Long-Term Care Survey Alert
Read The Early Signs Of Dehydration Before It's Too Late
PDF
Think dehydration anytime a resident has these symptoms.
And sudden onset of a fall or a sudden increase in the signs of dementia may be just the red flag that catches a record reviewer's eye.
Keep dehydration in mind when a person has those conditions, advises Joan Johnson, a licensed dietitian at Heritage Enterprises, in Bloomington, IL.
Or the person's blood pressure may be lower than baseline, she adds. In such cases, put together the big picture by looking at the person's dietary and fluid intake, she suggests.
Concentrated urine is another early sign of low hydration, says Janet Mentes, RN, PhD, "although that can be hard to detect if the person is incontinent."
To look for poor hydration, check the resident's mouth during mouth care or feeding assistance, suggests Mentes, a nursing professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.
"If the person has a wrinkled or furrowed tongue -- and that's something new --the person could be dehydrated, says Mentes. But check to see if he is taking a medication that could cause dry mouth, she cautions.
Editor's note: For a free copy of a set of stories on dehydration in MDS Alert, please e-mail your request to the editor at EditorMON@aol.com.
Long-Term Care Survey Alert
- Clinical Care:
Avoid Using Wounding Wound Care Practices
Follow these 4 rules of thumb for healing wounds effectively. Your facility's wound outcomes will [...] - Special Focus:
Family Abuse: Be In The Know To Prevent, Detect Family Abuse At The Get-Go
These key strategies will help protect residents and your facility. You have to protect residents [...] - Risk Management:
Set Families Up For Successful Offsite Visits With Their Residents
Implement these strategies before residents leave. The two cardinal rules for ensuring a resident's off-premise [...] - Resident Safety:
Protect Residents From Drug-Photo Reactions
Certain meds + sun a dangerous combination make. All residents need adequate sun protection when [...] - Resident Safety:
No Fun In The Sun When Taking These Meds
Is your resident taking any of these common prescription or OTC drugs? According to an article [...] - Risk Management:
Stay On The Right Side Of Documentation
4 ways to ensure your nursing notes make the grade. A few nursing documentation strategies [...] - Care Planning:
Clean Up Your Documentation With The SOAP Approach
Zero in on a problem's status... fast Using a SOAP approach for documentation can help [...] - Documentation:
Check Out This Sample SOAP Note From The RAI User's Manual
Documentation captures subjective, objective info. The following example shows the SOAP method in action for [...] - Risk Management:
Here's How To Reduce Your Liability Insurance Premiums
Educate your liability insurance broker about deficiencies and risks In a more perfect survey world, [...] - Survey Trends:
A Survey Revisit Fee Looms For FY 2007 -- But Will It Stay?
Nursing facilities haven't escaped a survey revisit fee for FY 2007 É but almost. The [...] - Clinical Care:
Read The Early Signs Of Dehydration Before It's Too Late
Think dehydration anytime a resident has these symptoms. Hindsight is 20/20, especially if you're a [...] - Clip And Save:
Are Your Residents Drinking Enough Fluids?
Here are 15 cool ways to ensure they do. An ounce of prevention goes a [...] - Survey News To Use
It's time to tighten up your restraint definitions and assessments. A new Centers for Medicare [...]