We want to make the general public aware of the importance of drinking, particularly in older age, because the short and long-term effects of dehydration, such as ill health, hospitalisation and mortality are preventable and avoidable
Background
Low-intake dehydration, from not drinking enough, is associated with multiple health problems, including cognitive impairment, renal impairment, diabetes, falls, headaches and infections, including urinary tract infections, and an increased risk of hospitalisation and mortality, for older people. Low-intake dehydration and its associated health problems are costly to the health service. These place additional pressures on an already-overwhelmed health and social care infrastructure. My impact goals are therefore to use the evidence I have produced to help older people themselves, as well as health and social care professionals, to understand and reduce these risks.
Older people are more at risk of low-intake dehydration due to physiological changes, such as a reduced sense of thirst to stimulate drinking and less effective kidneys to concentrate urine, and more likely to consume anti-diuretic medications, which lead to fluid loss. Older people may not be aware of the importance of drinking enough as they age, to compensate for these physiological changes. Moreover, older people may be unaware of their daily fluid intake recommendations (1.6L/day for women; 2L/day for men + further 20% from foods) or be unaware of what qualifies as a ‘drink’ to meet these fluid intake recommendations (e.g. some people believe that only water is acceptable, whereas most, non-alcoholic, fluid intake supports fluid intake).
Our robust systematic review and meta-analysis found that approximately 1/3 of non-hospitalised older people are dehydrated globally, when assessing dehydration using the reference standard of directly-measured serum or plasma osmolality. Our peer-review publication with the Journal of Clinical Nutrition of this systematic review, has now been accepted for publication.
It is crucial to make the general public aware of the importance of drinking, particularly in older age, because the short and long-term effects of low-intake dehydration, such as ill health, hospitalisation and mortality are low-intake dehydration are preventable and avoidable. If people can be made aware of the increased risks of dehydration to older people, this can encourage older people themselves to identify and employ strategies to drink more, and to engage members of the public to support older people to drink.
Project Aims
- Raise awareness of the 1 in 4 risk of low-intake dehydration amongst older people, to the general public in Norfolk.
- Raise awareness of the 1 in 4 risk of low-intake dehydration amongst older people, to health and social care professionals in Norfolk.
Project Activity
- Hold a PPI workshop with older people, to gain insights and views on 2 posters, which will be used in health and social care settings, to raise awareness of the 1 in 4 dehydration risk.
- A design company will then design and finalise the posters.
- I will then package and post the the posters to all GP surgeries, long-term care settings, clinics and hospitals across Norfolk & Waveney. (approx. 400 sites).
Anticipated Outputs
- Increased awareness of the risk of dehydration to older people, to the general public and health and social care professionals in Norfolk.
- Increased awareness of ways in which people can stay better hydrated.
- Increased awareness of European daily fluid intake recommendations. All of these should result in increased fluid intake, which will work towards reducing the prevalence of low-intake dehydration.
Who is involved?
- Ellice Parkinson, University of East Anglia