Hydration is important. You should drink plenty of water throughout the day. It will keep your energy levels up, appetite down and will help you combat fatigue. When older people are not drinking enough water, they are facing a variety of health issues. And yet, many of them are severely dehydrated. Why? Because of some stupid old myths.

It is recommended that older women drink at least 8 glasses of water per day (that accounts to about 1.6 litres) and older men should drink 10 glasses (or 2 litres) of water per day. But, as scientists from UCL have found, dehydration affects between a third to nearly half of frail older people. Researchers interviewed 24 people aged over 75 and heard some weird reasons not to drink a substantial amount of water every day.

Some people said that they don’t know how much they should drink. Many were using the feeling of thirst as an indicator that it is time to drink some water. And that’s not good enough. The problem is that our appetite for food and water is reduced as we age and many older people simply do not feel thirsty when they are dehydrated.

Also, many people believe that other liquids don’t help. In fact, juices, tea and other drinks are a source of hydration, even if they have a lot of sugar. But is it possible to encourage older people to drink more water? Well, yeah.

Older people should be reminded how much water it is recommended for them to drink every day. They should also be assisted in building healthy habits, for example, like drinking a glass of water every time they go to the bathroom. Finally, they should be reminded about the benefits of water, especially help with digestion and function of other systems.

Hydration is very important for the older folk. For example, older stroke patients are more than twice as likely to suffer significant impairment if they are dehydrated when they are admitted. If they will drink plenty of water, they are actually less likely to get a stroke in the first place.

Dr Cini Bhanu, lead author of the study, said: “Keeping well hydrated is key to good health among older people, reducing the risk of hospital admissions and other poor health outcomes. However, many do not link hydration to good health and are unsure of how much to drink.”

It is our responsibility to take care of our older people and reminding them to drink water is a good way to express your love. A good way to do that is lead by example – drink water with your grandparents.