Dehydration in the nursing home: research into the prevalence, risk factors, diagnosis, roles of and current collaboration between (in)formal caregivers and nursing home residents

Dehydration is a relevant problem in the nursing home setting. Multiple factors (e.g., comorbidity, medication use and care dependency) cause residents to be constantly exposed to dehydration. This health problem may result in various negative consequences and a reduced quality of life for residents. The aim of this thesis was to investigate how the care for residents with (a risk of) dehydration is organized in the nursing home. The results of this dissertation provide insight in several aspects (e.g., the importance of increasing awareness and knowledge on dehydration, establishing an interprofessional collaboration and the use of a step-by-step diagnostic strategy to diagnose dehydration) that care professionals, informal caregivers and residents together should focus on in order to optimize the care of residents with (a risk of) dehydration in daily practice.