Does anyone know how I can get my Mother (85) to drink more water in a day's time?

All the above suggestions are great. But the hard cold fact is: " You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink".
I have the same problem with my Mom. I've tried alot of the above suggestions with varying degrees of success. I've finally reached the point where all I can do is provide the best I can for her and what will be will be. It's a tough one though to accept.

Buy a good quality decaff, put it in her regular container if she makes a fuss. I've looked into the whole coffee issue and it is not as bad as some say. The diuretic properties are less in habitual coffee drinkers so it is not really dehydrating and is certainly better than nothing. Try keeping a cup of iced water always at hand, often my mom will empty the cup even when she claims she is not thirsty. And increase the other fluids in her diet; soups, fruits, even veggies are mostly water. Try sherbets, jello, popsicles in the summer, herbal tea and hot chocolate are favorites all year.

I too had this same problem with my 90 year old mother. I finally figured it out...I started buying her the small 8 ounce bottles of water from Costco. She now drinks plenty, in fact will open one & drink it in a matter of minutes without even thinking about it. Yesterday when I left her from a visit, she asked me to get 4 bottles & sit on her table by her chair. I think the small bottles are easier to hold & not so overwhelming. If cost is a problem...buy a case & simply refill them.

I live in UK so not sure how easy this is for you to get. I have problems drinking enough water, I don't like tea, coffee, soda's or fruit juice but I do drink Herbal/Fruit tea. Hot and cold. I put a tea bag in my water bottle. Make it into ice cubes/popsicles (ice lollies here). Can be made with fizzy water too.
I can't drink from cup/mug if my mouth is filled with liquid I feel as though I'm drowning so I use a sports bottle (changed every couple of days).
Hope these ideas might help someone.

One thing that sometimes worked for us was to just always have water available, like on the table at a restaurant. Keep the glass small, lightweight and not overly full, so that it is super easy to handle. Try sitting with her for a chat and have a glass of water, similar to hers, for you. Don't even mention the water, but take sips from yours while you are talking with her. This resulted in my loved one reaching for and drinking some water on her own, without a fight...

This is true Nojoy3. For varying reasons, people stop wanting to eat or drink and there's not much you can do about it. You do the best you can.

Very dark and filmy urine? Does the MD know that? I would be sending some off to the lab for analysis. Call the MD first thing Monday morning.

Would she eat baby foods, like fruits with tapioca pudding or pureed veggies like pears or even oatmeal with some milk? I hear you on the fickle appetite. My mom loves something one week and hates it the next. Drives me nuts! She has no short-term memory, so I think she forgets that she doesn't like something, LOL. They surely keep us on our toes, don't they?

Popsicles worked for me with my late mom. Home-made, I used watered down juices, watermelons, and even iced coffee and tea which she loved. I also kept a glass with ice chips or cubes, of water or the juices, and she would partake during the commercials of her soap operas. I figured at least 8 oz. went down as she watched, since I kept replenishing. Also, remember that broth and homemade chicken soup is recognized as comfort food for many folks. Some people just prefer savory as apposed to sweet.

I have to disagree with the person who wrote that what will be will be, etc.

Both my parents were not drinking enough water for years. No amount of asking them to drink more water was helping nor explaining why, over and over, that it was important they drink enough water. My mom didn't drink enough water mainly cause (like me) she just doesn't enjoy drinking water. My dad didn't drink enough water because he insisted he didn't want more trips to the bathroom cause it's so hard for him to get around.

What has worked since around 2013: For Dad:
1) keeping watermelon on hand when it's in season (his favorite food) and having canteloupe for breakfast as much as possible for the rest of the year, which he likes almost as much as watermelon.
2) offering other beverages he likes at meals or before bed--grape or OJ at breakfast, apple juice at lunch, a cup of cocoa at before bed (helps him sleep), decaf coffee at breakfast, etc.
3) adding more vegetables to his lunch menu
4) asking him to drink his entire 8 oz bottle of water with his morning med because his 'energy' pill (Synthroid/levothyroxine) has instructions to take it with a FULL glass of water, and
5) (probably most importantly) reminding him that drinking enough water will aid in him having regular bowel movements instead of being constipated because it helps push the BM out.

For my mom what worked was:
1) purchasing those little 8-oz bottles of water and labeling one with her name in the frig and then putting one in front of her at breakfast and lunch,
2) reminding her that the more she drinks, the better her skin looks AND fewer problems with constipation,
3) typing up a list of reasons she should be drinking at least 16 oz of water daily (i.e. her extremely dry eyes that were causing her pain, possible kidney stones according to ultrasound, her AM thyroid med that's supposed to be taken with a full glass of water, better bladder health, and so on, and keeping that typed list in the kitchen to refer to as a memory aid.