Nursing home residents at higher risk for dehydration

Nursing home residents admitted to hospitals are 10 times more likely to be dehydrated than seniors living independently, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

As a result of the dehydration, those residents are at a significantly higher risk of dying while in the hospital, the study found. Researchers reviewed 21,610 admissions and 432 cases of dehydration, and 1,413 deaths were recorded. Only 1.3 percent of independent seniors admitted had high plasma sodium levels caused by dehydration compared with the 12 percent of patients who had come to the hospital from skilled nursing facilities. 

Read the full study here. 

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Megan Combs

Megan Combs was Associate Editor of I Advance Senior Care / Long Term Living from 2013-2018.