EEK! Can I keep myself and the older people I love safe in hot weather?
Heat-related health problems increase with age! Did you know that?
Hyperthermia is caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body. Hyperthermia includes:
- Heat fatigue
- Heat syncope (sudden dizziness after prolonged exposure to the heat)
- Heat cramps
- Heat exhaustion
- Heat stroke
Older people, particularly those with chronic medical conditions, have lifestyle factors that can often lead to hyperthermia including:
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Lack of mobility and access to transportation
- Living in housing without air conditioning
- Overdressing
- Not understanding how to respond to hot weather conditions
- Visiting overcrowded places
What medical issues can lead to an increase in hyperthermia in the elderly?
You or your parents also may have medical issues that increase the risk of hyperthermia:
- Dehydration.
- Heart, lung and kidney diseases, as well as any illness that causes general weakness or fever.
- High blood pressure or other health conditions that require changes in diet.
- Use of multiple medications.
- Age-related changes to the skin such as poor blood circulation and inefficient sweat glands.
- Being substantially overweight or underweight.
- Reduced sweating, caused by medications such as diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers and certain heart and blood pressure drugs.
- Alcohol use.
What are the signs for heat stroke?
The Signs of Heat Stroke
Signs and symptoms of heat stroke include a significant increase in body temperature (generally above 104 degrees Fahrenheit), changes in mental status (like confusion or combativeness), strong rapid pulse, lack of sweating, dry flushed skin, feeling faint, staggering or coma.
How to aid someone suffering with hyperthermia (including heat stroke):
- Get the person out of the heat and into a shady, air-conditioned or other cool place. Urge them to lie down.
- If you suspect heat stroke, call 911.
- Encourage the individual to shower, bathe or sponge off with cool water if it is safe to do so.
- Apply a cold, wet cloth to the wrists, neck, armpits, and/or groin. These are places where blood passes close to the surface of the skin, and the cold cloths can help cool the blood.
- If the person can swallow safely, offer fluids such as water, fruit and vegetable juices. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
Head over to the National Institute on Aging for more information on Hyperthermia.
No compensation was provided for this post. The Chief Blonde posted this for your reference.
Source: The National Institute on Aging.
I live in Texas so yeah, hot.
I think the head index yesterday was about 108.
Hot.
Humid.
Horrendous.
These tips are great!
Thanks!
I came back to re-read some of these symptoms to see if I was experiencing this the other day. Our Florida sun can take a toll on me and I try to be careful not to over do.
Hyperthermia symptoms can appear so quickly in the elderly – a huge concern for me with my parents in the summer heat…
This is such important information. I don’t think most people have a clue how much fluid you really need to take in to stay hydrated – even more if you are on lots of meds, like many older folk are.
My husband got heat stroke a couple years ago. I had no clue it was that easy to get. Seems that someone would know they were getting hot, and find shade/water, but he said that it messed with his head and he didn’t even know he was having a problem. Scary.
Thanks for the info, as an older person some of these things I was not aware of.
Great info,, especiially now. Here it isnt hot all year and not everyone has ventral air or even wondow air conditiioners. People are encouraged to check on the lederly and make sure they have working fans.
Oh, my gosh, thanks for the tips. It gets crazy hot here in the summer, so I am embarrassed that I didn’t know more about this than I did!
very informative. i live in a very hot city and the temperature here gets 50+ centi grade so it’s good to know!
I am glad you shared this. This is something we don’t think about, and we all think we are invincible. However, the truth is the older we get, the more the heat can really get us. I am sharing this with my husband who thinks he is still superman
Thanks for posting this information, it’s very helpful! I work from home and I have a portable fan on my desk along with a container of water I use to splash on my face to help keep cool when I’m working.
This is such an important and helpful \post. I keep in touch with my mom and my older neighbors to make sure they are doing things they should to avoid this 🙂
If you have elderly parents, family, or neighbors, check on them often. You can also suggest they come visit for a day or two. Even consider taking them shopping to get them into an air conditioned store for a while, or the library to read for a bit.
Great post! It’s good to know since I’m getting up there. I’m bookmarking this for the wife.
Thank you so much for posting this! I have elderly parents living in Florida and I’m definitely going to pass on this important information! And for myself, I’m really going to try and increase my fluid consumption!
I would like to thank you for enlightening everyone with common sense that sometimes can be overlooked. It is better to read about this before a problem arises in a life and death situation.
Wow this is good to know. I really didn’t know the signs. Some but not all. My parents are 87 and 80 and on multiple meds so this is very helpful. Thank you so much for posting. This will be helpful when we are sitting outside watching the grandchildren/their great-grandchildren. Although it’s not really exhausting it could still cause them problems due to their age and other related factors.
We definitely didn’t do any of this really when I was possibly having a heat stroke. I ended up passing out after a while of everyone trying to keep me on my feet and finally someone gave me some water and had me lay down. Took me the entire night to recover. Would of helped if someone could of given me something to cool off.
This is very intresting To learn
This was great! There was a lot of great information here that you shared. It is important to keep hydrated.