Senior Care Tips: When you’re hot, you sweat. You may be thirstier and drink water. It’s not always as clear-cut for an older adult.
When you get older, you don’t sweat as much. Sweat helps regulate your body temperature, so that becomes a problem. Without the safety system in place to help cool your body, you’re more likely to overheat. Older adults have a higher risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke than younger adults. Your parents need to be careful when it’s hot out. If they have a chronic health issue, are on a low-sodium diet, dress in too many layers, or avoid running their air conditioner, they’re more likely to overheat. Use the following senior care tips to help keep your senior safe.
What can you do to prevent it from happening? Here are some tips.
Tips to Help Them Stay Hydrated
If your parents often forget to drink, you can help them. Look at water bottles that sound an audible alarm or flashlights when it’s time to drink more water. Other water bottles have hours marked on the side and help your parents track when they last had water.
Ideally, your mom should aim for two liters of water, juice, seltzer, tea, or coffee each day. Your dad should aim for three liters. There are exceptions if they have kidney or heart disease. Talk to their doctors to see where their limit is.
Stay Cool and in the Shade
Your parents may love the idea of going outside in their gardens, but they need to stay in if the sun is out and it’s hot. They can wait until after dinner or go outside in the early morning before it gets too hot.
When they are outside, a hat to shade their face, light clothing, and sunglasses. Sunscreen is important to prevent sunburn. Even with sunscreen, they shouldn’t be outside all day. If it’s getting hot, they need to go in.
Run Air Conditioning or Fans
Run air conditioning when they’re inside. If your parents worry about the electricity being used, they should stick in one room and run the AC in there. A den or bedroom is a good option if they’re worried about cooling their whole home.
If they don’t have air conditioning, fans are essential. They should sit in front of a fan and sip water. A cold shower can also help them lower their body temperature.
Eat Cooler Meals
Instead of running the stove or oven, cooler meals are better for hot weather. Make a bowl of pasta salad that contains plenty of vegetables and low-fat cheese. A pasta salad with roasted red peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, fresh basil, and chickpeas makes for a nutritious meal.
Make Sure Someone Checks In Regularly
Who is checking in to make sure your parents are doing okay? If no one lives close enough, it’s not enough to hope for the best. Call a home care agency and schedule check-ins. Caregivers can stop in and make sure your parents are staying cool, drinking enough water, and help them if something is amiss. Use the senior care tips above to help keep your senior safe.
For more information about hiring Senior Care in San Diego CA, call the friendly caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare who can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, at 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Jolla, CA, and the surrounding communities.
Today we are the oldest and most experienced private duty agency in San Diego County.She saw a need for quality private duty home health care and she worked diligently to build an agency that filled that need.I am proud to say, her vision is carried on today with our dedicated staff.
I believe our tenure in the community speaks well for us.We have had the opportunity to be of service to countless interesting individuals, including local and worldwide celebrities.It is the people we care for that makes this a fascinating industry.Whether high profile or a more ordinary citizen, we are proud that thousands have entrusted us with their care or the care of their loved ones.Our Mission is to provide high quality, very secure and the most compassionate home health care.We believe that patients heal faster and are happiest when they can stay in their homes.”
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