Summer Safety Tips for Seniors: Staying Cool and Hydrated

When temperatures rise, as they do in summer, we have plenty of new opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Hot days hold challenges for everyone, and seniors and youngsters are especially likely to experience the effects of hot weather and dehydration. With the proper preparation, your senior loved one can have an enjoyable, safe summer, even when you're not able to be around. Here are the most important summer safety tips to consider for your senior loved ones.

Know the Risks of Hot Weather

Experiencing temperatures in the nineties can be fun with planning, but it's always a good time to think about maintaining health in the warm weather. Watch for these hot weather conditions:

• Heat cramps
• Heat exhaustion
• Heat stroke

Understand and reevaluate your limits for how hot weather affects your body. In some situations, a senior may not realize that they are succumbing to extreme heat until it is already a danger.

Make Hydration the Top Priority

The number one thing to concern yourself with regarding your senior loved ones is making sure they get proper hydration. Hydration is important for everyone during the summer, and especially as we get older. It's easy for the body to lose water in the summer heat, and even easier for seniors. Hanging out in the sun, especially on the beach or when participating in summer activities, can dehydrate people fast. Getting dehydrated can lead to heatstroke and other dangerous conditions.

Drinking plenty of water is the most important thing you can do to beat heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Keep a bottle or pitcher of water with you at all times and drink periodically, even if you don't feel thirsty. If you have to, you can jazz up your water with fresh mint, cucumber slices, or fruit, or simply make it more interesting and buy fizzy water instead. You might even consider trying to turn your loved ones on to sports drinks, which can replace much-needed potassium and electrolytes that seniors can lose in the heat.

Limit Alcohol and Coffee

All forms of alcohol and coffee are diuretics, flushing much-needed water from the body and causing mild dehydration in the process. The last thing your body needs in hot weather is to be losing water to a diuretic. Save the coffee and alcohol for cooler times, and think of electrolyte drinks or healthy shakes when the weather turns hot.

Try Adding Chia to Your Diet

Chia seeds will absorb water in your gut and slowly release it throughout the day. This is not a substitute for drinking enough water, merely an aid to ensure that you're getting the most from the water and other healthy liquids that you drink.

Keep Cool, Indoors or Out

Right before the summer starts, it's a good idea to check your senior loved ones' HVAC systems and make sure the air conditioning unit is blowing cool air and functioning as it is supposed to. Some homes can get dangerously hot in the summer, and a fan is often not good enough to ward off heat exhaustion.

It's certainly okay to spend some time outside even when it's a bit warmer, but limit time in the heat and avoid extreme heat altogether. Encourage your senior loved ones to stay inside with the air conditioning if it's too hot out, even if it means deviating from their normal routine. If it's hotter in their house than outdoors, or their home isn't air conditioned, offer to drive them someplace that is, like a mall, community center, or movie theater, during the day. A damp cloth on the forehead or nape of the neck can also help keep them cool.

If you have a senior loved one who is living on their own, you may want to consider investing in smart home temperature-control technology. There are systems that can alert you to the temperature in your loved one's home and even allow you to adjust it remotely if it's getting too hot.

Plan Outdoor Activities for the Cool Parts of the Day

If you can avoid doing anything during the hottest part of the day (typically early to mid-afternoon), then be sure to do so. It's usually easier to stay cool than to cool down again after getting overheated. The lawn can be mowed at dusk, and the garden weeded in the early morning. Often, there's no better way to beat the afternoon heat than to do what the Spanish do, and just sleep through it.

Exercise is a good idea, especially for seniors, and committing to a regular exercise routine each week is crucial. But don't let that commitment put your health in danger. In extreme heat, it's okay to reduce the time of that walk, or even better, move your workout indoors to somewhere air conditioned. On very hot days, encourage your seniors to take only short walks and to minimize their exposure to the heat.

Dress Appropriately for the Heat

When stepping out to celebrate the warm day, make sure your senior wears lighter, cooler fabrics. Natural fibers worn loose on the body have a natural cooling effect, even in the hottest weather. There is a reason why the Bedouins and other desert-dwelling groups are fully clothed in the hot desert weather: it will keep you cooler. Make sure they've also got summer wardrobe essentials like a wide-brimmed hat.

Always Use Sunscreen and Bug Spray

Putting these kinds of items on is not necessarily fun, but they just may save a senior's life. UV rays are always a danger, so the right sunscreen is critical. Protecting your skin with a high SPF sunscreen can reduce the chances of melanoma and help prevent your skin from drying out, not to mention helping you ward off potentially agonizing sunburn later. Make sure your sunscreen hasn't expired since last summer, and that you understand the duration of its effects and its strength. Set a timer to stop and reapply sunscreen; it gives you a moment to assess your heat level and share a hydrating drink with a loved one.

In areas where mosquitoes are prevalent, bug spray is a must, as biting bugs can carry serious viruses that can be highly dangerous and even fatal to seniors.

Protect Their Eyes With Sunglasses

Sunglasses offer the best protection for your eyes. Take care of your eyes and those of your loved ones. Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays and reduce the risk of cataracts. Wrap-around sunglasses work best because they block UV rays from sneaking in from the side. They also protect the tender skin around your eyes from sun exposure. Most sunglasses sold in the United States, regardless of cost, meet the standard to block both UVA and UVB rays. It's good to make sure that your loved ones are wearing sunglasses with UV protection when they venture out into the summer sun.

Pack a Hot Weather Kit for Outings

The best life hack for staying healthy in hot weather lies primarily in preparing protection from the effects of the sun. Create a fun hot weather kit for outings. It could include:

• A fashionable umbrella
• A squirt gun filled with water
• A long terry cloth to soak in water
• Shorts
• A favorite electrolyte drink
• A wide-brimmed hat
• Sunscreen, always

Check Medications Regularly

Some medications that seniors take may actually be affected by extreme heat. Talk to the doctor about whether specific medications a senior is using may lose effectiveness in high temperatures, and what the best method for storing these medications might be.

Keep in Contact When the Temperatures Rise

On high-heat days, make an effort to check in with your senior loved one a couple of times a day to make sure that they are doing okay. Even if it means staying inside throughout most of the day and shifting gardening and recreational schedules into the early morning or evening hours, the goal is to stay cool and, above all, stay hydrated.

The Right Home Environment

Naturally, some of our senior loved ones have trouble managing the heat. If you're not able to keep as close tabs on your senior loved one as you'd like during the summer, you might consider encouraging them to move to a senior community where professionals can make sure that they are getting the care they need during the warmer months. There are many great living situations for seniors available where they can receive assistance, keeping them safe.

Helpful Resources

• State of Oregon: tips to stay safe in extreme heat
• State of Oregon: prepare for extreme heat
• CDC: staying cool during summer for older adults
• National Institute on Aging: hot weather safety for older adults
• Great summer activities for Mom and Dad
• Find Care Facilities for Your Loved One

If you're looking for a housing arrangement for a senior in your life, Golden Placements can help, at no cost to your family. Call us at 503-723-7145 or contact us for more information on quality senior housing placements today.