Assessing dehydration in the elderly in a family health strategy

Abstract

Objective: To check for possible signs of dehydration and to evaluate water intake habits among elderly people who attend a Family Health Strategy (FHS) in the municipality of Tucuruí­, Pará. Method: This is a descriptive field research with a quantitative approach based on the analysis of questionnaires answered by the research participants. Results: The sample consisted of 40 elderly people, mostly women. It was identified that 85% have a good feeling of thirst, 47.5% admit to feeling dry mouth, 7.5% feel dry armpits and 47.5% feel dry skin. Regarding the frequency of defecation, 97.5% defecate daily. Regarding the consumption of drinks and food, it was found that water is the most consumed, where 75% admit drinking from 1 to 2 liters per day, 12.5% drink from 2 to 3 liters and the other 12.5% ingest less than 1 liter. Conclusion: Fortunately, it was possible to verify that the individuals surveyed have good habits, such as healthy eating and good water intake, which contributes to not showing signs of dehydration.