‘Water, water everywhere’; dehydration in the older population

Janet Gordon & Marie Henson both work for Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Janet Gordon is a dietitian working in Nutrition Support and is team leader for the adult Nutrition Support Team which is part of Birmingham Community Nutrition. At the time of the study Marie Henson was a Community Nurse team leader in the Kings Heath area of Birmingham, which is where the study took place. This study was presented as a poster at BAPEN Conference 2016 and was published here.

The prevalence of dehydration in older people in the UK has not been widely studied. The UK DRIE Study found 20% of residents in UK long term care were dehydrated. The prevalence in those living at home has not been determined. Dehydration in older people is linked to associated morbidities such as increased falls, confusion, and infections and is a frequent cause of hospitalisation. Clear signs of early dehydration in older people are yet to be determined, but there is a need to identify those at risk of dehydration and intervene early. Systems for recognising those with inadequate fluid intakes, and helping them to drink more, are already in place in many UK hospitals where a red jug scheme identifies those requiring assistance to drink.