My mother has always been a slow eater and a slow drinker, even when she was a kid. My mother's doctor wants my Mom to drink at least 3- 16.9 fluid oz bottles a day every day. She's doing good if she drinks 1 - 16.9 fluid oz bottle in 3 days. If I let her, she would much rather drink multiple cups of coffee all day long.
Although there is water in coffee, coffee is not good for her kidneys and bladder especially since she has frequent UTI's and is urine incontinent and has to wear diapers all day and all night.
Mom doesn't like tea, or kool-aid or lemonade or lemon water or flavored water.
Can anyone help me out please? Her urine is very, very strong and dark. Her urine smells like snot and it's filmy like too. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.
I have the same problem with my Mom. I've tried alot of the above suggestions with varying degrees of success. I've finally reached the point where all I can do is provide the best I can for her and what will be will be. It's a tough one though to accept.
I can't drink from cup/mug if my mouth is filled with liquid I feel as though I'm drowning so I use a sports bottle (changed every couple of days).
Hope these ideas might help someone.
Both my parents were not drinking enough water for years. No amount of asking them to drink more water was helping nor explaining why, over and over, that it was important they drink enough water. My mom didn't drink enough water mainly cause (like me) she just doesn't enjoy drinking water. My dad didn't drink enough water because he insisted he didn't want more trips to the bathroom cause it's so hard for him to get around.
What has worked since around 2013: For Dad:
1) keeping watermelon on hand when it's in season (his favorite food) and having canteloupe for breakfast as much as possible for the rest of the year, which he likes almost as much as watermelon.
2) offering other beverages he likes at meals or before bed--grape or OJ at breakfast, apple juice at lunch, a cup of cocoa at before bed (helps him sleep), decaf coffee at breakfast, etc.
3) adding more vegetables to his lunch menu
4) asking him to drink his entire 8 oz bottle of water with his morning med because his 'energy' pill (Synthroid/levothyroxine) has instructions to take it with a FULL glass of water, and
5) (probably most importantly) reminding him that drinking enough water will aid in him having regular bowel movements instead of being constipated because it helps push the BM out.
For my mom what worked was:
1) purchasing those little 8-oz bottles of water and labeling one with her name in the frig and then putting one in front of her at breakfast and lunch,
2) reminding her that the more she drinks, the better her skin looks AND fewer problems with constipation,
3) typing up a list of reasons she should be drinking at least 16 oz of water daily (i.e. her extremely dry eyes that were causing her pain, possible kidney stones according to ultrasound, her AM thyroid med that's supposed to be taken with a full glass of water, better bladder health, and so on, and keeping that typed list in the kitchen to refer to as a memory aid.
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