ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Dehydration is common in people living with dementia and can quickly make confusion, agitation, weakness, and other symptoms appear worse. A person may forget to drink, no longer recognize thirst, have difficulty asking for fluids, or struggle with mobility or swallowing.
In this episode of Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s, Lisa Skinner explains why dehydration can be difficult to recognize and shares practical ways caregivers can encourage safe, consistent fluid intake.
In This Episode:
- Why dementia increases the risk of dehydration
- Common physical and behavioral warning signs
- How medications, illness, pain, and swallowing problems affect hydration
- Simple ways to make drinking part of the daily routine
- How preferred cups, flavors, temperatures, and smaller servings may help
- What to consider when someone refuses food or fluids
- When changes in confusion, urination, alertness, or swallowing require medical attention
Key Takeaway:
Sudden changes in confusion or behavior should not automatically be blamed on dementia. Dehydration may be an underlying cause, and early attention can help prevent more serious complications.
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About the Host:
Author Lisa Skinner is a behavioral specialist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. In her 30+year career working with family members and caregivers, Lisa has taught them how to successfully navigate the many challenges that accompany this heartbreaking disease. Lisa is both a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is also a certified dementia care trainer through the Alzheimer’s Association. She also holds a degree in Human Behavior.
Her latest book, “Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Lisa’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges of brain disease. Her #1 Best-seller book “Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost,” was written at their urging. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, Lisa Skinner has found her calling in helping others through the struggle so they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education and through her workshops on counter-intuitive solutions and tools to help people effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease. Lisa Skinner has appeared on many national and regional media broadcasts. Lisa helps explain behaviors caused by dementia, encourages those who feel burdened, and gives practical advice for how to respond.
So many people today are heavily impacted by Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. The Alzheimer's Association and the World Health Organization have projected that the number of people who will develop Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050 worldwide will triple if a treatment or cure is not found. Society is not prepared to care for the projected increase of people who will develop this devastating disease. In her 30 years of working with family members and caregivers who suffer from dementia, Lisa has recognized how little people really understand the complexities of what living with this disease is really like. For Lisa, it starts with knowledge, education, and training.
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