Keeping Seniors Cool In Hot Weather
If you are a senior, or caring for an elderly individual, the following tips from your local Myrtle Beach Home Instead Senior Care office, will help them combat the heat:
- It’s very important to stay hydrated in hot weather.
- Keep a glass of water in every room to quickly and easily access fluids. Drink plenty of fluids, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
- Go through the closet and remove all heavy materials, long sleeves and dark colors. Store them until fall.
- Set fashion trends. If you’re in need of new clothes, check out the latest fashion magazines. Look for short sleeves, lightweight rayons or cottons, and light-colored clothing that reflect the heat.
- 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. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult.
- 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 during high heat times – between 3 and 5 p.m. in the afternoon, for instance – or find a good television program or movie to watch.
- While you’re napping or enjoying a movie, keep shades down and blinds pulled. Keeping a house tightly closed is more energy efficient.
- Invite your friends over for an iced tea break. Replace coffee breaks with iced tea or lemonade breaks in an air-conditioned spot – not the patio. Staying in an air-conditioned dwelling during hot days is safer.
- Go on a shopping spree. If you don’t have an air conditioner, or if yours is broken, spend the afternoon at the mall. You can shop or just enjoy cool drinks and a good book.
- Put away that meat loaf recipe for the summer and track down new recipes for fruit and vegetable salads. Foods like proteins that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
- 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.
For more information about the heat, visit the National Weather Service website at www.noaa.gov or the Federal Emergency Management Agency website at www.fema.gov.