Heat Health For Utica Summers

Keeping Safe During the Hot Months of Summer

Here at Acacia Village, we are blessed with air conditioning at our various senior living homes and apartments. It makes the summer months endurable. However, extreme heat needs to be taken seriously, especially for active seniors. More people die in the United States from heat related incidents than in tornadoes or hurricanes, this makes it the most dangerous of extreme weather conditions. We know that you can’t just sit in your home all day, so we have a few hints and tips for you and maybe your friends in the community who aren’t as fortunate to have cool air conditioning running in their homes. 

How Does Extreme Heat Affect Our Bodies?

Your body has built in mechanisms that reduce the impact of heat. The most common way a body cools down is to create perspiration that evaporates and cools off the body. It can get you through a warm and muggy afternoon in relative comfort. However, your body needs replenishment and this is why being hydrated is so important on hot days. Prolonged exposure to heat without regular hydration can lead to these heat related symptoms:

• Heat Syncope: Feeling lightheaded, dizzy, or even fainting due to a sudden drop in blood pressure.
• Heat Cramps: Painful muscle cramps and spasms, usually in the legs and abdomen, caused by dehydration and electrolyte loss.
• Heat Edema: Swelling in the ankles and feet due to increased fluid retention as the body struggles to circulate blood in the heat.
• Heat Rash: Red, itchy bumps caused by blocked sweat glands, most common in infants and young children.
• Heat Exhaustion: Heavy sweating, cool and clammy skin, rapid or weak pulse, nausea, weakness, and dizziness. This is a serious condition that needs to be treated with prompt action.
• Heat Stroke: A medical emergency requiring immediate attention. Symptoms include high body temperature (often above 103°F), hot, red, and dry skin, headache, nausea, confusion, and possibly seizures or coma.

What Concerns Should I Have as an Older Person?

If you’re over 65 years old or have chronic health issues, it’s important to be especially aware of how much heat you’re experiencing. The older you get the more work your body has to do to generate perspiration and distribute cooling blood to your skin. This means more work for your heart and lungs. Your medication may have a role in your ability to deal with heat, especially if you’re taking a diuretic. As we get older, our “I’m thirsty” feeling starts to fade and we might delay hydrating when we should be drinking more often. 

What Can I Do When Heat Gets Extreme?

• Stay indoors in an air conditioned environment, especially during the early afternoons when the sun is at its peak. Humidity and temperature are determinants of the impact of heat on our bodies. 

• If you need to exercise, consider trying out our swimming pool or a public pool in the Utica area. 

• If you do go out, try and do it early in the morning or later in the evening. Stick to shady spots that are in the breeze. The local parks in Utica are well maintained and have resting spots in the shade.

• Hydrate! Even if you don’t feel thirsty. Drink water and make sure to have electrolytes either in your drinks or in your diet. Bananas, legumes, beets, celery spinach, nuts, cheese, milk, fish, and tofu all have sources of electrolytes in them.

• If you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded get to some shade and lay down. Call someone for help if it continues. 

Check on Your Friends and Neighbors

We are a community of active seniors with an emphasis on community. Check on your neighbors during the high heat days in Utica. If you have friends in the area and not sure if they have air conditioning, check in with them periodically or offer to have them over for some iced tea and a cool respite from the heat. Or invite them to a day at a shopping mall or an afternoon at the local movie theater. Museums and libraries offer space to cool off and you can enjoy the time there with a magazine or book. 

Stay Active, but Stay Safe

Remember, staying safe in the heat is crucial, especially for older adults. By following these simple tips – staying hydrated, staying cool, and checking in on others – we can all enjoy a healthy and happy summer!