Like a visitor who overstays his welcome, the unrelenting summer of 2019 stubbornly remains – temperatures consistently hitting the mid-90s without much relief in sight even as we approach mid-September.
By now, we should be enjoying the first hints of fall weather with pleasant mornings and evenings and warm afternoons. We’ve had none of that. September feels an awful like July this year.
If it were merely a matter of comfort, we could be content to wait it out. Fall will eventually arrive, we know.
But the lingering hot weather can be far more than an inconvenience. For some, it can be a threat to their health. This is especially true for elderly persons.
As we age, our bodies become less efficient in regulating body temperature. For one thing, we sweat less, which is the body’s primary “air conditioning.” We also store fat differently, which also inhibits the body’s ability to cool itself.
There are also less obvious factors that affect seniors disproportionately. For example, some prescription medicines reduce sweating.
Everything from the choice of clothing to diet (watch your salt intake) to physical activity can put people in peril.
For elderly living in poverty, the risks presented by hot weather are even greater. Many do not have adequate cooling in their homes. Even the most rudimentary of cooling — window, ceiling or portable fans — can circulate the air and drop the temperature from dangerous to tolerable.
Bearing this in mind, all of us should keep our elderly in mind as this endless summer continues. All of us have elderly friends or neighbors we should check in on.
If they have no cooling in their homes, there are senior citizen centers at which they can spend the hot day-time hours. Offer them a ride.
Are they staying hydrated? Are they dressed in light clothing? Are they spending too much time outdoors in the heat of the day?
We can prevent serious heat-related incidents simply by being aware of the dangers hot weather poses and making sure they’re taking some of these basic precautions.
So, keep an eye on our older neighbors during this time.
A few minutes of your time could even save a life.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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