Top 5 Summer Safety Tips for Senior Citizens

When it comes to hot weather, elderly people are often more vulnerable to the heat than younger individuals, as their body tends to cool down less efficiently. Frequent exposure to heat stress can then worsen underlying health conditions, such as heart, lung and kidney diseases, making it even more imperative to stay safe and cool during summer heat waves – especially with the humid heat we experience in the UK.

Keep reading as we share our top five summer safety tips for senior citizens, ensuring you or your elderly relative stays safe, cool and healthy in the summer heat.

1.   Stay Indoors During Peak Heat

According to the Met Office, the hottest part of the day during a heatwave is between 11am and 3pm. You should avoid going outdoors during these hours, as you’re more likely to be exposed to extreme heat and risk developing heatstroke (hyperthermia).

If you do go outdoors during these hours, ensure you seek shade where possible and are well prepared with lightweight and light-coloured clothing, a wide-brimmed sun hat, high factor suncream and plenty of water.

2.   Wear SPF

SPF is incredibly important to wear when you’re outside in the sun, especially when you’re in your old age. Not only does your skin tend to thin as you age, increasing your risk of sunburn, but prolonged exposure to the sun increases your risk of developing skin cancer at any age.

Make sure you keep your skin moisturised and wear sun cream with SPF50 in it on all your exposed body areas.

3.   Stay Hydrated

In the hot weather, dehydration can occur much more quickly. As such, it’s even more important to stay hydrated in the summer months. As well as water, it’s important to keep a healthy balanced diet to replace any salt lost in your body from sweating.

4.   Create a Cool Environment

Keeping a cool environment can help you stay cool when you’re indoors. Tips to create a cool environment could include:

• Keeping curtains drawn or blinds down during the day
• Using fans with a bowl of ice in front of them to blow cool air
• Opening windows in the evening and at night

5.   Reduce Risk of Overheating

As well as all of the aforementioned tips, there are other general tips you can follow to reduce overheating. This includes things such as putting a cold flannel against the back of your neck or inner wrists to help you stay cool, or sitting with your feet in a bowl of cool water.

Another thing to remember is to avoid overexerting yourself. One thing you may find beneficial is investing in a home stairlift. Using a stairlift to get up and down your stairs can be especially useful in the summer months, as the heat can make going up the stairs feel like even more of a task, so using a stairlift is much safer and reduces your risk of fainting and falling on the stairs.

Stairlift Manufacturers Evesham

If you’re looking for a local stairlift company to install a stairlift in your home ready for the summer, then look to us here at Alfix. We can install both straight or curved stairlifts to suit your needs.

Get in touch with us today to arrange your stairlift solution.