If you’re someone who cares for an elderly loved one, the care that you give to them will likely change a little based on the environment that you live in. Especially if you live somewhere with hot summers, you’ll need to make sure that a big part of your caregiving involves keeping them safe and comfortable as the temperature rises.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways your care for your elderly loved one should change in the summertime.
Make Keeping Them Cool Your Responsibility
While you might think that your elderly loved one would be able to tell you if and when they are getting too hot, older people with dementia or other memory issues often don’t know when they are getting overheated until it’s too late. Sweating can also be stifled in the elderly, so you can’t rely on seeing them sweat as a way to know if they’re getting too hot. Because of this, you need to make keeping them cool your responsibility.
If you feel like the temperature is too hot for you, make sure you start taking steps to keep them cool also. Especially if they take medication that could also affect their body temperature, staying ahead of keeping them cool is vital to their health.
Stay In Air Conditioned Places
When the temperatures start to rise in the summer, it doesn’t take much for the elderly to get overheated. As a result, you should seek to stay in air conditioned places as much as possible.
If you don’t have air conditioning at home, try your best to keep your home cool during the cooler parts of the day. Then, if your home gets too hot, try to plan to leave your home for cooler places when the temperature gets too hot. You might also want to consider putting in an air conditioning system or moving into a home that already has this installed.
Keep The Liquids Coming
Another that can change for your elderly loved one as they age is that they often don’t feel thirsty when they start to get dehydrated. Because of this, it can be hard for them to use signals from their body to know if they need to drink more water. But if you’re aware of this, you can find ways to keep the liquids coming for them.
When giving drinks, make sure you include a lot of water and supplemental electrolytes as well. This will help them keep the right levels of vitamins and minerals in their body so that they can stay safe and healthy despite the weather.
To ensure that your elderly loved one doesn’t get negatively impacted by the heat as you’re caring for them, consider using the tips mentioned above to adjust your care during the hot summer months.