Hydration is critical for older adults

Hydration is critical for everyone, but even more so for the elderly.

Staying properly hydrated can be a challenge at any age. For the elderly, dehydration can occur rapidly and be difficult to detect as it may be confused with other symptoms such as memory loss, tiredness, weakness, falling, skin conditions, urinary tract infections, constipation, and more. So as you can see, drinking enough water is essential! Unfortunately, incontinence is another reason many elderly people avoid drinking enough water throughout their day.
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Here are some tips that may help:

• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day.
• Sip, don’t guzzle throughout the day, this helps with urination issues.
• Try drinking more than a few sips when taking medications, it adds up.
• Foods that contain water, such as soup, tea, and gelatin can help you get your 6 to 8 glasses per day (avoid coffee, which is a mild diuretic).
• While you eat, take sips of water between bites.
• Make water more interesting by adding a squeeze of fresh lemon, lime, or a touch of other fruit juices (avoid pure fruit juice or fruit juice from concentrate which contain a lot of sugar).
• Alcohol doesn't count toward fluid intake, so avoid it.
• Avoiding water if you have incontinence can be detrimental to your health so consider using incontinence products and talk with your doctor about your condition.

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Get to know Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) now, and all the home health services available to you and your loved ones, before you have a health emergency. We are proud to be the longest-serving VNA in the state of New Jersey, so we know a thing or two about helping seniors.

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The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is a leading provider of comprehensive home health care services in Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren Counties in Northern New Jersey. Established in 1898, generations have known that just one call to VNA opens the door to quality, patient-centered home health care solutions that allow patients to remain in the comfort of their homes with dignity, health, and independence.

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