Older people often drink too little on hot days. Dehydration lurks around the corner. But how do you tempt the elderly (and people with dementia) to drink?
Decorate, seduce, turn drinking into a party instead of a must do.
Decorate water glasses with sprigs of mint or with lemon or orange slices. This way you turn an ordinary glass of water into a seductive tropical surprise.
It gives you reactions such as “how nice” or “what is that”? Contact, conversation and in the meantime they will drink the tropical surprise.
Do you have large pots? Fill them generously with fruit, put a straw in it and serve. Try kiwi, melon, cucumber, grapefruit, blueberries, rosemary. Make water popsicles with fruit or ice cubes with lemon, You also can serve cold green tea with lime.
If you have more time or helpers, take a medium or large freezer ziplock bag that fits in a freezer drawer or even a larger one that fits in a freezer.
Take oranges, strawberries, lemons and other fruits of your choice. Cut them into slices. Take a baking tray, put baking paper on it, group the cut fruit.
Slide the grouped fruit composition into the ziplock bag. Close the bag and gently press the bag with a thin stick to create squares between the grouped fruit composition.
Place the bag in the freezer and after the fruit has frozen, take the wedges out of the bag, break them into the shape of your choice and serve it with a fresh salad. This allows you to present vegetables, fruit and water in a tasty way
Seducing and decorating are magic words in healthcare.
But outside of care there is also a lot seduction and decoration. Think what we do on a first date. You look for suitable clothing, maybe you go to the hairdresser, you put on your best perfume. Yes you decorate and seduce
Research has shown when it is cozy and the food & drink looks attractive then we eat and drink more.
You can also make a “Summer Drinking Buffet”. In the garden, on the terrace or in the hall. What do you need? A table, water tapes, large water jugs or large bowls, be creative. There is probably something in the kitchen that can hold water.
Fill what you found with water and make it attractive with fruit and mint. Maybe someone can make a bowl? Preferably with fresh fruit, but canned fruit is also ok. The “Summer drinking buffet” get’s people to drink and it is also an outing.
You also can turn the “Summer drinking buffet” into an an activity by asking residents for help and assistance, letting the residents walk to the tap as much as possible and let them pour themselves. I call this care with hands on the back.
Did you know that mint grows like cabbage? Is there a piece of land available somewhere, put a mint plant in it and you have mint available all summer.
What a little bit of fruit and mint can do! As always it turns out that the little things are the big things.
Have fun with the “Summer drinking buffet”
Ignar