Water is best, but other drinks can also be helpful like milk, flavored sparkling water, and low-sugar fruit juices. Even frequent small sips are helpful if you cannot drink a full glass at a time.
Drinks like coconut water, sports drinks, or herbal teas can help replenish electrolytes and hydrate you. Foods with high water content, such as fruits (watermelon, oranges, strawberries) and veggies (cucumbers, celery), can also contribute to hydration.
If the person you are caring for is showing early signs of dehydration, offer them a bottle of water, Gatorade, Powerade or coconut water to replenish their electrolytes quickly.
Symptoms of dehydration
Best Hydrating Drink Options
Examples of drinks that are suitable for seniors could be water with a twist of lemon juice, seltzer mineral waters, unsweetened herbal teas, or vegetable juices. Of course, the best option overall is to simply drink plain water.
Encourage the person to eat foods that have a high liquid content, such as gravy, ice lollies, milk jellies and yogurt. Try using sweets called Jelly Drops®, which can help people with dementia to take in more water.
Better Source of Vitamins
Ensure and Boost contain essential vitamins, but Boost provides some of them in larger amounts, including vitamins C, E, D, K, B6 and B12. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that protect cells from free radical damage. Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium and is important for bone health.
Dehydration can exacerbate chronic muscle and joint pain, slow the rate of healing, and increase the chances of injury. Water helps hydrate discs between the vertebrae in your spine and prevents your tendons, ligaments, and muscles from becoming tight and stiff.
The fastest way to cure dehydration involves replacing fluids and electrolytes, with Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) (like Pedialyte) being best for vomiting/diarrhea, while water works for mild cases from heat/exercise; for severe dehydration, IV fluids in a hospital are needed, but for home, small, frequent sips of ORS or diluted sports drinks (for older kids/adults) are key, avoiding sugary drinks and caffeine.
The National Academy of Medicine recommends that men over age 51 drink 13 cups of water daily, and women in the same age range should aim for 9 cups. However, these amounts include all forms of fluid. Others suggest that an amount of water equal to one-third of your body weight is a good idea.
In addition to providing plenty of essential nutrients, fruits and vegetables also make great hydrating snacks. Bananas and avocados are rich in potassium, and many fruits are good sources of simple carbohydrates that, in the right quantities, can help your body absorb fluids and use later.
Drinking enough water each day is essential for maintaining good health. While the recommended daily intake can vary depending on factors such as age, sex, and activity level, a general guideline is to aim for at least 64 ounces of water per day.
Glucose replacement: Dehydration in children can cause hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Sprite can replace lost glucose, which may help reduce nausea and prevent other undesirable symptoms resulting from low blood sugar.
Foods that contain electrolytes include watermelon, dried figs, avocados, bananas and spinach. Milk also contains electrolytes, and there is some evidence that it may hydrate as well as or better than water.
10 Hydrating Fruits and Vegetables
Five key signs of dehydration include thirst, dark/less urine, dry mouth, headache, and dizziness/lightheadedness, signaling your body needs fluids, with reduced urination and darker urine being key indicators you aren't getting enough water. Other signs include tiredness, fatigue, cool extremities, and in infants, fewer tears when crying or sunken eyes.
Some favorites include watermelon, strawberries, cucumber, and herbs such as mint. Crush them up to release their flavors and then put them in the water and let them sit for a while. Try frozen fruits and vegetables to save money. They retain their water, don't spoil, and taste great in a smoothie.
Honey might also be effective as part of oral rehydration therapy.
Is it dehydration or something else?
You can quickly check for dehydration at home. Pinch the skin over the back of the hand, on the abdomen, or over the front of the chest under the collarbone. This will show skin turgor. Mild dehydration will cause the skin to be slightly slow in its return to normal.
All Ensure products contain some lactose but do not represent a medical concern for individuals with lactose intolerance due to the small amount. However, Ensure Plant-Based Protein is lactose free. Ensure products should not be consumed by people with galactosemia.
Yes, Sustagen (especially formulas like Optimum or Hospital Formula) can be very good for the elderly to help fill nutritional gaps from reduced appetite, support muscle health with protein, and provide essential vitamins and minerals for energy and immunity, but it's crucial to check labels for sugar/fat and ideally use it as a supplement to a balanced diet, not a replacement, and consult a doctor or dietitian.