How can I get Mom to drink more water?

Patsylynn, I liked jessie's suggestions. We have this problem too. My mom has always been very competitive so I write out a simple schedule daily that includes check boxes for her water, and ours too. She tries to stay ahead of us and be the winner. This works well for a while, sometimes she is bored by it. I supplement additional motivation by rewarding in some way when she finishes "one more glass" We use small bottles in the car, but measured our glasses at home-need 6 per day, she does better w 6 than if we use 8 smalls. We add homemade lemonade once in a while, or sprite, Ginger ale. Fruit popsicles can also be counted. We have ice in door n do best w crushed ice for some reason. Sometimes I offer things that make u want to drink, along w the h2o-healthy baked crackers, or cracker n hummus. I discussed w doc some days she sleeps so much, it's hard to get all the water in. She advised just be sure to get extra on days following limited intake. My mom falls some n I tell her she seems to fall less when she's had all her water. Also need it for brain(dementia) and to prevent perm. Kidney damage. I also encourage as way to decrease risk of uti's. Whew, hope u can find a nugget in there for u! With dementia, it's really whatever works. Frankly I'm sick to death of pushing water-it's the thorn in my side, but do prefer That to her falling, of course. kimbee

I believe that watermelon has a lot of water in it. Ice chips might be easier for her it goes down slow. Bandanna is good for potassium in dehydration.

I also discovered the small 8 oz bottled water. We've been putting numbers on the lid with a permanent marker. 1-5 hoping for her to drink that much in a day in addition to her Glucerna and other drinks. Thank you for the suggestions will try them all.

Patsylynn, I had this same problem with my father. As he became progressively more ill and the dementia worse, he started only sipping his water. Much of it was probably because he had poor mobility, so didn't want to have to go to the bathroom. Much of it, I believe, was because his stomach didn't feel so good. He never communicated these things (Asperger's), so I had to piece together what was going on.

There are some fairly good water substitutes. Soda without caffeine, green tea in the bottle, flavored water, sparkling water, and similar drinks are good. If you are concerned that she has a bit of nausea, ginger ale helps to calm the stomach.

I always had better luck with small bottles of refrigerated water and other drinks. We were able to keep him reasonably well hydrated until the last couple of months of his life, when no amount of encouragement could make him drink more.