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

Lyndee, The reason your mom's urine is dark and smell strong is because of the way the kidneys work. They are our bodys way of filtering out waste products. If we drink plenty of water than the waste products are diluted enough so our urine is light with not much odor. However when we do not drink enough water the waste products being filtered out by the kidneys are more concentrated hense the dark color and odor. All of us experience changes in our urine depending on our water intake, how much we sweat etc. That being the case more water is better but as others have said there is no way really to get older folks to drink more if they don't want to. Others have given great suggestions for you to try. The only thing i know besides what has been stated is to remind her if she does not drink she could end up in hospital with iv. I know that sometimes works with my mom because she hates going to the hospital. Best of luck to you. We all struggle with things like this. Ruth Anne

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?

Just so coffee drinkers are aware, there can be negative effects from too much caffeine if someone has osteoporosis and/or doesn't have adequate calcium intake. After reading that years ago, I quit drinking coffee. And I do miss it.

I'd try popsicles.

Blannie, my Mom's appetite is as fickle as the weather. Some days she eats, other days she doesn't. Some days she'll eat Breakfast and nothing else, while other days she will only eat Supper. I never know from day to day or meal to meal if she will eat or not. Yes I live with her.

Tonight I made fried zucchini for the two of us. Zucchini is chuck full of water, one of her favorite veggies to eat. To my surprise she managed to eat 4 pieces that were cut up and fried soft for her to chew since she only has upper false teeth. I try to cook/fry all veggies for us nice and soft, that way she can chew them easily and she doesn't have any choking issues.

As of the past three years, Mom's taste buds are really odd. She seems to LOVE burnt toast and burnt eggs and burnt bacon. Is this normal? Has anyone ever heard of this?

Does she like fruits or veggies, like watermelon or cucumber or pineapple or would she eat a Popsicle that was made from fruit juice? Does she live with you? If so, I'd try to get her to drink very small sips throughout the day, instead of asking her to drink a larger glass or cup. You've probably tried that already, just asking. I know this is frustrating. I have the same thing with my mom, but it's not to the level you have with your mom.

What does your mom like to eat? Or is her appetite pretty much gone? I'd start with foods she likes and try to figure out a way to make them more liquid dense if possible. And if she will drink coffee, that's where you start! The watered down decaf version sounds pretty good to me.

Yes pamstegma and MaggieMarshall, her family doctor and urologist and her gynecologist all knows what her urine looks and smells like. They all say the same thing, she needs to increase her water intake. I've already tried ice water, flavored water, watered down juices, milk, some soups, decaf coffee, tea, (she is not a tea drinker). If she feels like it or "thinks about it" she will drink or eat this stuff. But if she doesn't, she acts very childish and either throws a temper tantrum for me or throws the food and beverages in her waste paper basket, making a royal mess even though her waste paper basket is lined with a plastic trash bag.

I hate seeing my Mom like this. I just wish I had the ability to turn back the hands of time to when she wasn't like this. I'm sure all of you do too. Thank you everyone for your great advice, support and wisdom.

I'm hung up with what snot smells like.

Pam's right, of course test her urine.

She's 85 years old. If coffee is her beverage of choice, don't worry about it. Liquid is liquid. Use decaf.

As others have suggested, try other beverages...apple juice...cranberry juice...fizzy water...see if something else rings her lil' chimes.

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.

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.

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.

I would also explore the decaff coffee. How is that bad? I'd also try watermelon, and other fruits and vegetables. Squash has a lot of water in it.

Also, what about milk, ice cream, shakes, smoothies, etc.

Weak coffee, weak iced coffee, as long as it has plenty of water in it, I wouldn't worry about the effect of the caffeine. Some water tastes better than others. For example Dasani has some minerals added to it to make it taste better. Some old folks will drink sugar-free lemonade mix made from a powder. Have a taste-testing contest...have her taste several items and select which one she likes the best. Fill a 1 litre plastic bottle with a sip lid (doesn't spill easily) and leave it by her bed. If her mouth gets dry she can 'take a sip'. Also makes it easy to track consumption. Just a few things that works for us.

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.

Try giving her watered down apple juice or cranberry juice to make it more appealing. Or if she enjoys sparkling water make it into a sparkling drink. You could also add lemon or lime to dress it up.

What about fruit juices? Or summer soups? Fruit itself has fluids so they're good choices as well. Some salads such as bean salads are in a dressing with fluids.

With fall coming soon, soups are a great option.

There are also the Boost, Ensure and similar type drinks. If she's on Coumadin, check a Vitamin K list to see which would interfere the least with her PT/INR levels. We were warned that one of them is a bit more threatening to those levels than another, but were also told that it wasn't that much of a concern. We erred on the safe side.

I don't have any insights on the urine issue. I think that's a matter for a urologist or one of her doctors.