Why do elderly people refuse to drink sufficient fluid?

Just an observation
Based on problems and your comments

Can you sneak water into him through food? Up his fruit and vegetable intake, cereals or porridge for breakfast, homemade soups and casseroles for dinner.

@Disscombobulated I feel for you on this thread with the 3L thing. Renal conditions are very specific in terms of what the clinical team advises and the interaction with other medicines the person is taking. Yet everybody thinks they know best what amount your FIL should drink!

My mum has the opposite all the time — she has a renal condition and her consultant says she must limit fluids to less than 1L per day. Yet every bloody person she meets says that this must be wrong and she should drink loads of water! They all of course know better than the renal consultant with 30 years’ experience 😆

If he likes alcohol but can’t have it, would non-alcoholic beer work for him (not sure if it’s compatible with a diabetic friendly diet). Non-alcoholic beer has massively improved over the last decade, he may not even realise it’s alcohol free!

He’d likely end up in heart failure if he drank 3L per day!

All you can do is incorporate liquids in to as much of his diet and intake as possible, rather than just focussing on water / drinks.

You don’t have to have pure water. Squash, tea coffee etc all contain water. . Training I had on helping older people to have enough fluid included rice pudding as a recommended food with a useful amount of water in it.

Yes, older people need to keep up their fluid intake but they, and everyone else can have their water in other fluids.
I heard that only espresso is not a net gain of fluid. Similar to PPs, my parent lived to mid-nineties and I never saw them drink a glass of water. I’d focus on encouraging him to drink things he likes.

just saw that you are encouraging more ‘wet food’ etc

Think they ok for diabetics OP
And he'll just think they sweets.

@Disscombobulated twenty years ago my mum got really frustrated that my dads mum thought she was drinking loads of water when she only drank a small glass each day. Since mum had her stroke 5 yrs ago she too has now started to struggle to drink enough fluids- the desire just isn’t there! She starts several pint glasses but never empties them. She’s now using a yeti style mug with a straw - it holds a litre of fluid and the handle is easier to hold than a glass - would your FIL try one of those ? X

I had a similar situation with my grandmother. I haven't had time to look at all the posts but try jelly drops? Hope this helps xxx

Yes. Let's not get too deep into it. You're doing fine, OP. The jelly sweets idea was quite a good one and the people who actually work in elderly care had some insight too.

The fact of the matter, as I see it, is that he won't drink plain water. Frankly, I think the most simple solution is a straw and flavoured drinks. I don't know how frail he is, how much appetite he has, whether he can still face real meals. He could still be a good eater, or not.

You're doing a good job.

Try Jelly drops- each sweet contains 50 ml water. Developed to help precisely your problem

Maybe it’s not a continence situation. It might also be because his heart function isn’t great and isn’t capable of pumping that much fluid around. If he leads an inactive live, fluids will pool in his tissues very quickly and overload his cardiovascular system. Does he have a wet cough?

There have been some assholes on this thread.
OP you are doing a wonderful job.

I'm astonished that not only are people ignoring the fact that OP has repeatedly confirmed that yes, the medical advice is that this man with kidney failure should have 3l of fluid, they're also using this as a reason to air their own complexes about drinking water being some sort of sign of weakness. Not drinking enough is a huge cause of ill health among elderly people - who can be really vulnerable to and badly affected by dehydration. Risking that isn't morally superior because you personally think owning a water bottle is newfangled decadence.

I guess you're a saint, then.

Just want to confirm that 3L of water daily is also what my urological doctors have told me to do. I lost the use of one kidney due to infection and need to keep my remaining one healthy (I have had several kidney stones in the past but none for nearly years since increasing my daily fluid intake (and avoiding foods that may cause stone formation in my case). I don't like drinking neat water, so add a squirt of sugar free concentrated fruit juice.

Try icelollies or juice filled sweets

Would people please try and remember that it's FLUID intake as a whole that's recommended, not water alone. There, I've said it...so take note everyone. 😊

The fact so many people don't drink 3 litres/day suggests its not really "super-easy."

Like I say, I have to make a conscious effort to drink 1 litre water, most days. Even when I run long distances (I run 10-12 miles most sundays) I don't drink anywhere near 2 litres of water, let alone 3. (I do have other drinks)