What can be added to water to make it more appealing for an elder to drink?

Mio - two flavors have electrolytes. my mom likes the blue one, but there is a grape too and maybe a lemon lime

Great discussion. Our Kroger has their own brand of fruit flavored waters, I tried the orange and it was delicious - like a creamcicle. I'm having hot water with lemon chunks in the morning, and that has been more craveable than I thought it'd be. Apparently good first-thing a.m. for pulling toxins. If she can have bubbles, LaCroix makes canned fizzy water with fruit flavors, they're terrific. Love the thoughts on clean palate, sendhelp. Good luck, OP!

Or even non-alcoholic beer more often, if they like the taste of beer. Your comment, Jeanne, made me think of 1600s America, when people drank a low alcohol content beer, small beer, as a way to get water that wasn't full of bacteria. :-) (That was my understanding of that history lesson.)

This is from the Mayo Clinic website:

"You don't need to rely only on what you drink to meet your fluid needs. What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake. For example, many fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and spinach, are 90 percent or more water by weight.

In addition, beverages such as milk and juice are composed mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages — such as coffee, tea or soda — can contribute, but these should not be a major portion of your daily total fluid intake. Water is still your best bet because it's calorie-free, inexpensive and readily available."

Seriously, I'd offer a bottle of beer once in a while UNLESS the dietitian says not to for kidney reasons. There are lots of myths out there about hydration.

Some good answers here, Jessebelle too, good answer!
Myself, I am good with the lemon, just a few drops of unsweetened, or e-oil lemon, one drop in 16 oz. + of water.
A hint of flavor. Or try lime.

Again, check with the dietician, nutritionist, or doctor about carbonation, artificial sweeteners, flavored drinks (hopefully with NO fructose corn syrups).

Even bottled waters have different tastes. Some people are more sensitive than others. Use bottled, not tap water if your patient doesn't like water. Serve cold.

Then, there is one's mouth, or palate to consider. How many of us like to drink a glass of water just after brushing our teeth? Medications can wreck havoc in drying out the mouth, and other sensations like a metallic taste.

Have you ever had a piece of chocolate, (cake or candy)--
again,( check with prescribed diet), and then had a good cup of coffee? The taste of coffee was 'the best you ever had?'
It is because of what went before. A clean well-rinsed mouth, a clear palate, a pretty glass or cup, someone to sit and share a very weak cup of lemon-water tea...all these can add to the desirability of drinking water.

DO NOT EVER, EVER, ask me to drink tap water out of a styrofoam cup, or one of those beige, tan colored cups they have in hospitals. NEVER!

Okay? Get the picture? Serve lots of watermelon if Mom likes it. Cut it up nice for her.

That's all I got for today Scrimble.  But I think you are on the right path trying to find a way to make ingesting more water APPEALING.

You could infuse water with fruit like strawberries - there are a number of "recipes" online for fruit and herb infused.

Wow! Thank you for these great ideas and answers. I will take the advice and ask her doctor to expand on the water additives (sugar / low calorie sweetener) concerns. I didn't think of that. I went to the store after the initial report from the doctor and there were way too many brands to choose from. My own family just drinks water primarily, so the vast selection was overwhelming. A request for a dietician and what she can have in her water just went into her doctor.
In the meantime, I'll try her with ice water with lemon or some Mio drops.
Thank you again to all of you.

Plain water is best, so you want to stay as close to it as possible when it comes to hydration. Alcohol and caffeine are diuretics, so things like beer, coffee, tea, and caffeinated sodas can make a person pee more than they drink. Not good for hydration. If it has a lot of sugar or salt in the drink, it can change the osmotic pressure of the liquid. This is okay, but not as good as water. Sugar and salt have other problems that go along with them -- teeth, diabetes, blood pressure, etc. If the doctor says an artificial sweetener is okay, it would probably be best. When it comes to renal failure it is always good to run thing past a doctor.

I think frugaldietitian is right. This should be discussed with a professional dietitian. Are all artificial sweeteners OK? Is sugar? Why not fruit juice? Obviously drinking enough vodka to stay hydrated would not be a healthy idea! But what about a bottle of beer now and then?

My mother's generation seemed to love Kool-Aid (or Nectar as she called it.) Would that be suitable? If so, sugar or artificial sweetener?

Is carbonation OK?

I like ice water and I don't have problems with hydration. Alcohol interferes with more than one of my medications, so I can't have a nice glass of wine with dinner, or a lovely cordial before bed. I think I deserve a special drink now and then so lately I have been taste-testing one after another of the dozens of "flavored waters" on the market. I'm keeping a list of how I rate each one. I like carbonated beverages (though I hate soda pop). The only think I look for on the label is carbohydrates (I'm diabetic) and artificial sweeteners (because my digestive track tends not to like them.)

Once you are certain what will and won't work with your mother's kidney issues, just go through a supermarket reading labels.

Check out the section at the grocery store where they have the powered crystal light. You'll see dozens of these little tiny bottles that have concentrated flavors in them. You just add a few drops to water and it adds amazing flavor. There are literally dozens of flavors to choose from.

My dad was big on crystal light - the tiny straws with powder. Plus it had to be really cold and ice always helped.

Crystal Light makes individual powder packets (they have liquid flavoring, too) and some of the varieties have vitamins in them. I agree with Kellylynn, you don't need to use the entire packet, just a little bit to flavor a glass of water.

My father hates to drink water as well, and only has one kidney. So i buy the little individual packets of flavoring and add them to a water bottle. They come in sugar free as well. Koolaid makes them Crush makes them in different flavors. Personally I think they are too sweet so i just add half a packet.. I know its not the perfect solution ,but he will drink water this way. If i dont flavor the waterhe wont drink anything. With the summer heat i worry about dehydration .So this works for now.

I buy my mother the little bottles of water and keep them in the refrigerator. The cold water is more like a treat than a bother to her. There are other things you can ask her doctor about, e.g. Sprite Zero or other sugar and caffeine free sodas. I'm not sure if the carbonation or artificial sweeteners would be good for her. It depends on her stage of kidney disease.

Mom's facility has a carafe of water with sliced cucumbers and lemons in it - I don't care for it - cucumbers are overwhelming

Mom has never been a fan of water or iced tea and lately I noticed she chomps on ice which I yell at her to stop doing so she doesn't break a tooth

Unless dr says no maybe some orange or lemon or lime slices may help - they even have those special water bottles with the holder for fruit to infuse the water with flavor

If mom liked sodas, there are many flavored carbonated waters out there now.. wal mart has a good one for 50cents a bottle! The flavors are strong, not wimpy!

Ask for a referral to a Renal Dietitian...Your mom's kidneys may not be filtering certain byproducts in urine well but still be urinating. The Dietitian would have access to her medical records (thus her lab values) and therefore be aware of any dietary restrictions.

There are probably hundreds of flavoured waters and low calorie beverages in your local supermarket, you will be most successful if you can offer what she DOES like to drink. If she likes coffee or tea you can buy decaffeinated varieties, if she wants beer then try some of the non alcohol ones. You probably don't have to completely ban the occasional juice or soda, unless there a problem with diabetes?
I think the key to upping her fluid intake is to always have something- even just ice water - easily within her grasp and to think outside the box. Be conscious also of the fluids available in foods: all fruits and veggies are mostly water, soups are also a good source as are smoothies (made with skim milk or milk alternates they can be low calorie), treats like low calorie jello or popsicles are also good .

I use MIO Cherry Blackberry drops in my water

Scrimble, there are brands of water that have different flavorings that one can try. See if the store sells the tiny bottles.

Also there are now many ice teas in bottles to try that have different flavorings, my favorite is the peach, I like Gold Peak. Also like Pure Leaf brand. I wouldn't recommend the Lipton ice tea bottles, didn't like the taste at all :(

There are also ice tea bags, Twining brand of tea, that come in citrus flavorings that you dunk into a glass of water, thus you control the taste.

One thing to watch if the elder has issue with sugar intake is the amount of sugar that is in these drinks.