Water for Wellbeing:promoting adequate fluid intake for the frail older person.
Many frail older people are not drinking sufficient fluid to maintain adequate hydration. As a result, dehydration is common in older adults living in the community and in residential care.
The Water for Wellbeing resource kit promotes the benefits of adequate fluid intake for frail older people. The kit aims to assist care providers of older people to promote the benefits of adequate fluid intake and to develop hydration practice that is evidence informed.
The kit contains a booklet, brochures and a CD ROM with information and advice that covers:
- health benefits of adequate fluid intake
- older people and risk of dehydration
- common water myths and facts
- recommendations for hydration
- evidence summary
There is also a range of education, care provision and organisational tools for HACC and Residential Aged Care staff on the CD ROM.
Click here for the kit resources
Why are Older People at Risk?
Older people are at greater risk of not drinking enough for a range of reasons, these include:
- Changes to appetite - dimminished appetite or poor nutrition
- Impaired thirst mechanism - often the sensation of thirst is not felt. Often drinks can be refused when the person is dehydrated as they do not feel thirsty.
A number of other health problems may also increase risk, including:
- Dementia - the perosn may forget to drink
- Neurological disorders (eg Parkinson's and stroke) - may result in swallowing difficulties
- Incontinence or poor bladder control - many people reduce fluid intake to minimise leakage or trips to the toilet, especially at night
- Increasing frailty - resulting in dependence on others for assistance with drinking
The heatwave events in the summer of 2009 and the subsequent findings of the Department of Human Services report 'January 2009 Heatwave in Victoria: An Assessment of Health Impacts' demonstrates the importance of promotiong adequate fluid intake among the elderly.
The report found that there was a substantial impact on health, particularly among the elderly:
- a 62% increase in deaths (total deaths 980)
- the greatest number of deaths occurred in those aged over 75 years (64% increase)
- 61% of all heat related cases were among those aged 75 years and older (of these 80% were transported to hospital by ambulance)
- 37% increase in emergency department presentations for those 75 years and older
The report goes further to state that there is a need to prepare for such heatwave events in an effort to protect vulnerable members of the population.
Given that elderly people were most impacted in the heatwave, special attention is needed to protect their welfare and ensure adequate hydration.
To ensure that elderly people are encouraged to drink enough fluids aged and community care settings are encouraged to use the "Water for Wellbeing" kit
Evaluation feedback received from users of the kit has been very positive. The majority of respondents reported they had used the kit information in a range of ways including staff, client and carer education. Staff reported that the information was well presented, easy to use, clear and informative. Click here to download the full evaluation report.
VCRC would like to acknowledge the support of the Department of Human Services, Aged Care Branch and other members of the project advisory group including: Cabrini Ashwood, City of Banyule, Doutta Galla Community Health Service, Royal District Nursing Service and St George's Hospital.
As our stocks of the printed materials have been exhausted, we can no longer provide hard copies of the resource kit. If you are having difficulty downloading the PDF files, you may request a copy of the CD ROM for $10.00 (inc P&H) info@continencevictoria.org.au
