Drinking water and staying hydrated is an important part of overall health. If you’ve ever participated in a sport, you have had these repeated to you over and over again. Hydration is what keeps your body healthy. It keeps your muscles protected, keeps metabolism high, and provides protection and improves functioning for your organs. It’s not too hard to see how these things are important way beyond improving athletic performance.
Water does a lot more than this, though. In addition to helping in these daily functions, it also helps to boost health in a lot of areas that seniors tend to see more difficulties with than younger folk do. For example, water has been shown to help improve brain functioning. It also helps to keep kidneys and the urinary tract system healthy. These are areas that can be prone to infection as people age. Water is an easy and healthy way to prevent some of the problems that commonly occur as people get older.
There are a lot of factors that can lead to hydration issues. Heat is one of the more commonly recognized ones, but it’s certainly not the only issue that seniors face. Certain medications and medical conditions can accelerate dehydration, too. However, it’s important to remember that this is a year round issue. Even during the colder months, it is an ongoing concern. In fact, because we often don’t think of winter as an important time to keep hydrated, it is easier for this to become a problem. People with complicated nutritional needs, those receiving senior care, and those that have difficulty getting around on their own will also be at a heightened risk of having problems here.
Like so many other health concerns, if we understand risk factors and the proper way to avoid them, it is so much simpler to stay ahead of the issue through preventative measures.
It’s definitely worth mentioning that drinking too much water can be dangerous. When you drink too much water, it can upset the balance of electrolytes in your body, making it difficult for nutrients to be distributed throughout your body. This is why doctors often recommend that elderly folk drink an electrolyte-rich drink, such as something from Gatorade or Pedialyte. If you do have questions about the place of hydration in your diet or that of an older loved one’s, please consult with a doctor. They will be able to help you make smart, healthy choices to help you and your family do this in as smart and helpful of a manner as possible.
Senior health is a big part of senior care. A healthy elderly individual is much more likely to have a happier experience and a higher quality of life as they age. The healthier the person, the less likely they are to need professional assistance. Senior care may still be necessary for someone that has maintained a high level of health, but the level of care needed is likely to be less. It’s also likely to be a lot cheaper.
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