to reduce these dangers for nursing home patients.
Source: DriptIV.com