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Advice For Seniors To Stay Safe When Weather Heats Up While the warm, sunny weather can make the summer months great for outdoor activities, we all need to take proper precautions to avoid overdoing it. Indeed, the warm weather can be dangerous, especially for older adults. Thanks to some of the physical changes that happen as we age, older adults can't cool down as well as they used to when they were younger. Sometimes, older people may not even feel hot when the temperature is dangerously high. They are also less likely to feel thirsty, even when they are almost dehydrated and their bodies have lost dangerous amounts of water. Sharon Brangman, M.D., a member of the American Geriatrics Society, says older adults must take the right steps to stay safe in the summer months and offers the following tips for when temperatures hit between 85 and 90 degrees: •Turn on the air conditioner or go where it's air-conditioned - a shopping mall, grocery store, senior center, movie theatre, museum, or library, for example. Fans aren't enough. •Drink lots of water and other clear drinks that don't contain alcohol or caffeine. Remember: If your urine is a light yellow color, you're drinking enough water. If it's darker yellow, you need to drink more. •Take cool showers, baths, or sponge baths. •Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. •Wear hats. •Don't stay in the sun for long. •Avoid walking long distances, lifting heavy objects, or doing other strenuous things. Here are some warning signs that seniors and their caregivers should look out for that could signify a health problem caused by heat: •Dehydration: Weakness, headache, muscle cramps, dizziness, confusion, and passing out. •Heat stroke: A body temperature of or above 103 degrees; red, hot and dry skin; a fast pulse; headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, confusion, and passing out. •Heat exhaustion: Heavy sweating or no sweating, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, paleness, cold or clammy skin, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, and fainting. If you or someone you're caring for start to show these warning signs, call your doctor or 911. Move to a cool, shady place, take off or loosen heavy clothes, drink water or other clear drinks. If possible, douse yourself with cool water, or use cold, wet compresses to help lower your body temperature. For more senior health information, visit the American Geriatrics Society online at www.americangeriatrics.org. State Point Media (SPM) Wire
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