Hot weather can do a lot of damage to your senior if she’s not careful. Here are some ways to help her to keep her cool.
Double Check Her Wardrobe
Sometimes older adults have some interesting ideas about what clothing might be appropriate for certain conditions. If your elderly family member is trying to wear clothing that’s tight, restrictive, and made from heavy fabrics, she’s not going to be very comfortable in hot weather. Encourage her to wear light fabrics, loose fitted clothing, and shorter sleeves.
Encourage Her to Sip Water Frequently
Sipping water frequently throughout the day can help your elderly family member to stay hydrated. Everyone requires different amounts of water to be healthy, so sticking to an arbitrary number of ounces per day won’t necessarily be accurate. If your senior wants a specific goal, talk to her doctor about how much water she needs to be drinking.
Get to Know How Her Health and Heat Interact
Health conditions and the medications used to treat them are also affected by heat. If your senior takes diuretics, for instance, she may not be able to regulate her body temperature as well as she did in the past. Talk to your senior’s doctor about how you can make sure she’s as safe as possible in the heat.
Keep Her Home as Cool as Possible
If your senior has air conditioning, she needs to turn it on, especially during the hottest parts of the day. Curtains that block UV light can help to keep your senior’s home cooler, too. Heat rises, so if your elderly family member has a two-story home, she’s more likely to be cooler on the ground floor than upstairs.
Find a Way to Check on Her if You Can’t
You might want to check on your elderly family member in person during the day, but it might not be possible. Elder care providers can check in on your senior for you and make sure that her home is cool and that she’s doing well, even in the heat. They can stay with her for a little while, too, offering companionship and watching for signs that she might be ill from the heat.
The hottest parts of the day, from late morning to late afternoon, are the best times for your senior to curl up with a good book inside where it’s cool. Encourage her to adjust her schedule so that she’s only outside during the cooler parts of the day, if at all.
if you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Sedalia, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare today at 303-953-9924.
