Tips on Water Intake

rosecoloredglasses

Hi everyone! Happy (almost) fall :) I'm writing to ask if anyone has had any experience with their loved one not remembering to drink water. My mom has recently started on Lexapro to deal with her anxiety and depression, and I know from my own experience with Lexapro how dehydrating it is and therefore causes awful headaches and pressure. She already is not amazing with drinking water, really only remembering to drink when she has to take her medicine or she's eating a meal. Thankfully she does enjoy drinking water so it's not like I have to force her, but I can't be with her every minute to ask if she's had a drink. Has anyone else dealt with this and what did you do to help it?? Thank you for reading, much love to you all and your loved ones!

Emily 123

My mom won't drink water, but she loves juice or Gatorade. Dementia tends to affect the sense of taste so there's a preference for sweeter things. Would she be more likely to have one of those?

Otherwise, you may be up against both her lifelong habits and the dementia , which can be tough. Is she at a point where you can leave water out for her and then give her a call to make sure she drinks some? That might work if she can be cued and can follow through. At some point the cue may initiate an action, like pouring a glass of water, but as soon as you're not there reminding her she'll forget about it.

Very early on my mom did ok with me putting out her meds with a note to take them, but eventually that prompting stopped working.

SiberianIris

What about Jelly Drops?

https://www.jellydrops.com/

harshedbuzz

@rosecoloredglasses

I have never heard of Lexapro causing dehydration. It's not listed as a known side effect to my knowledge: I took it for about 18 months and had to stop because of extreme side effects so I'm pretty familiar with the medication. It can cause low sodium if a person taking it is dehydrated or takes diuretics.

What is your hydration goal? Are you trying to get the oft-recommended 8-glasses a day or are you trying to stave off a recurrence of dehydration related symptoms like elevated temperate, constipation or headaches?

Does she get hydration in other ways— non-caffeinated coffees or teas, soda, juice, fruits, veggies, soups? Does she live with you? If not, this will be almost impossible to improve.

HB

M1

I’m with HB, this becomes almost impossible to monitor and I wouldn’t worry about it. The “8glasses a day” is completely made up and not an evidence based recommendation.

terei

M1 is correct. Plus, most people get 50% of their hydration from their food. She simply does not need 8 glasses of liquid a day.

JM27

Hi Rosecoredglasses,

My father does not drink hardly any water. He now lives with me so what I do is use a reseating spring water and mix his juice drinks half to half. If I just give him plain water odds are he won’t drink it. I’m able to monitor as I’m home with him.

If your not that could get tricky.

Ci2Ci

When my mother lived with me, I had a brightly-colored reusable (non-plastic) water bottle that I kept full beside the recliner chair that she sat in all day & night, in plain sight to encourage her to drink water. I would mix in an Emergen-C packet for vitamins/electrolytes and flavor. She loved it and drank a lot on her own. (Now in nursing home, a different story. They do not allow them to keep water in their room; it is on-demand only. My mother is very independent and reluctantly to ask for things; sadly, I am sure that she isn't getting properly hydrated. She just suffered a scary bout of dehydration.)

NizhoniGrrl

Dehydration can lead to dizziness which can lead to low blood pressure and falls. Pretty sure that is what led to my mom's catastrophic fall. The dizziness has amazingly all but disappeared since her stint in the hospital, rehab, and now AL since she is being taken to all 3 meals and given medication in her room twice a day. That means she is being given liquids 5 times a day, which is definitely more than previously in IL.

​fesk

Oh, made up or not, we keep to 8 cups of water a day. Plus, whatever she gets from other sources. If someone can stay well hydrated, it's better. Can help avoid UTis, helps avoid constipation, helps avoid dehydration, etc.

Those Jelly Drops are confusing. I have seen them before and based on that site, they do not provide a helpful amount of liquid for the amount one would have to eat.

What stage is your mother in? Is she on her own? Early on, my mother had a 28 or 32 ounce water bottle we filled throughout the day. It was an easy way to keep track. If water bottles or a water pitcher were put out, could she get in a habit of drinking whatever is out for the day? If she's on her own, someone will need to help probably.