Hot Weather Safety Tips for Your Aging Parents

Many Americans saw record highs in the spring and throughout the summer. When it’s hot outside, are your parents taking precautions to stay safe?

Hot weather can lead to many health issues like dehydration, heat exhaustion, and sunburn. Go over these hot weather safety tips with your parents and help them remain safe all summer long.

Stay Inside in the Hottest Hours

The sun is at the highest point in the sky from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. These are the hours that your parents should limit their time outside. Instead of taking a walk after lunch, they should go before breakfast. Or, they could go a couple of hours after dinner.

Apply Sunscreen 15 Minutes Before Going Outside

When your parents want to go outside to their pool, gardens, or patio, they need to apply sunscreen. They have to apply it about 15 minutes before heading out. It gives it time to penetrate their skin and provide complete protection.

The sunscreen needs to be applied to the face, eyelids, lips, and tops of the ears. They need to put it on their feet and backs of the knees, too.

Make sure the sunscreen they purchase protects against UVA and UVB rays. They want a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 35 or higher.

Drink Plenty of Water

Your parents need to stay hydrated. Drinking two liters of water is ideal. They should drink a small glass each hour to ensure they’re staying on top of the amount of water they need to drink. If they’re active, they’ll need to increase the amount they’re drinking.

Stay Cool

Keeping cool is important during a heatwave. If your parents have air conditioners, they should stay in a room that they can close off to lower their electricity consumption. If they don’t have AC, they should run fans. A damp t-shirt will keep them cooler.

If it’s cool at night, run fans to draw in the cool night air. When they get up in the morning, they should shut the windows and draw the blinds. That traps the cool air inside. Fans help circulate the air and keep the house cooler for most of the day.

Does Anyone Monitor Your Parents’ Daily Activities?

Is anyone paying attention to your parents’ activities? Do they go outside to their gardens and lose track of time? Do they forget to drink water while outside in the sun? Someone needs to monitor them.

With home care assistance, you have peace of mind knowing that someone checks on your parents. If there’s a heatwave, you don’t have to keep calling them and hope they’re inside and staying cool. Talk to an expert in home care assistance to book caregiver visits.