Many nursing home residents are struggling with dehydration as they are unable to get the hydration they need through normal means. Even a slight decrease in water consumption can lead to the dehydration cascade where the lack of water causes an intracellular fluid shift that worsens one’s mood, creates fatigue, and reduces cognitive ability. This could eventually lead to more severe health risks.
Dehydration in nursing homes is a complicated problem to solve as more than half of nursing home residents are considered dehydrated or severely dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to higher risks for injury that results in prolonged recovery in hospitals and further affect the mortality rate. Dehydration can be made even more severe if a patient has a preexisting blood condition or takes medications that are known to deplete fluids. Some signs of dehydration that patients and loved ones can look for are communication issues with caregivers, declining signals for thirst, loss of both water and salt, and worsening kidney function.
Micronutrient supplementation is a treatment that can help the body get the key micronutrients it needs to improve dehydration and find a better baseline for sustained oral hydration. With the right infusion of electrolytes, micronutrient supplementation can help with hydration issues, chronic wounds, nutrition deficiency, infections, and cognitive impairments to close the hydration gap for good.
Infographic Source: https://www.driptiv.com/nursing-homes-have-a-dehydration-problem