Why do elderly people refuse to drink sufficient fluid?

Also, high liquid content food like cucumber, ice lollies all count towards water intake.

My parents are not water drinkers it's the running to toilet thing I think , they will drink tea ,and squash with their dinner, my stepfather has kidney issues so he will drink fizzy water but a bottle can last till it goes flat! I don't know the solution sadly my friend works in a care home and they give their residents jelly and hydration "sweets" because of the drinking issues.

The "accidents" are why he does not drink enough. He does not want to pee himself so restricts fluids.

Everything @Birdist said. Coloured squash, kept nearby at all times helps some older people to remember to drink. As an analogy , if you had a long term minor injury so it was uncomfortable to go to the toilet, plus you don't feel thirsty anyway, would you drink more than your body was telling you to?

Ultimately, I think you need to redefine "nagging" in your mind. Broken record technique might help here - you might say "drinking time!" in a bright and breezy way each time you walk past.

With mine it’s because they’ve never drunk water and making a cup of tea is too much bother. A lot of elderly people were never brought up drinking plain water due to handed down beliefs (probably from their grandparents who might have witnessed typhoid outbreaks) that it was unsafe to do so.

I’m guessing that they try and avoid drinking because it leads to the possibility of having an accident or that going to the toilet is difficult.

Do elderly people have a higher water requirement than younger people ? I struggle with 2 litres and would only get close to 3 during a heatwave.

It could be he's worried about having an accident and is reluctant to drink because of this??? Also the older they get the more stubborn they become. There is something called jelly drops (I think) they are special hydration sweets. Look and taste like sweeties but are very hydrating

Toilet upstairs? My MIL avoids drinking so she doesn't have to go upstairs. She's had multiple UTIs and hospital admissions all down to lack of water. But she will not drink more, we've bought special jugs, lightweight kettles, squashes of every flavour imaginable but she will not drink enough.

In my DM's case she's not very mobile and also has a weak bladder, so doesn't want to keep getting up to use the toilet, or worse, not get there in time.

Not drinking doesn't seem to be doing her any harm though.

Similar issue with my mum who is 89. I think it stems from a few things. Her generation were not particularly conscious of the need to drink a lot of water. If I give her a glass she drink a few mouthfuls and throws the rest away. Added to this that she sometimes wants to reduce her frequent trips to the WC if we are going out somewhere. I'm not sure there is an easy solution, other than to keep a close eye on fluid intake and make lots of drinks.

My elderly grandparents do this because it’s takes so much effort for them to get to the loo. They’re unsteady and worried about mobilising to the bathroom so often, especially in the night. So they limit how much liquid they drink. Understandable.

My Nan is 98, in reasonable health but does get frequent UTI’s and they can send her loopy lou for a few days. She says she doesn’t like the taste of water and can’t be assed having to go to the loo. We nag her about it regardless, but it’s in one ear and out the other.

Why on earth does he need to drink 3L of fluid a day? That’s a ridiculously high amount for most people. Can he have a couple of extra cups of tea or something to help sneak it up?

For some people it's fear of incontinence/accidents. Also forgetfulness. Also thirst signals working less well in old age. And bloody mindedness probably plays a part for some people.

With my Gran it helped just to have water around so she remembered to drink it and going to get a glass of water wasn't another task sh ehad to do- carafe by the bed and by her chair etc.

You can't make him, unfortunately. Just keep telling him much as you are. Get any healthcare professionals to also speak to him.

If he has had problems such as urinary incontinence or sudden leaks then it could be that he is scared to drink that much fluid. I know my elderly mother probably falls into that category.

You make sure he has water within easy reach. Unfortunately, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.