Seniors Vulnerable to Hypothermia (HealthDay)

Sunday, February 6, 2011 9:01 PM By dwi

SUNDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- In algid weather, senior adults are especially vulnerable to hypothermia, and they and their idolized ones need to take steps to prevent this potentially deadly condition.

Hypothermia occurs when a person's embody temperature drops beneath connatural and relic there for an extended size of time. As grouping age, their bodies are less healthy to endure daylong periods of danger to cold, according to the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA).

In addition, illnesses and certain types of medications can turn the ability of an elderly person's embody to respond to cold. Seniors also run to be less active and create less embody heat than younger people, which means they haw amend hypothermia after danger to relatively mild algid weather or a small modify in temperature.

Signs of hypothermia allow slow or slurred speech, confusion or sleepiness, shivering, stiffness in the arms and legs, weak pulse, slow reactions and poor control of embody movements. If a person's temperature is 96 degrees or lower, call 911.

The NIA offers the mass hypothermia hindrance tips for seniors:

  • When it's cold, dress several layers of loose clothing. The layers module trap hearty air between them. Always dress a hat, scarf, gloves or gloves when right in algid weather.
  • At home, dress daylong underwear low your clothes, along with socks and slippers. Use a blanket or afghan to ready legs and shoulders warm, and wear a headgear or cap.
  • Set your home's regulator to at least 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Even interior temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees physicist can advance to hypothermia in senior people.
  • Ask your doctor if some prescription or over-the-counter medications you are taking haw increase the venture of hypothermia.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more most hypothermia.


Source

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts