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My father says its unnecessary to drink so much water and will get very angry when I bring him a glass and tell him to drink it. I have tried giving him the drink mixes called liquid IV to replace just a plain glass of water and he does seem to like those but I wonder how good they are for him to drink constantly because of the high sodium, I do give him the sugar free ones. Also, I try and keep him from drinking too much after 8pm because otherwise he's up all night going to the bathroom, and having to change his diaper. How can I get him to drink all the water he needs during the day but also keep him from being up all night going to the bathroom.

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Try using flavor drops or Sonic infusers for water, the strawberry limeade is fantastic. I buy them online at Walmart, theyre sugar free. Then stop driving both of you crazy micromanaging this!

The man is 88 with Alzheimer's. My mother had dementia and hated drinking water so she refused. I did nothing to extend her life with such a cruel disease at play anyway, and despite drinking so little, she lived to 95.

Relax and save yourself all the aggravation.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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Unless he has a history of kidney stones, frequent UTIs or symptoms of dehydration there is no need to keep pushing water, all the advice that we need to drink gallons per day has mostly been debunked. He's 88 and has a life limiting disease, offer him coffee, tea, soda, beer or whatever else he enjoys, in moderation.
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Reply to cwillie
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Liquid IV is for athletes and folks who do physical labor in hot conditions. I would absolutely never give it to an elderly person, it would be like drinking sea water.
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Reply to Slartibartfast
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My dad had dementia and with it, problems swallowing, especially water. He found orange juice slightly easier. His last year or so, he drank only a few ounces of total liquids per day and this chronic dehydration exacerbated his kidney failure and increased the dementia confusion, and contributed to blood pressure drops, dizziness, falls, etc. He would also eat only vanilla ice cream. Refused all protein shakes, pudding, applesauce, soups, pureed food, etc. Tried “thick-It” which he hated. One thing he would occasionally accept was jelly drops:

https://www.jellydrops.us/

These were recommended by his hospice nurse.

I pretty much stopped struggling with him over it. Good luck.
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Reply to Suzy23
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Your father may not need as much water as you are trying to give him. Does he have to meet a certain fluid amount? Those fluids do not need to be plain water.
I cannot drink plain water myself b/c it causes loss of sodium. (And as funkygrandma59 writes, plain water is boring.) I have a fluid restriction limit so I have make all my ounces count. I mix protein powder into coffee or tea to make a more "interesting" drink, and I make a "DIY Pedialyte" by adding salt and sugar and a touch of orange juice to water for a water-like drink. Maybe you can find some combination of flavors and drinks that your father likes and he will be more willing to drink that. If he takes medications with water or fluids, remember those ounces count, too.
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Reply to RedVanAnnie
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Allow him to eat food that contain water/fluids like watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries, oranges, celery, tomatoes, soups and the like.
And I wouldn't worry about the liquid IV drinks(especially since he likes them)having too much salt as salt is one of the many important electrolytes that the body needs to function well.
Also throwing in an Ensure daily can be a smart choice for not only fluids, but also if he's needing more calories in his diet.

And on a side note, I am not a big fan of water either as it is so very boring/blah to drink, so I personally do put the flavored water drops in mine which makes it much more tolerable to get my glasses of water in daily.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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I agree with the others that say not to push it. On the flip side, I have a mother who complains of nausea on the daily. So knowing she drinks about 1/4 tsp of water a day and suspecting possible dehydration, like the others, I make sure I leave out things for her sweet tooth that are more liquid-y - small containers of jello, pudding, applesauce. She also likes oatmeal for breakfast. By the time she gets to the table, I’ve added a half gallon of milk because it keeps thickening up. Also, watermelon being in season has been helpful.
Good luck!
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Reply to LucyImHome
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You can't make him drink water. My mum tells me she can't swallow it but can down 16oz of overly sweetened tea. I give her vitamin water for the flavor. Reduce your stress. Pick your battles and keep it moving.
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Reply to SrRita
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Serve water melon once a day.
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Reply to brandee
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To quote "the advice that we need to drink gallons per day has mostly been debunked". Drink most water in the morning, to avoid troubles at night.
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Reply to MargaretMcKen
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AlvaDeer Nov 11, 2025
Margaret is correct. Elders DO lose the natural "drive to take in fluids". And most on entry to any ER will have blood work that shows dehydration. So some fluid help is necessary for some elders. HOWEVER pushing fluids that people don't want can have repercussions. Those with a failing heart have a difficult time processing fluids in the proper manner due to "pump failure" and the result can be peripheral edema in legs, abdomen or--worse--fluid in the lungs causing shortness of breath.

If this is an ongoing question with this September post I would discuss with the MD.
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