Dehydration is a condition where an individual loses a lot of body fluids to an extent where she/he cannot function normally. In my anticipatory guidance and discharge teaching to the caregivers or parent of a child that is dehydrated, I will include three essential points. First I will inform them the signs of dehydration. Secondly, I will teach them how they can help the child suffering from dehydration get better while at home. Lastly, I will discuss the recommended diet which helps in preventing dehydration cases.
The signs of dehydration that the parents should note include: dry lips and dry tongue, the child does not produce tears when they are crying, sunken eyes and the child can have sunken soft spots on the head (Collins & Claros, 2011) . The other signs are the reduction in the number of diapers that they have been previously wetting, they have dry skin with wrinkles, cools and blotchy feet and hands and deep, rapid breathing (Jablonski, 2012) . To help the child get better while at home, the parent or caregiver should strictly follow the doctor’s feeding advice and they should not rush into administering over the counter diarrhea medicines without the physician’s instructions. They should also encourage the child to take unsweetened fluids. The parent should continue breastfeeding regularly, and they should increase the quantity of food and fluids that the child is consuming. The child should have an opportunity of having plenty of rest. Administering appropriate diet will help the child who is dehydrated. The child should drink a lot of water, and the parent should avoid giving sports drinks (Collins & Claros, 2011) . Breastfeeding should continue even if the child is under medication. The parent should give bland foods like apples, rice or bananas and should avoid spicy foods and dairy products.
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Living in homeless shelters can trigger dehydration in children since the parent may be lacking the basic dietary needs. The parents/caregivers should always strive to ensure there is the availability of fluids since they are helpful to the health of their child. The parents can seek help from different organizations or even the hospitals when they are in need. The primary resources that the child and the parents need are the physical and health resources which include food and shelter. I will link them to organizations that offer aid to the needy parents and children so that both can have an opportunity of accessing enough rest and basic self-care. The organizations provide the needy people with proper nutrition which will be helpful in avoiding dehydration in the child.
References
Collins, M., & Claros, E. (2011). Recognizing the face of dehydration. Nursing2015 , 41 (8), 26-31. http://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2011/08000/Recognizing_the_face_of_dehydration.10.aspx
Jablonski, S. (2012). Oral rehydration of the pediatric patient with mild to moderate dehydration. Journal of Emergency Nursing , 38 (2), 185-187. http://www.jenonline.org/article/S0099-1767 (11)00593-9/abstract
