Thanks, Regina, for sending me information on Dr. Arnaldo Liechenstein, an MD and PHD from Brazil. He teaches medicine in Sao Paulo, but more importantly, wants to get the word out to seniors about the seriousness of dehydration.
When Dr. Liechenstein asks seniors what they think are the possible causes of mental confusion in older adults, their answer is almost always either a brain tumor or the onset of Alzheimers or dementia. The fact of the matter is, the most common causes of mental confusion in seniors is uncontrolled diabetes, a urinary infection, or dehydration. Yes, dehydration can cause mental confusion.
Dr. Liechenstein's recommendation is to drink liquids every two hours. This includes everything from water and tea, to juice and fresh fruit, like oranges. Dehydration effects the entire body. It can cause abrupt mental confusion, a drop in blood pressure, increased heart palpitations, angina, coma or even death. Did you ever see a long distance runner stumbling across the finish line, completely disoriented? This is because of dehydration!
Everyone, but seniors in particular, should drink fluids every two hours. Signs of dehydration may be that the person is irritable, breathless or lack attention. These are all recurrent symptoms of dehydration.
My mom lines up eight glasses on her kitchen sink each day while she is preparing breakfast. By dinner time, they are all empty. I used to laugh at this, but no more. I am the biggest offender of not drinking enough liquid, and I am going to change that right now. I don't think I'll be setting up the glasses on my kitchen counter, but I do have an alarm on my phone that I can set as a reminder. This is an easy change we can all make. Thanks again, Regina. Great information.
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