Background

Recent heatwaves have shone a light on the increased risk of dehydration to older people. I have seen some great and creative ways that care home staff have been trying to keep older residents hydrated, by opening mocktails bars or offering ice lollies. However, unfortunately, dehydration remains a serious concern for older people. Older people are more at risk of low-intake dehydration, which is when we don’t drink enough fluids to stay healthy. People should drink more as they age, to replace the increased loss of fluids, that happens as a result of the ageing process.

There are a number of other factors which also increase the risk of low-intake dehydration for older people. Mobility issues can make it difficult for some people to shop for, prepare and drink drinks. Older people might restrict their drinks intake, to prevent needing to visit the toilet. Older people might have fewer social opportunities to drink with others. Cognitive impairment can also make it difficult for people to shop for, prepare, recognise and/or remember to drink drinks.

If an older person lives in a long-term care setting, they might require assistance, or might be dependent on others, to provide drinks. If someone experiences communication difficulties, they might find it more difficult to ask staff for a drink, and/or express their preferred drinks choice. There are also lots of interplaying factors within a long-term care setting, such as visitors, care staff, routines, facilities, environment (to list a few), which might influence whether someone drinks.

Why is this study needed?

People living with dementia may not drink enough and so are more likely to become dehydrated. Some research has previously explored how people living with dementia drink in care homes. However, no single intervention has proven to be effective long-term and consequently dehydration remains a problem. The D-DRINC study will adopt a ‘whole care home approach’. We need to take a step back and look at the wider picture of drinking, within the context of a care home, to better understand the influences on drinking. From this new knowledge, we will be able to design and develop comprehensive evidence-based drinking interventions for people living with dementia in care home settings.

What does the study aim to achieve?

The study aims to develop an in-depth understanding of how people living with dementia, drink in a care home setting.

What will the study involve?

The D-DRINC study is an in-depth qualitative case study of a care home setting. I will spend time observing daily life, the routines, interactions and conversations within the care home. These observations will focus on drinking-related activities and opportunities. I will be observing care home life during both the day and night. I will also have conversations with people within the home, during the periods of observation, to find out more about what they are doing. I will then invite people who live within, work within and visit the care home to take part in unstructured interviews. These interviews will give me an opportunity to speak to participants further about what I’ve observed within the care home.

The observations and interviews, involving a diverse range of participants, will provide rich data. This data will enable me to better understand how residents living with dementia drink within the unique context of a care home.

When will this study take place?

I met with the NHS Research Ethics Committee in August and am currently awaiting their decision. I have a care home interested in hosting the study, and so once I have received ethical approval, I will be ready to begin!

For study progress updates, please visit: https://bit.ly/3PVCRvv

Ellice Parkinson at UEA is supported by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR)
Applied Research Collaboration East of England (NIHR ARC EoE) at Cambridge and Peterborough NHS
Foundation Trust. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the
Department of Health and Social Care.