Hydration Vessel Study

Older adults living in retirement homes and long-term care are often at risk of dehydration, largely because they don’t drink enough water and other fluids. One easy way to encourage fluid intake is to use a larger drinking vessel.

Many of the drinking vessels used in homes contain less than a cup of fluid. Glasses and cups also need to be easy to use and drink from. The purpose of the Hydration Vessel Study research project was to determine what type of drinking vessel, which holds at least one cup of fluid, is preferred by older adults in residential care. For example, is there a preference in the size of the cup, the material, and the weight of the glass or cup?

The research project team found that residents are concerned about the look and feel of drinking glasses and cups, as well as how they will work in the home. For example, are the vessels stackable, can they be adequately sanitized, and are they breakable? Further, retirement and long-term care home residents differed in the way they viewed the cups and what they thought were important features. Retirement home residents were more concerned with the aesthetics including colour and shape, while long-term care residents were more concerned with how easily vessels could spill and break. In general, when comparing test vessels to those provided regularly in the home, participants preferred “what they know” – their home’s standard vessel. No single drinking glass or cup stood out as the obvious top choice, due to differences of opinion. However, based on the Hydration Vessel Study research project findings, the research team was able to choose one drinking glass and one cup to use in a subsequent multi-component study called PROMOTE. The vessels chosen were rated highly in terms of ease of handling, ease of drinking, feel and appearance.