Older Americans can’t keep their cool

While Australia endures one of its coldest winters, America is wilting in a scorching summer; but warnings to stay cool are being ignored by the nation’s elderly.

A recent study showed that while the elderly hear the safety message, many seniors do not think it applies to them because they do not see themselves as “old”.

The Kent State University study of over-65s in four North American cities found 90% of those polled knew about heat warnings for the elderly, but only 15% took them personally.

“I don’t consider myself elderly. I’m very health-conscious. I stay active walking and swimming. I try to maintain a good diet and I take supplements,” one of the study’s participants said.

The definition of who may be considered “elderly” is difficult. The United States Older Americans Act targets people aged 60 and older as “elderly”, whereas in Australia people 65 years and over are considered “old”.

According to the Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll, younger American adults also call 60 the start of old age, but baby boomers are pushing that number back to 70.

However, regardless of how a person may define “elderly” or how healthy a senior may be, experts say high temperatures can be deadly; particularly in old age because our bodies lose the ability to cope with heat.

“From the time we’re born until age 25 to 30, all our organ systems are growing and developing; then at age 30 every body part starts to decline at a rate of about 1% each year,” explains Dr Neil Resnick, a professor and chief of geriatric medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre.

“The good news is that when we’re developing we end up with four to six times more capacity in every organ than we need,” Dr Resnick says. “So if we lose half of that capacity, we’ve still got two to three times more than we need.”

In extreme heat, blood is redirected to the skin to help cool us down. In turn, the body needs to produce more blood so that the heart, brain and other organs will be sustained. However, the body needs to consume large quantities of water in order for these organs to function effectively.

Researchers say older people may not realise that they need more water because the sense of thirst diminishes with age, making it difficult to know when people are dehydrating. Another issue is that older kidneys are not as good at keeping fluids in the system.

The host of medications taken by seniors — some of which can impair perspiration and the heart’s ability to pump harder in response to these heat-related demands is another “recipe for disaster”, researchers say.

“The bottom line is that older people have less of a physical reserve to count on when they’re challenged by high temperatures,” Dr Resnick says.

He says older folks who think they are as “tough as they were in younger days” should think again.

Peter Ross, chief executive and co-founder of Senior Helpers, an American company that provides in-home care for seniors, says seniors who dehydrate enough and become dizzy run the risk of falling and breaking bones.

“You have to understand that as you age, your body is changing; and you have to listen to your body,” he says.

Do you think the same weather warnings should apply during winter? Let us know by commenting in the box below.