Home Instead Senior Care Advises Family Caregivers to Keep Close Eye on Elderly
Manchester & Portsmouth, NH – The current extreme and prolonged heat are uncomfortable for most, but such conditions can be deadly for senior citizens. On average, more than 1,500 people in the U.S. die each year from excessive heat, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This number is greater than the 30 year mean annual number of deaths due to tornados, hurricanes, floods and lightning combined.
The elderly are often the most vulnerable to severe heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control, because their bodies do not adjust as well as young people to sudden changes in temperature. Seniors are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat, and they are often on a prescription medicine that impairs the body’s ability to regulate its temperature or inhibits perspiration.
Here are some tips from Home Instead Senior Care of New Hampshire to help senior citizens beat the heat this summer:
- Keep a glass of water in every room to easily access fluids. Drink plenty of fluids, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
- Stay out of the sun during the hottest times of the day. Fill up your bird feeder in the morning and water the lawn at night. Sunburns cause the body to retain heat.
- Put down that broom! Save household chores, particularly washing and drying clothes and operating the dishwasher, for evenings, when the weather is cooler.
- Take a nap or watch TV during high heat times – between 3 and 5 PM. Keep shades drawn and blinds pulled. A tightly closed house is more energy efficient.
- Invite friends over for iced tea break. Replace coffee breaks with iced tea or lemonade in an air-conditioned spot – not the patio. Staying in an air-conditioned dwelling during hot days is much safer.
- If you don’t have an air conditioner, spend the afternoon at the mall. You can shop or enjoy a cool drink and a good book in the air conditioned setting.
- Put away that meat loaf recipe. Proteins increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss. Try new recipes for fruit and vegetable salads.
- If increased use of a central air conditioning system causes higher utility bills that are a problem for your budget, consider purchasing a fan or small window unit that can cool down a home at a lower cost. In fact, window fans provide an effective way to exhaust the day’s hot air during the night.
Please remember to check on elderly neighbors and loved ones to ensure they are safe during extreme summer heat.
