Dry Eye Syndrome Could Be An Indication Of Dehydration In Elderly Adults

It comes as no surprise that some care homes and hospitals have been identified of neglecting hydration in elderly patients and residents. Some institutions really do have very poor hydration management policies in place and staff are, at times, unable to keep on top of monitoring the fluid intake of the people in their care.

There were 155 deaths through dehydration in hospitals in England alone last year, which seems unfathomable considering that these establishments should at the very least be able to keep on top of this basic need. Considering the fact that most care workers have chosen the profession (or the profession chooses them as in most cases) because of their caring nature the blame needs to be put firmly in the hands of management and a lack of a proper hydration management policy that is easy for staff to implement.

When it comes to elderly adults it is easy to mistake the classic signs of dehydration to poorer kidney function, dehydrating medications and just general age related behavior. The elderly person themselves might make proper hydration more difficult if, for example, getting up to visit the bathroom is painful and so they choose to drink less water, or poor memory simply makes them forget to drink regularly. This is the same for Dry Eye Syndrome, or Dry Eye Disease, which is an ailment that does effect mainly the older generation - until now!

It will come as a surprise that, until now, there has been no published research into dehydration and Dry Eye Syndrome. Bangor Universities Prof. Walsh has changed that with his published research into the link between dehydration and Dry Eye Syndrome and believes that the symptoms can be reduced and that hydration has a role to play in DES.

His findings are based on researching a number of groups of individuals and a small scale trial with older in-patients in hospitals showing that good hydration can ease this condition.

These new findings do, of course, warrant the questioning of a care home or hospital towards their hydration management policy and how they monitor the fluid intake of the people in their care, if a loved one develops Dry Eye Syndrome. What do they have in place that can help the staff to maintain good hydration in residents and patients. Are water rich foods easily available and drinking vessels suitable for elderly people?

In light of dehydration being a highlighted issue in some care institutions the questioning of hydration management should be welcomed by the people entrusted with caring for elderly adults.