Anyone have good advice for senior constipation?

My mother and all her elderly relatives swore by drinking a glass of hot tap water first thing in the morning. I think it was more about hydrating than anything else. Water is the most important thing in keeping things moving.

This has been working well for my Mom. High fiber oatmeal ( Quaker or Hannaford brand ) for breakfast with approx 6 oz warm prune juice and 1/2 cup of applesauce. Two stool softeners in am and 2 in pm. Not stimulants, just softeners. Very regular. I try to push fluids during the day also but that can be a challenge. Good luck.

All I have to say is be careful with that fiber powder and fiber liquids cause at times that can cause very serious bowel blockage. If a bowel blockage is bad enough it can cause the colon rupture or death. I know because I had a friend that it happened to her. I am not trying to scare you but it's facts too. I wish you well and hope you find something that helps.

Do you see a link between hydration and hard stools? We all forget to get in our daily water/fluid quota at some point, especially when it's cold. Unless something else is going on, hydration, fiber (oatmeal/bran(?), and movement should work...

Citrucel if she can tolerate a glass of water and drinking it before it solidifies into a gel. Not metamucil which ferments differently and often causes gas and bloating. Have her rock gently on toilet seat, back and forth, side to side. If stool stays in lower colon then water is increasingly absorbed from it and it becomes harder and harder to pass. A fleets oil enema will work but is messy and oil will pass involuntarily for at least 24 hours; adult incontinent wear in order if given. Exercise. Fiber cereal if tolerated. Bran for some people works well. Stewed prunes. This is a matter of playing around to see what works as like a bad back it is unique to the individual.

My husband stayed constipated for many years. I would give him a dose of Miralax in his prune juice, or orange juice every morning, and then also if needed, Fiber Therapy in his drinks for the rest of the day. There were also occasions when I had to use a suppository as well. And towards the end of his life he did have to receive a couple Relistor injections to get him to poop. Those worked great and cleaned him out thoroughly. But those injections are only used when someone is constipated because of being on opiods.

Warm prune juice with breakfast. Hot water with lemon before bedtime. High fiber foods like vegetables, whole fruits and berries. Whole grains - crackers, bread, brown rice, barley and oatmeal. Nuts and seeds. Make sure she is hydrated e.g. herbal and fruit teas are great warm or cold. Limit caffeine and refined sugar.

We have had this issue since moms stroke.
I have found more recently a electrolyte drink called “liquid IV” (they are little powdered packets that you mix in water) have helped. It’s seems like having extra potassium and magnesium and other electrolytes from this drink has helped her move her bowels more regularly. We do a packet 3/5 times a week.
Mom doesn’t intake enough fluids so I have found electrolyte drinks do seem to help. Sometimes even a magnesium pill helps. Mom did this before her stroke at times she would have constipation - through the years she would do a small (maybe 250mg) dose - just be careful not to give too much or you will have the opposite affect if you do magnesium pills.
We did the whole miralax - enemas - prunes - suppositories etc. but noticed the few times she was really backed up she was usually low in potassium and magnesium and since we have added in the liquid IV packets (we get them on Amazon) she has had much less trouble. You could even start or try adding in Gatorade or other drinks like that (if diabetic then get a sugarless brand). Best of luck

After a surgery my young adult son was taking pain meds that blocked him up terribly. We tried everything and eventually used suppositories and an OTC enema, which worked like a charm. Ask your pharmacist about it and other ways to deal with it.