Seniors lack discipline. On a hot day, this could even mean a stroke or death

Dr. Olga Milczarek, a specialist in neurology, talks about the dangers of seniors being in the sun and in heated rooms. The heat affects everyone, but the older people face the greatest consequences. –Seniors are very often not disciplined. They still live under the mistaken notion that they are still young. They lack criticism – both in terms of fluid intake and what happens to their body in the sun, says an expert from SCM clinic.

1. Older people become dehydrated quickly. They do not feel hungry or thirsty as they age. I also take medications that increase the risk of dehydration
2. The heat is life threatening for the elderly. They often ignore advice not to go outside and may overheat and suffer a stroke
3. Diseases of the elderly, such as diabetes, hypertension or depression, and the medications taken are also at risk. They often react with the sun or dehydrate
4. On hot days, hot rooms are also very dangerous. The heat can lead to fainting, acidosis and vomiting, as well as extreme exhaustion and even death of an elderly person
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What can lead to a quick dehydration of a senior? It is not only age that is to blame

For seniors, the biggest risk is that they become dehydrated the fastest. The first is because they don’t generally get drunk. With age, the hunger and satiety center loses its activity, so older people very often do not want to drink. Therefore, dehydration can occur much faster. It is known that in hot weather, evaporation through the skin and mucous membranes is much greater.

Older people very often take medications that increase the risk of dehydration. The most common are diuretics (for hypertension), which cause more frequent urination and therefore more fluid loss. It all makes seniors dehydrate faster.

In addition, some diseases that are characteristic of seniors can, by themselves, lead to dehydration – especially when combined with medications. This type of disease is, for example, diabetes.

Older people also notice the symptoms of dehydration later, which is much more dangerous and risky than in the case of younger patients who are able to react faster.

How does the body of an elderly person react to heat? The heat can be life-threatening

The heat is risky for seniors not only because of dehydration. Older people often do not follow the recommendations so as not to go outside too often. They unnecessarily expose themselves to excessive sunlight during the greatest scorching heat.

In response to high temperature, they develop symptoms that are difficult to predict, such as increased heartbeat, because dehydration reduces the capacity of the vessels. The less water there is in the body, the more the vessel capacity decreases and the less blood circulates in the body’s vessels. As a result, the cardiac output and blood flow to the brain are also reduced.

Heat stroke, associated with dehydration and reduced cardiac output and blood supply to the brain, can be a real life threat for a senior. There are also other factors, such as overheating of tissues, skin, which is also a heat stroke and can be life-threatening, even for healthy people. Older people are even more at risk of this.

– Seniors also take various unusual drugs that very often interact with the sun’s rays. I mean not only drugs for hypertension, but even drugs for epilepsy, which are often a contraindication to sun exposure, which can cause severe allergic reactions in response to exposure to sunlight. All this makes this age group the most vulnerable to all threats resulting from heat – reminds Dr. Olga Milczarek.

In the opinion of the expert, seniors are also very often not disciplined. They still live under the mistaken notion that they are still young. They lack criticism – both in terms of consumed fluids and what happens to their body in the sun.

Diseases of older people increase the risk of exposure to heat

Such a disease is already mentioned diabetes, inter alia, due to the medications taken, arterial hypertension (also due to some medications, especially diuretics, which make people excrete more water from the body, and with it valuable micronutrients). The loss of these micronutrients from the body is extremely dangerous for the elderly. The same is true of antiepileptic drugs and some neurological drugs.

Many seniors suffer from depression and mood disorders and receive prescriptions for these medications from GPs. Of course, these are not psychotropic drugs, but very often mood-boosting drugs. Some seniors also take medications for dementia syndromes and most of them may, in combination with high temperatures, pose a risk of skin reactions. They are so heavy that they can lead to shock and eventually even death. Therefore, it is important that the physician administering such medication informs patients about complications that it may cause.

– A good method that I often recommend to my patients is to make their drinking activities more attractive. A great solution in this case are water dispensers, i.e. glass bottles with a tap that can be placed in the kitchen. You can throw, for example, various fruits or mint leaves into such a device, pour a certain amount of water, which makes water from such a device much more likely to be consumed – the expert advises.

Fainting, vomiting, strokes. Seniors react sharply after prolonged exposure to the sun

First of all, we very often encounter fainting. This is the effect of decreased cardiac output, blood flow to the brain, and decreased vascular output. The next group are patients with severe skin reactions, often even severe blistering lesions. The most common complication is stroke and heat stroke, which can really lead to severe circulatory disorders, including cerebral problems.

As the expert points out, the effects of being in heat are also different. With mild overheating and dehydration and no more severe consequences, no problem. However, with evaporative dehydration, the patient may lead to more severe symptoms, such as acidosis (acidification of the body). As a result, the vomiting center is irritated and the patient begins to intensely regurgitate the gastric contents. This, in turn, may lead to even greater dehydration and, in the near term, even extreme exhaustion of the body.

Depending on the degree of changes caused by overheating, a family doctor can sometimes deal with the problem by prescribing various types of electrolytes. Sometimes, however, more specialized medical help is needed.

It is dangerous not only to stay in the bright sun. Hot rooms are also dangerous

Staying in the sun is the most dangerous, but staying in an overheated home is also no guarantee that you will not become dehydrated. Wherever the temperature is high, there is a risk of dehydration and other related disorders.

That is why liquids must always be replenished – regardless of whether we go outside or stay at home. You should also remember about proper protection when it comes to clothing and covering the parts of the body most exposed to sunlight, which can protect us against skin cancers – both benign and malignant.

In hot weather, all activities of the human body slow down. This also happens in younger people, but is more severe in seniors. Therefore, it is important for older people to be aware of this when adjusting their daily activities to the prevailing temperatures.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time Joanna Kozłowska, author of the book High Sensitivity. A Guide for Those Who Feel Too Much »says that high sensitivity is not a disease or dysfunction – it’s just a set of characteristics that affect the way you perceive and perceive the world. What are the genetics of WWO? What are the perks of being highly sensitive? How to act with your high sensitivity? You will find out by listening to the latest episode of our podcast.