A young man creates "Water that can be eaten" to help elderly patients stay hydrated
Elderly people, and even more so those who suffer from dementia, can incur risks to their health just because they do not drink enough water.
In fact, for the elderly, the sense of thirst is almost completely absent and this can easily cause severe dehydration. In addition, many people with dementia experience great difficulty in swallowing liquids, further complicating attempts at hydration.
A young man, the grandson of an elderly lady with a mild form of dementia, has devised a way to help his grandmother and everyone else drink enough water, without any effort.
Lewis Hornby, after seeing his grandmother hospitalized due to severe dehydration, decided to think of something that could keep this from happening again. His grandmother, like many elderly people, suffers from mild dementia that makes her completely forget to drink water. In addition, she does not feel thirsty or perceive the need to drink, and furthermore, she finds it difficult to swallow liquids. A rather complicated situation, but not at all rare.
Vimeo/Lewis Hornby
The solution that the young man came up with is a box of tasty colorful balls made from 90% water with the remaining ingredients being gelatin and electrolytes that increase the hydration effect.
The gelatin balls are solid, have bright colors that easily attract people's attention, and leave no residue on the hands.
Lewis has equipped the box containing the gelatin balls with a facilitated opening, designed specifically for those who have reduced manual dexterity. In addition, the box also has a transparent cover so that the elderly person's attention is easily captured by the brightly colored gelatin balls.
"My grandmother ate seven gelatin balls in 10 minutes, the equivalent of a glass of water that would have required hours and someone's assistance."
Vimeo/Lewis Hornby
A very simple - but also very effective - way to prevent elderly people from further complicating their health due to a common oversight that causes dehydration.
