The elderly and the heat

Intense heat is uncomfortable for most people, but for the elderly it can also be dangerous to health.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

• They are more sensitive because… with age you lose the ability to regulate body temperature.
• To prevent: avoid exposure to heat, wear light clothing, keep the house cool, drink plenty of fluids, and eat a light diet.
• In case of nausea, fatigue, dizziness ... stretch them in a cool place, offer them water (sips) and elevate their feet.

Why does it affect them more

With age the ability to regulate body temperature is lost. Heat is felt differently and there is less perspiration, so that the body cannot defend itself from high temperatures as effectively as in youth. In addition, the skin of the elderly is thinner and does not offer as much protection against the sun's rays.

Chronic heart or liver diseases, as well as medications to treat them (diuretics, hypotensives, bronchodilators, etc.) also alter the body's ability to fight high temperatures.

On the other hand, people with cognitive disorders, such as or certain injuries secondary to cerebrovascular accidents, may not be able to remedy such basic sensations as thirst, or even to explain their discomfort to others. In some cases, they may not even feel the heat as such.

Precautionary measures

To avoid the effects that excess heat can have on older people, especially those with chronic or fragile diseases, we present some tips and recommendations:

• Avoid going outside in the hottest hours of the day.
• Avoid physical efforts in the hottest hours and restrict them to the cooler times.
• Stay in the shade for as long as possible when outdoors.
• Dress in loose-fitting, light-colored clothing that encourages perspiration.
• Protect your head from direct sun with caps and hats, if possible with a visor or wings to avoid the sun on your face.
• Drink plenty of fluids: water, juices, cold teas, soft drinks, etc., without waiting to be thirsty.
• Avoid drinking coffee and alcoholic beverages, as they dehydrate.
• Eat infrequent and frequent meals, based on fresh and seasonal vegetables and fruits (gazpachos, salads, etc.), discreetly reducing the protein intake, and avoiding very hot foods (such as soups or stews).
• Refresh the body by showering with cool water (not ice cold), or damp cloths.
• Stay as long as possible in the coolest room in the house.
• During the day, lower blinds and awnings to prevent heat from entering the house; at night open the windows to let in the cool.
• In case of heat wave it is good to put the air conditioning on at least a few hours a day. If you do not have air conditioning, you should try to spend a few hours a day in places that do have it: shopping centers, library, senior centers, etc.
• Make sure that the refrigerator works perfectly, to keep food fresh, and reduce the risk of food poisoning.

Attention if ...

If, despite these recommendations, certain symptoms are present, we can think that the elderly person is developing a problem related to heat. These symptoms, or warning signs, are:

• Sickness.
• Fatigue, extreme tiredness.
• Cramps in extremities and belly.
• Headache.
• Thirst intense.
• High body temperature (even at 40ºC or more).
• Seizures

How to act

In the case of observing these symptoms, the emergency services should be notified, since a heat stroke can have serious consequences if the situation is not reversed, the organism is cooled and the body balance is restored. While help arrives, the following actions can be taken to improve the condition of the elderly person:

• Leave it lying in a cool place.
• Make sure that your feet are elevated in relation to the rest of the body.
• Apply cool, wet cloths or wet the skin, especially the head, groin, and armpits.
• Using an electric fan or just manual ventilation can help.
• Offer small drinks of cool water.

Due to the serious consequences that heat has on older people, and their defenselessness in the face of it, it is important that relatives or neighbors contact older people who live alone, especially if they suffer from chronic diseases, to rule out and detect symptoms of problems in time from the heat.