Your loved one may not think about water or hydration, which could result in really big problems in the future. A senior is at great risk of dehydration during the summer, especially if they are not paying attention to the fluids they consume or the foods they eat. In-home care can help your loved one by ensuring there is always a water bottle near them that is filled up, and they can keep track of how much water your loved one is drinking.

However, here are some other ways to avoid dehydration, and with the help of in-home care providers, they are easier to do than you may think.

Drink Fluids Before Dehydration Hits

When seniors feel hot, sweaty, and thirsty, it is the first sign they are dehydrated, but they should be drinking water before this point. Seniors should start their day with fluids and keep drinking throughout the day, especially if they are planning to be outside at any point.

In-home care can help your seniors wake up, get dressed, and start their day with breakfast and glasses of water. Keep in mind that if your senior loved one doesn’t like water, they may benefit from zero-calorie water flavoring to help them drink more and stay hydrated.

Dress For The Heat

Seniors need to dress for the heat, but they also need to think about protecting their skin. During the summer, a long-sleeved, thin cotton shirt may be the best option for them. This shirt will be nice, light, and airy while still covering their skin as much as possible.

Your loved one may need help getting dressed, which in-home care can help with. If your loved one wants to wear a sleeve top, then in-home care needs to help ensure they are wearing enough SPF and even a sunhat to keep some of the sun off their skin.

Keeping cool and dressing right will help prevent dehydration.

Stay Out of The Sun In The Afternoon

The sun tends to emit the most heat and be directly above you during the middle of the day. If a senior has plans outside, they should consider doing it before or after the sun is at the highest point. Shade is limited during the middle of the day, and it tends to be cooler in the morning and evening with shady options.

Your loved one should be inside during the sun’s highest point of the day, and their house should have at least one area with AC or cold enough to relax and stay away from the heat.

Head to Cooler Areas

If your loved one does not have an AC, they need to take trips to places that do. This means they need to go to a local gym for an aqua class, a library where they can spend a whole day or a community center that has a cool inside area.

Your loved one can ask in-home care for rides and ask them for help managing places to go where it is cooler. In-home care can also attend most of these places to be with your loved one all day.

If you or an aging loved one are considering In-Home Care in Encinitas, CA, please contact the caring staff at A Passion for Care today. Call (858) 798-5005

A Passion for Care is a Trusted Home Care Agency serving San Diego, La Jolla, Del Mar, Rancho Bernardo, Encinitas, Oceanside, Rancho Santa Fe, Point Loma, and surrounding areas.

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Pat Melzer

Owner at A Passion for Care

Like many people in the senior care business, founder Pat Melzer was motivated by personal experience to start an in-home senior service business in 2010. After watching chronic conditions, dementia, and surgeries take over the life of her once very intelligent and lively mother-in-law, Pat saw the enormity of the need for better in-home care. Drawing on her 23 years of experience in the computer industry as a software product manager, engineering manager and computer programmer, she decided to develop best practices to build an organization that provides truly excellent, personalized care. Throughout the company’s history, Pat has been personally and professionally committed to ensuring your loved one receives the quality care they deserve. With often heroic efforts by the staff and dedicated caregivers, the vision has become a reality to be very proud of.

Making the transition to a completely new industry brought the opportunity to learn and grow, which continues still today. Pat studied Gerontology in San Diego State University’s certificate program and became licensed as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), a Home Health Aide (HHA), and completed the California Certification Program for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCCFE) as a Certified Administrator. She presented workshops at Aging in America Conference four years in a row and served as Chair of the San Diego Regional Home Care Council 2019-2020 and was the education board member for several years. More recently, Pat became a Certified Senior Advisor and was a San Diego Business Journal “50 over 50 2022 Women of Influence Honoree”.

Pat and her husband Roland have lived outside San Diego in the San Pasqual Valley for over three decades. She has two children who are grown professionals and three grandchildren. Pat enjoys traveling to, and visits from, family and friends throughout the year. While at home in San Pasqual Valley, she and Roland enjoy peaceful views and exploring the surrounding valleys.

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