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Published Date

June 22, 2024

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Health

Summer Safety Tips For Seniors: Hydrate And Protect


Summer Safety Tips For Seniors: Hydrate And Protect

Summer starts with warm and cold days, smiles, and happy faces. Will my health be at risk? For seniors, the scorching heat can lead to serious health consequences. Heating is again dangerous to human health, especially in this age when people are complaining of heatstroke, dehydration, and other heat-related illnesses due to poor body temperature feedback.

This blog focuses on three key areas to ensure summer safety tips for seniors: hydration, sun protection, and managing heat stroke. 

Hydration: The Lifeblood of Summer Safety Tips

Here's what you need to know about summer safety tips for seniors to stay hydrated:

Aim for eight glasses a day

 Self-care should be a routine; the following is just a guide with different people’s needs in mind.

Go beyond water

Try to include some other types of beverages with the same effect, like water containing some elements added to it, clear vegetable soup, tea, or diluted fruit juice.

Infuse your water

Get some plain water and add cucumber slices, lemons, or berries to make the water even more inviting to the palate.

Carry a water bottle

A readily available water bottle, especially at the workplace, reminds us to drink throughout the day and is thus replenished regularly.

Monitor your urine

As with any product, if you are properly hydrated, the color is pale yellow; anything darker than that, like dark yellow or amber, means you are dehydrated.

Tips for caregivers

  • Encourage regular sips: Encourage the senior to drink water often, as it is normal not to feel inclined when taking water for drinking, apart from those times when the doctor prescribes liquids.
  • Monitor fluid intake: Ensure that you monitor the kind and amount of fluids you are taking to enable you to balance them properly, especially for seniors.
  • Offer a variety of options: Ensure that there is a diverse range of beverages that are good for the body to act as options and promote intake.

Sun Protection: Your Shield Against Harmful Rays

One must understand that exposure to the sun's rays can be very dangerous, not only in the summer but throughout the year. Here are key summer safety tips:

Limit sun exposure

When it is hot, avoid going out into the midday sun when it is usually scorching between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

Sunscreen is a must

To avoid sunburn, use an SPF of 30 or above and SLCD (Skin of Color Lexicon Database) on the skin that is not covered by clothes.

Tips for caregivers

  • Help with sunscreen application: Apply sunscreen to the seniors’ skin, particularly to less accessible surfaces such as the back and shoulders.
  • Keep sunscreen readily available: This can be achieved by placing sunscreen in a conspicuous place.
  • Inspect the skin regularly: Pay attention to alterations in the skin texture, color affliction, or the emergence of new birthmarks.

Avoiding Heat Stroke: Recognizing the Danger Signs

Heat stroke is a severe condition that results from the failure of the regulating mechanisms of the body to control and maintain a normal temperature. Here are some tips for the summer for senior citizens:

High body temperature

A temperature above 104F (40C) or any elevated temperature accompanied by certain signs indicates heatstroke.

Confusion

Weakness, flu-like symptoms, confusion, disturbed speech, or changes in mental status may be symptoms of a heat stroke.

Dizziness or fainting

Headache, confusion, loss of coordination, nausea, low blood pressure, a high and rising body temperature, and hot and dry skin.

Rapid heartbeat

Palpitations, which are a fast pulse rate or an irregular pulse, are yet another symptom of heatstroke.

Tips for caregivers:

  • Be aware of the warning signs: Read more about it for yourself and for the senior under your care so that you can recognize when they are suffering from heat stroke.
  • Create a cool-down plan: Develop an action plan for handling suspected cases of heat stroke, including how to cool down the patient rapidly.
  • Stay informed: This explains why monitoring the weather precipitations and, particularly, heat advisories within your region is important.

Why choose Sehgal Nursing Home?

Sehgal Nursing Home is an acceptable solution for seniors experiencing the challenges of summer heat. Thus, if a senior needs help replenishing fluids, administering drugs, or keeping cool, a nursing home that employs well-trained caregivers would be ideal. 

 

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