To mark Nutrition and Hydration Week, Jonathan Papworth, co-founder and director of digital care technology Person Centred Software, explains the influence dehydration has on the cognitive status of people aged 65 and over in social care settings.
The adult human body contains around 60 per cent water. All the cells in the body, including our brain cells, depend on this water to carry out essential functions. Therefore, if water levels are too low, our brain cells cannot function properly, leading to cognitive problems that are especially prevalent in older people.
Dehydration can cause anything from confusion to an increased risk of heart disease, infection, and falls.
Dehydration is a precarious condition, after all, and one that impacts each individual in different ways depending on their regular fluid intake. Ultimately, dehydration is an unnecessary and potentially dangerous state that can lead to serious illness if left untreated.
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