Hypothermia: A Cold Weather Risk for Older People Including Green Seniors

As Green Seniors strive to lower their heat to save energy and reduce heating bills, they need to be aware of a cold weather risk: hypothermia.  The information below is quoted from the National Institute of Aging (USA).  

Almost everyone knows about winter dangers such as broken bones from falls on icy steps, sidewalks or streets. But cold weather also can cause an important, less obvious danger that can affect older people. Older adults are especially vulnerable to hypothermia, which can be deadly if not treated quickly. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has some advice to help older people avoid hypothermia.

Hypothermia occurs when a person's body temperature drops below normal and stays low for a prolonged period of time. With advancing age, the body's ability to endure long periods of exposure to cold is lowered.

Older people also are at risk for hypothermia because their body's response to cold can be diminished by certain illnesses such as diabetes and some medicines, including over-the-counter cold remedies. In addition, older adults may be less active and generate less body heat. As a result, they can develop hypothermia even after exposure to relatively mild cold weather or a small drop in temperature.

The best way to identify someone with hypothermia is to look for confusion or sleepiness, slowed or slurred speech, shivering or stiffness in the arms and legs, weak pulse, poor control over body movements or slow reactions. If you suspect that someone is suffering from the cold and you have a thermometer available, take his or her temperature. If it’s 96 degrees or lower, call 911 for emergency help.

The NIA has information to help you prevent hypothermia. Here are a few tips:

• Wear several layers of loose clothing when it is cold. The layers will trap warm air between them. Tight clothing can keep blood from flowing freely and lead to loss of body heat.
• Wear a hat, scarf, gloves or mittens, and warm clothes when you go outside in cold weather. A significant amount of your body heat can be lost through your head, and hands and feet are the first body parts to get cold.
• To keep warm at home, wear long underwear under your clothes, along with socks and slippers. Use a blanket or afghan to keep legs and shoulders warm and wear a hat or cap indoors.
• Make sure your home is warm enough. Set your thermostat to at least 68 to 70 degrees. Even mildly cool homes with temperatures from 60 to 65 degrees can trigger hypothermia in older people.
• Check with your doctor to see if any medications (prescription or over the counter) you are taking may increase your risk for hypothermia.

Because heating costs are high, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has funds to help low-income families pay their heating bills. For more information, contact the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (1-866-674-6327) or the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116).

The NIA has free information about hypothermia. To order the fact sheet, Hypothermia: A Cold Weather Hazard, or the brochure, Stay Safe in Cold Weather, call toll free 1-800-222-2225. Hipotermia: El Peligro de las Bajas Temperaturasis also available. These and other free publications on healthy aging can be downloaded from the NIA Web site at www.nia.nih.gov.

GREEN SENIORS are keeping warm during cold weather in various ways.  Some are able to close off the room they are in from the rest of their house and heat that room to a safe and comfortable level.  Some stay warm at night with electric blankets or electric mattress pads.  They find that they can turn down the heat, reduce total energy used for heating, and yet remain comfortable.  

If you are experimenting with your household heat source and trying to find more energy efficient means to stay warm, do it with great care.  People have burned their homes down when an animal knocked over a portable electric heater.  If you have any medical conditions such as diabetes, be sure to consult your doctor about safe ways for you to keep warm. 

Green Seniors co-founder Joyce has a common condition, Raynauds, in which blood vessels in her hands and feet sometimes react to cold by constricting, making them feel very cold or even turn white.  This is not hypothermia because the core body temperature is maintained, but it is still a reaction that she must avoid if possible.  If this occurs outdoors, it could easily lead to frostbite.  The more a Raynauds person experiences the constriction response, the more likely it will become frequent and severe.

The same tips given by the NIA to prevent hypothermia help Joyce prevent her fingers and toes from turning white and feeling icy.  During cold months she needs to move about at frequent intervals, since exercise is the best antidote for her.  If she wishes to sit and read, it's usually on the bed, wrapped in an afghan, with a microwave heat pack near her feet.  Needless to say, she dresses in layered clothing and wool socks even in the house.  Though she's had the condition most of her life, she is glad that there are ways to stay warm without using huge amounts of energy.         

 

 

 

Comments

[johnbarnald]

Nice site.It is very informative.I think hypothermia will be a problem for those who engage in out door sports under extreme weather. Learn how to detect the signs of Hypothermia and how to treat it.

[Joyce Emery]

Thanks, John. Not too many seniors engage in outdoor sports in extreme weather--many of us are just trying to stay warm enough indoors! We want people to realize that older people especially can suffer hypothermia just from sitting in a cool room, say 62 degrees F. They don't necessarily realize they are cold nor do they necessarily shiver.

So yes, knowing the signs of hypothermia is important for everyone. If a person's temperature drops below 96 degrees F., EMERGENCY help is needed. If you have a 911 system, call it for that person.