Protect an Elderly Relative During a Heat Wave
Heat kills more older Americans than hurricanes and tornadoes combined. Here is the protocol for someone you live with or check on, with the specific signs to watch for.
- 1
Check the indoor temperature, not just outdoor
Indoor temperature in homes without AC tracks outdoor with a lag and stays elevated after sunset. Place a thermometer in the room where the person spends the day. If indoor temperature exceeds 85 F, action is needed even if outdoor is mild.
- 2
Verify their medications and conditions
Several common medications impair heat tolerance: diuretics (most blood pressure meds), beta blockers, antihistamines, antipsychotics, anticholinergics. People with diabetes, heart disease, or kidney disease have reduced cooling capacity at baseline. If multiple are present, treat outdoor activity as off-limits above heat index 85 F.
- 3
Activate cooling early, not late
If they do not have AC at home: drive them to a public cooling center (call 211 to find one), an air-conditioned mall, library, or movie theater for 2 to 3 hours during the hottest part of the day. The cumulative time in AC, not the peak temperature, is what reduces heat stroke risk. A wet washcloth on neck and wrists works between trips.
- 4
Watch for these specific symptoms
Confusion or disorientation, especially about names or where they are. Combative or agitated behavior unlike their normal self. Skin hot and dry (the body has stopped sweating). Refusing fluids. Slurred speech. Any of these is heat stroke until proven otherwise, call 911. Mild heat exhaustion (sweating, weakness, nausea but lucid) responds to cooling and fluids in 30 minutes.
- 5
Schedule daily check-in calls
If they live alone, call at 11 AM and 4 PM every day during a heat advisory. Cognitive symptoms of heat stress appear before they would call you. If they sound confused, off, or slow to pick up, drive over. The single biggest pattern in elderly heat fatalities is no one checked for 24 to 48 hours.