Drinking enough water on a daily basis is a struggle for everyone. But as people get older, staying hydrated becomes an even bigger challenge. Getting the elderly to drink water or eat a healthy diet isn’t easy. Here are a few ways to make sure your loved one is getting enough to drink and eat to stay healthy in Atlanta, Georgia.
Practical Ways to Stay Hydrated
The key to keeping your loved one hydrated is to create a plan. Simply presenting them with a large bottle of water and expecting them to drink it in one sitting or throughout the day isn’t effective. Customize the plan to fit your loved one. You can do this by:
- Offer drinks that your loved one is more likely to drink on their own.
- Create a schedule for your loved one or their home health aide can follow for when to drink.
- Addressing any reasons why your loved one isn’t drinking enough.
How to Maintain a Healthy Diet
The elderly often struggle with eating and drinking enough because it’s difficult for them to get the food or drinks they need on their own. A family member or home health aide can address this by buying and preparing healthy foods. Some tips to improve elderly nutrition include:
- Maintaining a balanced diet. Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, grains, and dairy in your loved one’s diet.
- Limit foods high in salt and saturated fat. Some fat and a little salt is good. But saturated fat is bad for heart health and salt can raise blood pressure.
- Cut refined sugars. There are healthier juice-sweetened foods out there to satisfy a sweet tooth. Refined sugars lack the necessary vitamins and minerals loved ones need to stay healthy.
Why Eating Healthy and Staying Hydrated is Important
A good diet and drinking enough water will help keep some health issues at bay. Maintaining a balanced diet can help keep conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes in check. Drinking enough every day can help prevent dehydration which can cause confusion, dizziness and impair kidney function.
Struggling with helping your senior eat and drink enough? Call Prescott HealthCare to request information about our home health aides. We understand the importance of nutrition and hydration and will help your loved one stay healthy.
About Prescott HealthCare, LLC
Prescott HealthCare is a family owned and operated private home care provider dedicated to giving Atlanta area families safe, personalized care right in the comfort of home.
Our certified aides help people with daily activities like:
| Dressing and grooming | Bathing and hygiene |
| Incontinence care | Medication reminders |
| Meal preparation and serving | Companionship |
| Errands | Escorting to appointments |
If you are interested in learning more about how we can help you at home, contact us anytime at: 404-883-3302 or right here online.
