Dehydration. Does it contribute to a senior's fall risk?

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Dehydration. Does it contribute to a senior's fall risk?

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I'm asking because an elderly relative took a tumble getting up from a nap the other day. When we took him to the hospital to get him checked out, the indicated dehydration as a possible contributing factor. But, he drinks five or six full tumbler size glasses of liquid a day at least. Just wanted to know what you guys think. Thanks in advance!

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Yes, dehydration can contribute to a fall. It can cause low blood pressure which can cause dizziness which can cause a person to fall.

You said he's drinking 5 or 6 tumblers of liquid a day? What kind of liquid? Water? Juice? Vodka? ;-)

Encourage him to drink more water or juice. Sometimes using a straw makes it easier.

Since your relative fell after getting up from a nap it could be that his blood pressure fell a bit when he went from a sitting to standing position. This is called orthostatic hypotension. Next time he wakes up have him sit at the edge of the bed for a minute before standing up.

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Having just experienced this myself in the ER, it seems whenever hospitals cannot come up with a cause, they blame dehydration (then they can run tests and an IV drip). Sleeping, then awakening and rising may indicate their blood pressure is too low. It does matter what is in those tumblers of liquid relative is drinking. Too much sugar will affect their blood sugars, and blood pressure. Water with a lemon slice is usually the best liquid to be drinking (I recommend 2--3 cups of coffee too). Medications they may be taking will also have an effect.

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I'm glad someone asked this question. My mother was dehydrated and became very weak and needed assistance walking. She has never liked drinking water so upon recommendation from an athletic trainer we decided to give my mom watermelon juice. My mom loves it! We simply by a watermelon, cut it up and blend it in the Nutribullet or even simply the blender. Fresh every time and her fluid intake has increased tremendously !

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My mother also hates water and has fallen several times due to dehydration. I give her watermelon cubes to eat also. she loves watermelon. MY SIL is a nurse and suggested stale ginger ale is a good rehydrator. coconut water is also excellent for hydration and electrolytes. my problem is mom has dementia and hides the drinks I give her!

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Yes to everything Eyerishlass wrote. They're all contributing factors. Dehydration can easily weaken an elderly person.

And the "liquid" he drinks shouldn't include pop.

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Caring, you might also want to see if you can get him to have his decaf later in the morning, after he's been up a while and after his breakfast has had a change to be absorbed.

You might also make sure he's getting enough potassium - bananas are a good source, unless he has specific dietary limitations.

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Falls in older adults usually have multiple contributing causes. To prevent/reduce them, try to identify as many contributors as possible. It does sound like chronic low blood pressure might be one of them. You can ask the doctor to check his BP sitting and standing (or you can try it yourself with a home BP monitor). If it drops a lot with standing, he may benefit from reducing BP medication, and he certainly should practice standing slowly.

Re dehydration, it generally shows up on labs as
- urine that is more concentrated than usual (but this can be affected by diuretics and other medications)
- elevated blood urea nitrogen and or elevated creatinine
- elevated serum osmolality (not routinely checked w bloodwork but sometimes done)
- elevation of sodium and some other electrolytes. A higher than usual hemoglobin level can also indicate dehydration.

If labs were done, you shouldn't need to speculate as to whether he was significantly dehydrated or not when he went to the ER. Ask his regular doctor to get a copy of the ER labs and to explain them to you, with a special focus on whether there were laboratory signs consistent with dehydration.

This way you'll know whether you really need to get him to increase fluid intake or not. Good luck!

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Just a suggestion regarding falls: My Mom took a bad tumble when she woke during the night to urinate. She fell face-first into the bedroom wall, then hit her head on the bedside table before collapsing, unconscious. Gave my Dad quite a scare! We have since moved the bed away from anything that might harm her if she passes out again. She has dementia, so it's hard to ask her to "remember to sit a few moments before standing." So if you think your senior loved one might be prone to falling, I suggest you fall-proof the area and avoid the week in hospital that my Mom endured. She suffered some mild brain trauma and a resulting loss in speech (aphasia).

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Did they say he was dehydrated or was this something on a handout on falls in the discharge papers? Six to eight glasses of liquid a day sounds like plenty. (FYI: I was once found to have low blood sodium and was told to drink less water. I was drinking 8-9 glasses of liquid a day.)

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Other things can cause dizziness too like inner ear, vertigo, and medications.

It sounds like he's drinking quite a bit of fluids.

Dehydration. Does it contribute to a senior's fall risk?

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