Summer is a great time to get together with family and friends. However, due to the intense heat, summer can also be a very dangerous time for many people, especially seniors.

In this blog, you can find 10 tips to help you & your seniors stay cool under the heat and truly enjoy the beauty of the season:

1. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day even if you don’t feel thirsty. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try making a fruit-flavored water by adding some slices of fresh fruits like lime, lemon, blueberry, or kiwi to the water. Do consult with your doctor about the limit of the amount of fluid you should drink while the weather is hot.
    
2. If you don’t like to drink a lot of water, eating fresh fruit & vegetables can also help the body stay hydrated.
    
3. Always remember: Avoid too much contact with sunlight. Remember to use sunblock with at least SPF 30 when going outdoors, especially for prolonged length of time, even on cloudy days. Plus, as sunblock’s protection wears off over time, remember to reapply your sunblock every 2 hours.
    
4. Wear appropriate clothing. If you are at home, it’s better to wear little clothing as possible. Select lightweight materials, light-colored, and loose-fitting clothing to help your body regulate heat easier. If you go outside, protect yourself from the sun by wearing hats with wide brim along with sunglasses.
    
5. If you’re busy & unable to attend to your seniors, have someone to keep an eye on them and make sure they are safe at all times. You can ask a neighbor, or request the help of a caregiver from a senior care service provider like Home Instead Senior Care Outer East, to check on your seniors daily. You can also provide your seniors with relevant contact numbers in case of emergency.
    
6. Relax & put off chores or any strenuous activity. If you found yourself gasping for breath or your heart pounds after spending time on an activity in the heat, stop all activity immediately and get into a cool area and rest.
    
7. Stay indoors between 11AM & 3AM, as the heat will reach its peak during those hours.
    
8. Close your shades to keep out the sun.
    
9. If the senior’s house doesn’t have air-conditioning, advise them to stay on the lower level of the house as heat rises.
    
10. Have neighbors, friends, and family members to check in on seniors in their homes to make sure they are not suffering from the heat.

For more information on how you can keep your seniors safe and healthy during summer, contact Home Instead Senior Care Outer East. We are a high-quality and professional senior home care service with services ranging from basic in-home support like Personal Assistance to specialized care such as Dementia or Palliative Care.

Bonus Tip:

It is also important to note the following. Enacting Fire Emergency plans and enacting them at the appropriate time and moving to a safe environment on High Fire danger days.  Often services cannot be delivered on Extreme Fire danger days due to risk to staff. When fire danger is extreme we need to withdraw services! Click this link to find out more: Emergency Risk Management Plans 2015-16.

Thanks for reading through this Blog, I hope you have found it useful. If you require any further assistance please feel free to contact the office.

Kind regards,

Suzanne McLoughlin
Owner of Home Instead Senior Care Outer East

P.S. We provide free Care Consultations and resource guides to support and guide families. Download your free copies from our Aged Care Resources page or Request a Free Information Pack to receive a hard copy.