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I offer him his "used to be" favorites but he refuses. He says it tastes nasty. There was a day that I offered 4 different drinks and every single one was nasty to him. Refuses water. If I offer say Sunny Delight or another orange brand it is too strong so I water it down with water....he complains. I am now only getting extra fluids by giving him jello, yogurt, popsicles, ice cream but it doesn't always work out. Any suggestions on liquids would be appreciated.

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Must confess for a moment I thought by “a drink” you meant an alcoholic drink lol -had a very long day today!-...and although a little confused I thought to myself, well maybe this person is dealing with someone difficult and a drink could help to lighten up the mood of her hubby!! This idea may even revolutionize the way we caregivers approach our challenges! ;)
In any event, I think you’ve gotten wonderful advice, hope some of these ideas work with your hubby...cheers to that!!!
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They offer so many products out there now --- lemon-soaked swabs that one can suck on, flavored water, tiny bottles of cold pressed coffee, Activia---anything that can offer some liquid.
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For my mom with severe dementia, I use an adult sipper cup so that it lessens spilling - I put ice cubes in it with the drink de jour - then I swurl it around so she hears the ice cubes rattling around - she often puckers up for a drink before I can even give it to her - this took weeks to get her repond that way & I started with wine cut with mineral water so it was a 'treat' but the carbonization seems to add to her pleasure - Thurs I got her to take 450ml [1 1/2 cups] in about 40 min - I bring my own drink & we do a 'cheers' clink of them together

Quite frankly, I took this from the Pavlov's dog idea & it worked - it is a training method for him but once he gets used to it he will be primed to drink to the sound of ice - I think that it brings back pleasurable time from the past ... summer parties, drinks with friends & you, etc.- I hope this helps
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Jessie7410 Sep 2018
Thanks! You actually gave me an idea to look for stadium cups with lid & straw. Seems that when he does agree to drink what I have offered the straw makes it to where he drinks more fluids. Still work in progress to find the right drink that he will like.
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my dad loves the Bai coconut fusion (it tastes like an mounds bar without the chocolate) drink, it is sweetened with stevia so no worries on blood sugar if that is an issue. I use a juice glass to give it to him, this seems to be a perfect size as he will drink it fairly quickly and then I can give him more an hour or so later. He also loves his hot chocolate, I use this to dissolve his Ativan in since getting him to swallow a pill has become a challenge most days. His taste could change though, that’s always a possibility.
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We used flavored lemonade drink packets that you could mix with individual bottles of water. My folks liked cold drinks and Italian icees and had a hard time with room temp liquids. I’d mix those packets in individual water bottles with pop up lids then freeze them for about 2 hours. If you take them out before they get too frozen, squeeze the water bottle and shake it, it kind of makes it like a slushee. You can control the sweetness of the drink by adding either more powder or more water to the drink as needed and the powders were sugar free so my diabetic parents could drink as much as they wanted. Also as others stated, any foods that have a high water content also help. There’s the added problem for many with dementia that they think they already drank stuff and will say no to your offers. I would often casually hand my parent my own water bottle as I’m sipping my own drink and my parent would automatically either start sipping on it or go to hand it back to me. Before I took it, I’d say, “take a sip first”. No more would you like a drink questions, just continually put flavored water into the hand of my parent and hoped it would be consumed before spilled. Even if spilled, no biggie because it was water and no sugar to get sticky.
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Jessie7410 Sep 2018
Great idea but cold slushy or iced drinks he will refuse. Its too cold for him. Maybe the cold hurts his teeth, not sure but if I do put ice, it is only 2-3 ice cubes...this is all that I can get by with. Maybe one day he will agree to slushy's or smoothies. :)
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To add to yogimom, have him checked for thrush. That can definitely cause a problem. My dad had an undetected case of that preventing him from enjoying most flavors he normally liked. There are mouth rinses for that. My mom who rarely drank any kind of juice most of her life, surprised us when she ended up liking Ensure clear. Also, don't forget broth; he might just be tired of sweet drinks. Let it cool and give it to him with a straw. Just keep trying!
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Jessie7410 Sep 2018
Thrush?! Hmmm never thought of that. I will ask his nurse about it when she comes in for her weekly visit. Yes Ensure clear worked for about 1 month but then get to the point of refusal. He won't drink the milk based ensure or boost brands. Says its too sweet. I then would dilute it with milk but that didn't work either! So much trial & error but won't give up!
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I would add, you may need to take him in for a dental cleaning and work up. He might be reacting to a problem in his mouth causing things to taste differently. Sometimes with my husband, there is some truth in what he is telling me. Also, you might put a few ingredients on the counter and let him mix them and taste them. He may be just being argumentative but never hurts to check some things out. God Bless.
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This shall pass....then again maybe not...Ya just never know with Dementia!!!
If all he wants is jello, yogurt, Popsicle's then give him that. You could try Kefir it is a yogurt like drink. Great supposedly for all the probiotics.
You could also try some of the protein or energy drinks.
Have you tried smoothies?
If all this is a no for him then start making your meals with more fluid.
Soups
Stew
more fruit salads or fruit in general, melons have a lot of moisture
Keep in mind that a lot of these will have extra calories. If he is loosing weight this could be a good thing but as he declines you will have to do a lot more so consider his weight and will you have to be helping him transfer? So if weight is an issue cut calories in other places, less sweeter snacks, cut back on starches like bread, potatoes and rice.


Another thing you might want to keep your eye on is...his urine. If it is dark, other than first thing in the morning then he needs more fluids, if it is light in color then he is getting enough fluids. (notice I did not say water. Count all fluids)
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MargaretMcKen Sep 2018
Just one thing about the urine - I take a lot of turmeric as an anti-inflammatory, and my urine colour is almost henna colour! I think watermelon is a great idea, too.

My MIL in the nursing home had a measured jug of water to get through each day. DH says it was a case of 'hold your nose and swallow it'. But she didn't have dementia, just old age.
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What a good topic. Good luck, jessie. There soo many tea bag flavors, caffeine or not, maybe you could try lots of those. I’m not in medicine, so pardon the lack of knowledge - can the doctor put a port on him where you can connect fluids each day for a while? If this is an option, tell hubby that’s what he’ll need if he doesn’t intake fluids on his own?
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Jessie7410 Sep 2018
I thought that if he wouldn't drink and was getting dehydrated that they would put IV but since he is in hospice home health I am not really sure if this is something they could do. I asked his social worker but during the passing stages she said they would not put the IV fluids. Now since he isn't in those stages yet I will need to ask his nurse. Thanks
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My DH switched to Soda for the last year. While not optimal, it was fluids.
I was dealing with Dysphagia, a swallowing problem, and many with dysphagia seem to prefer sodas & lemonade - seems to soothe the throat and swallows easier.

If you are also dealing with Dysphagia, I found that Hormel's Thick & Easy will thicken it and hold the thickening. I was able to use the thickest, the Honey consistency, and it thickened twice the amount - 1/2 of a 16 ounce bottle of Coke. It was cheaper to purchase the honey over the nectar and I bought it at Amazon from Oz Medical Supply.

He also preferred to drink out of the bottle instead of a glass. I'm sure there is a logical reason for that, I was just trying to keep him hydrated.

It really is all about not rocking the boat. If you won't give them what they want, they won't eat or drink what you bring. I learned that one the hard way and was lucky to pull him out of it. He lived another 18 months and he was almost 97 when he passed on.
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My mom was not drinking enough and becoming dehydrated. I tried Propel which is a flavored water that includes electrolytes. She seems to like this the best, it's not as strong as some other "sports" drinks. After she started drinking it, her blood work came back better than it has in years! I try to get her to drink 3 bottles a day, that's a challenge but if they are on the table in front of her, she does try.
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Jessie7410 Sep 2018
Great Idea! thanks
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Have you tried the various drink flavorings? Like MiO. The flavor can be changed with every glass of water. Just a small squirt into water. Wife drinks several glasses a day.
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Jessie7410 Sep 2018
yes I got the off brand...strawberry watermelon and that is a winner for right now. Thanks. I will be trying other flavors as well.
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Moms taste for drinks change on a daily basis. Some days she loves her Apple juice, sometimes UGH too sour. Some days loves her cranberry juice, some days UGH too tart. Some days like orange juice, some days not having it. I’m glad she constantly like her tea, ensure or chocolate milk. Have you tried ensure? She likes it room temp and I just call it a milkshake.
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Zdarov Sep 2018
The premise of Ensure and Boost is so good, but the ingredients are a turnoff! Atkins is better made. My favorite is Orgain.
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Can't blame him regarding Sunny D, It does suck. His taste buds are probably declining so drinks that used to taste great, probably don't taste that way anymore.
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Does temperature matter? The jello, yogurt, popsicles are all thicker textures and cold - maybe he started having some problems with full liquids and isn't expressing it well? Or a sore throat?

Have you tried creamed soups - like tomato (beware the salt content)?

If you have a blender maybe try adding some milk to the ice cream for a milk shake and see if he drinks that? My mom likes blending partially thawed frozen strawberries (less expensive, keep better) into ice cream and milk.

An infection in the sinuses or mouth can also cause a bad taste that is particularly noticeable with drinks. I've heard that sometimes losing a filling can cause a bad taste too.
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Jessie7410 Sep 2018
unfortunately he doesn't like cold. No fillings either. His teeth are in good shape. Yes I have tried soup too; it isn't always agreeable with him either. I keep trying different drinks but he refuses. Orange juice went well the other day but on 3rd day again refused
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You could ask his doctor if any of the medications he is on have a side effect of leaving a bad taste in the mouth. Unfortunately, not getting enough fluids is very common in Alzheimer's. Giving him the jello, yogurt etc. is a great idea and a good source of fluids.
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